MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 August 1939, Page 4

MAORI MEMORIES

KENDALL, 1814—LEE, 1820.

(Recorded by J.H.S. for “Times-Age.”) One of Marsden’s first missionaries, Mr. Kendall, came to New Zealand in the “Active” during April. 1814. Writing to his former teacher in England, the only request he made for help was that the Mission Society should send a watch to keep time, a pocket compass to find his way through the bush, and a few medicinal comforts. This reference to his physical condition was of interest in view of his subsequent mental, moral and physical ruin by drink, which was and still is the sole cause of the degenerate condition of the noblest race of primitive people on earth. In that time Professor Lee had not produced his ideal orthography of the written language of the Maori, and many painful attempts to pronounce and spell the simple words were made. A few examples will serve to illustrate his attainment in phonetic spelling which is so painfully absent in English.

Using the vowels —A as in ah, E as a in pare, I as double e in feet, O as in oh, and U as double o in boot, will serve to illutrate the two systems. “Mattow Hoohee” (Ma-ta-hu-i); “Kakkahoo” (Ka-ika-hu); “Howrahkkee” (Hau-ra-ki); . “Korrorahrikka” (Ko-ro-ra-re-ka); “Toodeeahtokoo” (Tu-ri-ka-tu-ku).

It will thus be seen that each syllable of two letters ends with a vowel, without our variations in sound. The eight consonants, H, K, M, N, P, R, T, W, are used as in our language, and the G prefixed by N to produce the nazal sound of “Nga” as in thing. By using this simple formula a school child or any other person can learn to spell and pronounce every word correctly in ten minutes. The adjective is placed immediately after the noun— He (a), rakau (tree), nui (big), Te (the), whare (house), hou (new), Nga (plural article), whare (houses), pai (good). This also makes possible a rapidity of clear speech which would not be understood in English.