https://youtu.be/HllX6kqfXlc   He aha te mea nui I tea ao He tāngata he tāngata he tāngata

This Māori Whakataukī (proverbs) showed above and it means “What is the most important thing in the world. It is people, it is people, it is people.” Listen to the song on Youtube. Sorry there is no captioning for many Deaf people or Hard of Hearing people.

Transcript from Eric’s video.

Tēnaa, koutou katoa

His message to everyone who iinvolveswith the Māori Deaf people in the community especially in the marae. He would like you – hearing people, children to take involve with Māori Deaf people in the community and in the marae. Ages are no matter to everyone who is learning about Māori Deaf community.

The important tools are to teach many Māori Deaf to learn about themselves such as who I am as in identity, where do they come from, the culture and the value, the language and the custom in the marae, in the community and the society. He would like many Māori Deaf people to become more confident in the learning through Māori language, culture and whakapapa.

He pointed out that there are many barriers for many Deaf Māori such as the lack of interpreters available during the meeting in the marae, in the public meeting and no communication with their whānua (family). Many Deaf Māori people have not learnt about the protocols when coming into the marae, what is the marae meant to everyone and what can the marae support everyone to use.

Eric is learning more about his value, his identity, where his whakapapa comes from, where is his whenua and which waka he came from. he is becoming stronger and enhances the quality/value of his learning for other Deaf Māori people and himself.

It is time to celebrate our Te Reo Māori week. It is very important to learn with us.

tēnā rawa atu koe (Thank you very much) Eric

There has been widely gaps within the Māori Deaf people and the European people about the culture, beliefs,  genealogy (whakapapa), te Reo language, over many years. I remember one person and an interpreter from the late 1980s. One person was Patrick Thompson and he was lost in his ancestors, the whakapapa, language and so on. He asked me out of the blues when he learnt my mother was studying Māori language and cultures at the University of Waikato. Patrick and I were at school together in Hamilton back in the 1980s. I explained to Patrick if he understand where he came from and his reply was ‘confused and do not know where he stands.’ I encouraged Patrick to take up the Māori culture, whakapapa and the language now, mind you that my message to him, was at school times. I lost track of Patrick until I met him again and we chatted more on how to get many Māori Deaf people to get involved. I said what about the interpreter – Stephanie who she is a trilingual interpreter for many years. Stephanie met my sister and my mother many years back. So Patrick asked Stephanie and they worked together by encouraging many Māori Deaf people until Patrick’s death. I was busy with the works while he passed away and his death made a huge impact on the Māori Deaf community and the wider communities even around the world in 2014.

This photo was taken at the Government House, Wellington and he received an award – QSM for the service to Māori and the Deaf community in 2012.

“Nā reira, e Patrick, e te rangatira, moe mai rā ki tō moenga roa.”