<div dir="ltr"><h1 class="gmail-c-story-header__headline">Niueans called on to preserve their mother tongue</h1>
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<span class="gmail-updated">11:54 am on 14 April 2017</span>
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<div class="gmail-author-avatar"><img alt="Indira Stewart" class="gmail-profile-thumb" src="http://www.radionz.co.nz/assets/users/116/thumb_Indira-Moala.jpg?1465457623"></div><div class="gmail-author-detail">
<span class="gmail-author-name"><a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/authors/indira-stewart">Indira Stewart</a></span>, <span class="gmail-author-job">RNZI Journalist </span>
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<span class="gmail-author-twitter gmail-icon-twitter"><a href="https://twitter.com/Indira_on_tweet">@Indira_on_tweet</a></span>
<span class="gmail-author-email gmail-icon-email"><a href="mailto:indira.stewart@radionz.co.nz?subject=Niueans%20called%20on%20to%20preserve%20their%20mother%20tongue">indira.stewart@radionz.co.nz</a></span>
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<p>Niuean leaders are calling for locals and Niueans living abroad to fight for the preservation of the Niuean language.</p>
<div class="gmail-photo-captioned gmail-photo-captioned-full gmail-photo-cntr eight_col">
<img src="http://www.radionz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/31954/eight_col_Delegates_at_Vagahau_Niue_Conference_April_2017.jpg?1492048360" alt="Delegates at Vagahau Niue Conference April 2017." height="450" width="720">
<p class="gmail-photo-captioned__information">
<span class="gmail-caption">Delegates at Vagahau Niue Conference April 2017. </span>
<span class="gmail-credit">Photo: <span>RNZI / Indira Stewart</span></span>
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<p>They have gathered at the Vagahau Niue Conference held in the village of Mutalau this week.</p>
<p>The 2 day conference has brought together speakers from corporate,
government and NGO sectors from across the South Pacific with the united
aim of helping Niueans sustain and use their language to strengthen
their culture and maintain ties with Niue nationals living abroad.</p>
<p>Tifaole Ioane, who is the Chairperson of the Niue Language
Commission, said that while colonisation has had its benefits, it also
led to the suppression of Vagahau Niue.</p>
<div class="gmail-photo-captioned gmail-photo-captioned-full gmail-photo-cntr eight_col">
<img src="http://www.radionz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/32038/eight_col_Tifaole1.jpg?1492126738" alt="Tifaole Ioane is the chairperson of the Niuean Language commission." height="450" width="720">
<p class="gmail-photo-captioned__information">
<span class="gmail-caption">Tifaole Ioane is the chairperson of the Niuean Language commission. </span>
<span class="gmail-credit">Photo: <span>RNZI/Indira Stewart</span></span>
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<p>She went to primary school in Niue in the 1960's and recalled how children were forbidden to speak Vagahau Niue in school.</p>
<p>"In my own time, you know, having gone to school here, I can remember
having to be punished for speaking Niuean and having to write lines "I
must not speak Niuean. I must not speak Niuean..."</p>
<p>Back then, she said, locals were taught that their culture and
language were inferior to that of the west and the English language.
Now, elders are trying to turn that mentality around.</p>
<div class="gmail-photo-captioned gmail-photo-captioned-full gmail-photo-cntr eight_col">
<img src="http://www.radionz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/31953/eight_col_Vagahau_Niue_Conference_April_2017.jpg?1492048224" alt="Vagahau Niue Conference April 2017" height="450" width="720">
<p class="gmail-photo-captioned__information">
<span class="gmail-caption">Vagahau Niue Conference April 2017 </span>
<span class="gmail-credit">Photo: <span>RNZI / Indira Stewart</span></span>
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<p>"The problems that colonisers had left behind you know, they've
taught us well to look down on our culture, to look down on our
language" she said.</p>
<p>"You know, at this late stage, we're trying to grip onto it and
trying to think otherwise. Now we're learning that there is a lot of
value in our own culture."</p>
<div class="gmail-photo-captioned gmail-photo-captioned-full gmail-photo-cntr eight_col">
<img src="http://www.radionz.co.nz/assets/news/106253/eight_col_a.jpg?1491960477" alt="A ukulele band performing at the knighting ceremony of Sir Toke Talagi on Niue March 2017" height="450" width="720">
<p class="gmail-photo-captioned__information">
<span class="gmail-caption">A ukulele band performing at the knighting ceremony of Sir Toke Talagi on Niue March 2017 </span>
<span class="gmail-credit">Photo: <span>RNZI/Sally Round</span></span>
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<p>Guest speaker, Ina Vakaafi, moved back to Niue from New Zealand with her family when she was seven years old.</p>
<p>She arrived in 1990, just two years after all the outer schools were
amalgamated into one primary school in Niue's capital, Alofi.</p>
<div class="gmail-photo-captioned gmail-photo-captioned-full gmail-photo-cntr eight_col">
<img src="http://www.radionz.co.nz/assets/news/106266/eight_col_Niue_from_the_air.JPG?1491963514" alt="Niue from the air" height="480" width="720">
<p class="gmail-photo-captioned__information">
<span class="gmail-caption">Niue from the air </span>
<span class="gmail-credit">Photo: <span>RNZI/Sally Round</span></span>
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<p>She said she was placed in a mono-lingual classroom with other
children of expatriates living in Niue, until she could merge into the
bilingual classrooms where Vagahau Niue was used in the curriculum.</p>
<p>"I only knew English, I was in a monolingual class and I noticed that
I was the only brown kid in there and I asked the teacher 'Ok, how do I
get to <i>that</i> class?' and she said 'You need to learn your Vagahu Niue'" she explained</p>
<p>"I found it so hard just trying to get my lunch off my cousin. She
spoke vagahau Niue, I only spoke English. So those are some of the
things that motivated me to learn quickly."</p>
<div class="gmail-photo-captioned gmail-photo-captioned-full gmail-photo-cntr eight_col">
<img src="http://www.radionz.co.nz/assets/news/86380/eight_col_NYN1.jpg?1477000895" alt="There are more Niueans in New Zealand then in Niue." height="405" width="720">
<p class="gmail-photo-captioned__information">
<span class="gmail-caption">There are more Niueans in New Zealand then in Niue. </span>
<span class="gmail-credit">Photo: <span>Niue Youth Network</span></span>
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<p>While 1600 Niueans live on island, about 30,000 Niueans live overseas.</p>
<p>Dr Robert Early, who is the Head of the Department of Languages at
the University of the South Pacific and also spoke at the conference,
said that makes it even more challenging to sustain Vagahau Niue.</p>
<p>He had high praises for the locals who he thought were doing a great job in making sure the language is preserved.</p>
<p>"I think the people here have made some absolutely amazing progress
in some of the resources that they've developed, in their education
programmes, their commitment, their language policy environment that
they've created through the National Language Commission and so on," he
said.</p>
<div class="gmail-photo-captioned gmail-photo-captioned-full gmail-photo-cntr eight_col">
<img src="http://www.radionz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/32039/eight_col_NYN.jpg?1492127258" alt="The Niue Youth Network says retaining Vagahau Niue is important." height="450" width="720">
<p class="gmail-photo-captioned__information">
<span class="gmail-caption">The Niue Youth Network says retaining Vagahau Niue is important. </span>
<span class="gmail-credit">Photo: <span>Niue Youth Network</span></span>
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<p>"So there are a lot of really good signs in place for continuing to
support the maintenance and even the development and expansion of the
Niuean language in Niue itself."</p>
<p>Ms Vakaafi said Niue youth, both local and abroad, often lack
confidence to speak Vagahau Niue because they're embarrassed they might
say something wrong.</p>
<p>She added that it was crucial that Vagahau Niue is passed on and more youth should be encouraged and supported to sustain it.</p>
<p>"We are the custodians of a language that very few people speak, and
we should be proud of that. But we need to be sure that we pass it on
the best that we can to the next generation."</p>
<div class="gmail-photo-captioned gmail-photo-captioned-full gmail-photo-cntr eight_col">
<img src="http://www.radionz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/19579/eight_col_NYN4.jpg?1477001424" alt="Niuean youth are seen as the key to retention and development of Vagahau Niue." height="450" width="720">
<p class="gmail-photo-captioned__information">
<span class="gmail-caption">Niuean youth are seen as the key to retention and development of Vagahau Niue. </span>
<span class="gmail-credit">Photo: <span>Niue Youth Network</span></span>
</p>
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