Emotional landscape of language revival
Dr Nogiata Tukimata & Dr Toiroa Williams of AUT’s Te Ipukarea Research Institute presented at Puliima 2025, the biennial Indigenous language and technology conference, held from the 25 – 29 August in Larrakia country, Darwin Australia.
Their presentation examined the spiritual and physical connections of language across time and space, and the role receptive bilingualism plays in language revitalization, as a response to the conference theme “Echoes of the past, Voices of the future”.
“Vagahau Niue (Niue language) is a bridge for me, a connection between my home in Tāmaki Makaurau and in Lakepa Maleloa, Niue,” says Dr Tukimata.
“Receptive bilingualism refers to the space between beginning a language learning journey and being a fluent speaker. It is a state of understanding, acknowledging ‘silent speakers’ and accessing knowledge through gestures, proverbs and glances.”
“The voices of my participants in my doctoral thesis uncovered the hard truth that English was prioritised for employment and education by Niue families, and that the Niue language wasn’t seen as valuable in the society in which they were brought up in”. However, Vagahau niue has a mauri (life force) and reclaiming that mauri was a vital bridge that connected my people to their ancestral homes and their Indigenous knowledge. In hindsight,
“I intuitively realised that within the process of reclaiming my language, I had not learnt the language, I had re-awakened it within me. This is because it is in my DNA, my vagahau (language) is not just a physical practice, it has a life essence, because as an Afine Niue (young Niue woman) my DNA is a makeup of my matohiaga (identity) and having awakened my language within, I have also re-awakened all those places within me where I knew my language existed and the connections that it had with my ancestors and those that came before me”.
Dr Tukimata concludes that Indigenous ancestral voices need to be remembered as timeless resources for all the meaningful relations that integrate stories, landscapes, spirituality, and relationships as living Indigenous worlds.
“Intergenerational transmission is a huge part of language retention and revival. Language is not just a tool for communication - it is a way to love, to teach, and to be anchored in our communities. Our grandparents are often seen as the encouragers and enablers of vagahau Niue or any language, whether in quiet homes or vibrant church halls, they have carved out spaces where language could breathe. They are the very reason that participants felt responsible to honour their elders, recognising them as their first teachers – as a way of carrying their legacy forward.”
The ancestral connection between people, place and language was also at the heart of Dr Toiroa William’s presentation.
“Our family legacy lives on the walls of my mother’s living room in our family angel wall. The presence of my grandparents, great grandparents, uncles and aunts is a tapestry of resilience and love. For me and my whānau, language revitalisation is tied up in acknowledging the changes we’ve experienced since colonial soldiers came ashore at the Ōpōtiki river mouth.”
Useful links
- Find out about Dr Tukimata’s research
- Find out about Dr Williams’ research
- Learn about Te Ipukarea
- Learn more about Puliima