doi: 10.18178/IJLLL.2023.9.2.396
Language Preservation: The Rise of Māori-Language Picture Books in Aotearoa
Lawa Iwan
- University of Auckland, Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Abstract
This paper presents an overview and analysis ofIndigenous-language picture books in Aotearoa. The Māori,the Indigenous people of Aotearoa, underwent a long period ofcolonisation and experienced culture and language loss.Indigenous movements demanding human rights andrevitalisation of the Māori language remained prevalent untilthe 1970s. Several scholars proclaim that literature in theIndigenous language is one avenue that effectively preserveslanguage and suggest printing more than educational materials[1–3]. However, Māori attempts to increase Indigenouslanguageliterature to safeguard their native tongues have beenconstrained by the limited number of language speakers andwriters. Currently, Indigenous-language picture books are theprimary Indigenous-language literature in Aotearoa. This paperanalyses the history, authors and translators of Māori-languagepicture books, as well as the ethnic identity, language andsubject of these books.
Keywords
- picture book in Māori language
- Indigenouslanguage
- language preservation
How to Cite
Lawa Iwan, "Language Preservation: The Rise of Māori-Language Picture Books in Aotearoa," International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 152-156, 2023. https://doi.org/10.18178/IJLLL.2023.9.2.396
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2023 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).