The Moriori people, tchakat henu (tangata whenua) of Rēkohu (Chatham Islands), will celebrate a major cultural milestone with the launch of the first-ever Moriori Language Week on Monday 17 November.
Organised by Hokotehi Moriori Trust, the week will feature language lessons, storytelling, song and cultural practices across Rēkohu and online, aiming to revitalise ta rē Moriori and strengthen identity.
The Trust's Interim CEO Levi Lanauze said the event marks an important step in reclaiming what was once nearly lost.
"Moriori have had to relearn our language following generations of hardship, colonisation, and misrepresentation," Mr Lanauze said.
"By establishing Moriori Language Week, we're ensuring ta rē Moriori is revived, spoken, and celebrated - whether or not it has official recognition."
The initiative joins the growing movement of Māori and Pacific language weeks in Aotearoa, highlighting a shared commitment to Indigenous language revival.
Hokotehi Moriori Trust secretary Hana-Maraea Solomon said the celebration is about more than just language - it is about connection to ancestry and identity.
"We just want everybody to be able to share and enjoy our language with us," Ms Solomon told RNZ.
"Every time we speak the language, it's almost like a connection to our karāpuna (ancestors)."
The journey to this point has been long.
Once facing population decline and cultural loss, Moriori people have spent decades rebuilding their language and traditions.
"Obviously it's taken a long enough time, decades in fact, to be able to be recognised as a people. So one step at a time," Ms Solomon said.
A petition calling for government recognition of Moriori Language Week was launched in 2023 but celebrations will proceed regardless of official support.
"We wanted the government to recognise our language, we'd appreciate their support, but we don't need external parties to recognise our language in order to be able to celebrate," she said.
Throughout the week, there will be online ta rē sessions, social media content, videos, songs and cultural activities with many events designed to help people learn from the ground up.
"And in some cases, sharing what we already have, because so many are starting from scratch," Ms Solomon said.
She notes the launch has brought both excitement and nerves, but the goal is to normalise the use of Moriori words and practices.
"We're going to do the best that we can with the resources that we've got and the people that we've got," she said.
"Next year will be even bigger and even better and I just encourage everybody to give it a try."
Original reporting by RNZ.
