Te reo tatai : the relationships between Māori culture and Māori mathematical language

Abstract

Ten a tato u i o tatou tini mate e hing a mai nei e hinga atu na, huri noa i te mot u. Kia tangihia, kia mihia ratou. Na reira, moe mai ratou i te moe nga te whakaarahia. Ratou te hunga mate ki a ratou, tato u te hun ga ora ki a tatou. Tihei mauri ora. E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga maunga, e nga awaawa, e nga pata ka o nga taonga tuku iho, tena koutou. E mih i kau atu ana ki te tokomaha, na ratou i para te huarahi, i awhina ahau ki te whakahuihui i nga kupu, nga kore ro me nga whakaaro hei panuitanga, hei whakaarotanga, hei puhipuhi ma te hau.

He kore hiahia nok u kia whakahuahua mai i nga ingoa kato a o era kua tautoko mai i a au, otira e tika ana kia mihia etahi, ara te hun ga i tuku iho i to ratou mohiotanga ki nga kau pap a kua whakahuihuia i roto i tenei tuhinga. No reira, ki oku whaea o Nga i Tuh oe me oku kau mat ua o nga uri o Porourangi, tena raw a atu koutou. Ko te tumanako kia whai hua tenei tuhi nga mo a tatou tamariki mok opu na hok i e tipu ake.

Kei te mih i atu hoki ki toku whanaunga no te hau kainga. No reira e te wha nau nga tena raw a atu koe mo to tautoko mai, awhina mai, kia whai huru huru tenei tuhi nga roa, kia rere.

Ka nui hoki te mih i ki taku kaiarahi a Bill Bar ton not e Wh are Wananga o Tam aki makaurau. Ten a koe e Bill e awhina mai i ahau, ahak oa nga pikinga me nga hek eng a o te mahi nei.

He mih i whanui hok i ki a Colleen Mc Murchy-Pilkington. E hia ke nga po i mah i tahi kia whakatutuki i tenei kaupapa kia tika. No reira e te tuahine tena koe, tena koe.

Ki toku whanau, ki toku wahine anei te mih i atu ki a kou tou mo to koutou manaaki kia mut u marika i tenei tuhinga, no reia, tena koutou. Me pen ei noa ake te korero, i te kore koutou, e kore raw a tenei manu e rere. No reira, raurangatira ma, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

With the renaissance of te reo Māori in the last twenty years or so, great strides have been made to the point where formal mathematics can now be taught entirely in the medium of Māori from birth to tertiary level. This is a cause for celebration.

Fishman (1991) argues that language symbolises its culture which is, in part, created from its language. Both language and culture exist in a dynamic state and continue to evolve and change together. Thus the language that has grown up with a culture best expresses that culture, but what are the implications if language changes arise that are not in harmony with the culture itself?

Concerns have arisen about the quality of the Māori modern mathematics language and discourse which may result in changes to the language and the ethos of Māori culture itself. Will the Trojan horse effect result in the loss of some aspects of the Māori language and cause detrimental changes to Māori epistemological world views?

As a means of addressing or heightening some of these concerns, this ethnomathematical study examines contemporary maths language used in Māori medium mathematics contexts. Descriptions of western maths language are compared with traditional use by some native Māori speakers of the same language in traditional contexts. Aspects of Māori language are uncovered to reveal the underpinning Māori epistemological world views. The results are used to make comment on possible changes to linguistic features of Māori mathematical language and subsequent changes to the cultural perceptions and the Māori world view.