Cook Islands Māori

Official status

English is an official language of the Cook Islands, and Cook Islands Māori became an official language also in 2003, as defined by the Te Reo Maori Act 2003.

The Te Reo Maori Act states that Māori: |means the Māori language (including its various dialects) as spoken or written in any island of the Cook Islands; and |Is deemed to include Pukapukan as spoken or written in Pukapuka; and |Includes Māori that conforms to the national standard for Māori approved by Kopapa Reo.}}}}

Writing system and pronunciation

There is a debate about the standardisation of the writing system. Although usage of the macron (־) makarona and the glottal stop () amata is recommended, most speakers do not use them in everyday writing. The Cook Islands Māori Revised New Testament uses a standardised orthography that includes the okina and macron.

Grammar

Cook Islands Māori is an isolating language with very little morphology. Case is marked by the particle that initiates a noun phrase, and like most East Polynesian languages, Cook Islands Māori has nominative-accusative case marking.

The unmarked constituent order is predicate initial: that is, verb initial in verbal sentences and nominal-predicate initial in non-verbal sentences.

Personal pronouns

1. you -2 or more- and I
2. they and I

Tense–Aspect–Mood markers

Most of the preceding examples were taken from Cook Islands Maori Dictionary, by Jasper Buse with Raututi Taringa edited by Bruce Biggs and Rangi Moekaa, Auckland, 1995.

Possessives

Like most other Polynesian languages (Tahitian, New Zealand Māori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan ...), Cook Islands Māori has two categories of possessives, "a" and "o".

Generally, the "a" category is used when the possessor has or had control over the initiation of the possessive relationship. Usually this means that the possessor is superior or dominant to what is owned, or that the possession is considered as alienable. The "o" category is used when the possessor has or had no control over the initiation of the relationship. This usually means that the possessor is subordinate or inferior to what is owned, or that the possession is considered to be inalienable.

The following list indicates the types of things in the different categories:

• a is used in speaking of
  • Movable property, instruments,
  • Food and drink,
  • Husband, wife, children, grandchildren, girlfriend, boyfriend,
  • Animals and pets, (except for horses)
  • People in an inferior position

: Te puaka a tērā vaine : the pig belonging to that woman; : ā Tere tamariki : Tere's children; : Kāre ā Tupe mā ika inapō : Tupe and the rest didn't get any fish last night

: Tāku; Tāau; Tāna; Tā tāua; Tā māua…. : my, mine; your, yours; his, her, hers, our ours…

: Ko tāku vaine tēia : This is my wife; : Ko tāna tāne tērā : That's her husband; : Tā kotou apinga : your possession(s); : Tā Tare apinga : Tērā possession(s);

• o is used in speaking of
  • Parts of anything
  • Feelings
  • Buildings and transport (including horses)
  • Clothes
  • Parents or other relatives (not husband, wife, children...)
  • Superiors

: Te are o Tere : The house belonging to Tere; : ō Tere pare : Tere's hat; : Kāre ō Tina noo anga e noo ei : Tina hasn't got anywhere to sit;

: Tōku; Tōou; Tōna; Tō tāua; Tō māua…: my, mine; your, yours; his, her, hers; our, ours …

: Ko tōku are tēia : This is my house; : I tōku manako, ka tika tāna : In my opinion, he'll be right; : Tēia tōku, tērā tōou : This is mine here, that's yours over there

Vocabulary

• Pia : Polynesian arrowroot
• Kata : laugh at; laughter;
  • kata āviri : ridicule, jeer, mock
• Tanu : to plant, cultivate land
• angaanga : work, job
• Pōpongi : morning
• Tātāpaka : a kind of breadfruit pudding
• Tuātau : time, period, season;
  • ē tuātau ua atu : forever
• īmene : to sing, song
• Riri : be angry with (ki)
• Tārekareka : entertain, amuse, match, game, play game

Dialectology

Although most words of the various dialects of Cook Islands Māori are identical, there are some differences.

Demographics

Notes

Sources

• Cook Islands Maori Database Project, an online project created to build a collection of Cook Islands Maori words based on existing print dictionaries and other sources
• Cook Islands Maori Dictionary, by Jasper Buse with Raututi Taringa, edited by Bruce Biggs and Rangi Moekaa, Auckland, 1995.
• A dictionary of the Maori Language of Rarotonga, Manuscript by Stephen Savage, Suva: IPS, USP in association with the Ministry of Education of the Cook Islands, 1983.
• Kai Korero: Cook Islands Maori Language Coursebook, Tai Carpentier and Clive Beaumont, Pasifika Press, 1995. (A useful learning method with oral skills cassette)
• Cook Islands Cook Book by Taiora Matenga-Smith. Published by the Institute of Pacific Studies.
• Maori Lessons for the Cook Islands, by Taira Rere. Wellington, Islands Educational Division, Department of Education, 1960.
• Conversational Maori, Rarotongan Language, by Taira Rere. Rarotonga, Government Printer. 1961.
• Some Maori Lessons, by Taira Rere. Rarotonga. Curriculum Production Unit, Department of Education. 1976.
• More Maori Lessons, by Taira Rere. Suva, University of the South Pacific.1976
• Maori Spelling: Notes for Teachers, by Taira Rere. Rarotonga: Curriculum Production Unit, Education Department.1977.
• Traditions and Some Words of the Language of Danger or Pukapuka Island. Journal of the Polynesian Society 13:173-176.1904.
• Collection of Articles on Rarotonga Language, by Jasper Buse. London: University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies. 1963.
• Manihikian Traditional Narratives: In English and Manihikian: Stories of the Cook Islands (Na fakahiti o Manihiki). Papatoetoe, New Zealand: Te Ropu Kahurangi.1988
• Te korero o Aitutaki, na te Are Korero o Aitutaki, Ministry of Cultural Development, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. 1992
• Atiu nui Maruarua: E au tua taito, Vainerere Tangatapoto et al. University of South Pacific, Suva 1984. (in Maori and English)
• Learning Rarotonga Maori, by Makiuti Tongia, Ministry of Cultural Development, Rarotonga 1999.
• Te uri Reo Maori (translating in Maori), by Makiuti Tongia, Punanga o te reo. 1996.
• Atiu, e enua e tona iti tangata, te au tata tuatua Ngatupuna Kautai...(et al.), Suva, University of the South Pacific. 1993. (Maori translation of Atiu: an island Community)
• A vocabulary of the Mangaian language by Christian, F. W. 1924. Bernice P. Bishop Bulletin 2. Honolulu, Bernice P. Bishop Museum.
• E au tuatua taito no Manihiki, Kauraka Kauraka, IPS, USP, Suva. 1987.

References

1. "2013 Census ethnic group profiles".
2. Nicholas, Sally Akevai. (2018). "Language Contexts: Te Reo Māori o te Pae Tonga o te Kuki Airani also known as Southern Cook Islands Māori". EL Publishing.
3. "Te Reo Maori Act 2003".
4. "Language spoken at home | Australia | Community profile".
5. "Language spoken at home | Australia | Community profile".
6. "Language spoken at home | Australia | Community profile".
7. "Language spoken at home | Australia | Community profile".
8. "Language spoken at home | Australia | Community profile".
9. "Language spoken at home | Australia | Community profile".
10. "Language spoken at home | Australia | Community profile".