Intergenerational Affect, Language Trauma, and Pride: Young Māori Men’s Emotional Experiences of Te Reo Māori

ABSTRACT

Indigenous peoples face specific challenges to the revitalisation of our heritage languages. I explore the role of emotions and socio-cultural contexts in shaping how young Māori men engage with te reo Māori (the Māori language). Through engaging in poetic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 16 young Māori men, I demonstrate how emotions about te reo Māori can inform our understanding about heritage language learning for Indigenous peoples. I discuss how repertoires of sadness, grief, loss, joy, and gratitude reflect wider settler colonial impacts and how they are differentially navigated by Māori families. Intergenerational trauma generated by colonisation, and the resistance and resilience of different families are highlighted as important factors in supporting young Māori men to engage with te reo Māori. To conclude, I discuss the important place of engaging with emotions and history for Indigenous peoples as a foundation from which to engage with our varied heritage languages.

KEYWORDS:

• Emotions
• indigenous
• language revitalisation
• Māori
• youth

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work is adapted from the author’s PhD thesis that was supported by the University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship.

Notes on contributors

Logan Hamley

Logan Hamley (Ngāti Rangi, Whanganui) is a Kaupapa Māori Psychology lecturer at the University of Waikato. His research explores the intersections of Indigenous youth identity, masculinity and place/space. He is also interested in creating space for Indigenous ways of being and knowing within research and community, and takatāpui/LGBTQ+ Indigeneity. He is passionate about systems transformation, and the possibilities for Indigenous ways of being and knowing to create a more just and equitable world.