Kiribati Language Week 2023
For the first five years of her life, Lisa and her siblings predominantly spoke Kiribati at home and attended events and gatherings with her tight knit Kiribati community, immersing themselves in the Kiribati culture, language and traditions.
She says the language was taught in many ways, through dancing, singing or just being around each other and that all of these things contributed significantly to her understanding and speaking Kiribati.
She also says with the possibility of Kiribati no longer existing, her language will be her only connection to her culture and it’s therefore pivotal to maintain it to ensure it lives on through generations to come.
The AUT Bachelor of Health Science (Nursing) alumna shares her language learning journey for Wikin te Taetae ni Kiribati | Kiribati Language Week, in the third instalment of AUT’s Pacific language video series for 2023, below.
The theme for the Pacific Language Weeks 2023 is sustainability, and AUT’s videos are a celebration of the power of language and culture featuring our alumni who are sharing their experience and journey with sustaining language.
The videos feature a diverse range of alumni, from business leaders to educators, community leaders and more who are all passionate about sustaining languages for future generations.
Through their stories, it will be evident the many ways in which language is a vital component of cultural identity and the ways our alumni have implemented it into their daily lives.
Kiribati greetings and other resources for Wikin te Taetae ni Kiribati | Kiribati Language Week, including email signatures and printable posters, are available on the website of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. Ko raba (thank you)!
Release dates
To watch each video in the 2023 AUT Pacific language video series as they are launched, follow the Pacific at AUT Facebook page or watch on YouTube.
- Rotuman Language Week: Sunday 7 May – Saturday 13 May
- Samoa Language Week: Sunday 28 May – Saturday 3 June 2023
- Kiribati Language Week: Sunday 9 July – Saturday 15 July 2023
- Cook Islands Language Week: Sunday 30 July – Saturday 5 August 2023
- Tonga Language Week: Sunday 3 September – Saturday 9 September 2023
- Tuvalu Language Week: Sunday 1 October – Saturday 7 October 2023
- Fijian Language Week: Sunday 8 October – Saturday 14 October 2023
- Niue Language Week: Sunday 15 October – Saturday 21 October 2023
- Tokelau Language Week: Sunday 22 October – Saturday 28 October 2023