Adapting in the face of mate Korona

RŌPATA TAYLOR We are living in strange times. Although many are describing the Covid-19 pandemic as unprecedented, it is somewhat heartening for us to remember that our tūpuna overcame similar challenges in the past.

Think for example, of particular epidemics that impacted us when Pākehā first arrived in our country. Māori had lower immunity to many of the new diseases brought with the increasing numbers of Pākehā from the early 1800s onwards. Influenza and typhoid had devastating effects on Māori communities. The collective memory of grief and loss from these events in our relatively recent past perhaps explains why, during the Covid-19 response, many Māori communities took extra precautions to protect their whānau. We’ve been catapulted into unfamiliar territory but our history, as the people of the heke, shows us that we have the inherent resilience to cope. Anxiety and stress are very real feelings in these circumstances, but we know we have the whakapapa to embolden and strengthen us in times of adversity. Our genetic memory is an inspiration that reminds us we are well equipped to deal with new challenges such as Covid-19. We also take inspiration from the knowledge and experience of previous generations in growing, gathering and preserving kai, and making the most of resources on hand. Being kind to one another is more important than ever. It has been comforting to see our whānau reach out to connect to one another, and to those less fortunate and more vulnerable than ourselves. And while anxiety and sadness have been part of our experience during Covid-19, like our tūpuna, we have also shown adaptability. During lockdown, we were unable to find comfort from our usual rituals of connection, of celebrating life and mourning death. We had to find new ways to connect, such as live streaming our tangihanga, zoom calls for hui and restricting our hōngi. We have modified our ‘normal’ to make sense of a new reality. It has been a painful and, in many ways, progressive journey for our people. We remain unquestionably Māori in terms of our values, our principles and our cultural integrity. Our reo has been another aspect that has had to adapt and change. As we combat Corona virus/ Covid-19, our translators have worked hard to ensure communities that speak te reo Māori are kept well informed. Across Māori media, two new terms have entered our everyday language: mate Korona and Kowheori-19. While we hope that some of these words will soon not be required, there are words related to health and wellbeing that will continue to be useful. Here are some of the new words in te reo Māori for terms we’ve now become accustomed to:

TE REO MAORI ngā pae mataara whakarite whakaiti ENGLISH alert levels prepare reduce

rāhui

restrict whakakore eliminate ārai kanohi/ ārai huaketo face masks huaketo virus kāhui cluster kia atawhai be kind āwhinatia ētahi atu help others me toro ki ētahi atu check-in on others Kowheori-19, Mate Korona Covid-19, Corona virus noho taratahi self-isolation patuero ā-ringa hand sanitiser rere ā-hapori community transmission rere ā-whare household transmission rere hūrokuroku sustained transmission taratahi quarantine tikanga akuaku hygiene practices tū tīrara social distancing urutā outbreak whakatewhatewha pānga/ contact tracing kimi pāpātanga