and mission to learn my mother's native tongue
A journey that will span a lifetime.
My parents could speak their native languages. Dad: Tongan and English - admittedly, broken - and Mum: Māori, Tongan and English fluently.
However, they felt the way forward for their children was to speak English.
Te reo Māori and Tongan were spoken by my parents and uncles and aunties in the house, but never to us as kids. I picked up some words and phrases but was never encouraged to speak them.
Link to article: Māori Language Week 2022: A personal journey and mission to learn my mother's native tongue - NZ Herald
