Rudolph Mario (top) and Ioane Aleke Fa’avae (below) talk about Rotuman culture and tradition
Noa’ia ‘e mauri! This week take some time to explore the official language and culture of the small island paradise, Rotuma, with Rotuman Language Week, 10-16 May.
Rotuma is located approximately 465 km to the north of the Fiji Islands (a Fijian dependency) and must be one of the smallest island nations with a population of around 1,600, with many more Rotumans living in Fiji, in total about 10,000.
Rotuman is on the UNESCO endangered languages list and the theme for this Language Week reflects the importance of retaining this important element of a country’s culture: Putua ‘os fäega ma ‘os ag fak Rotuma – Nurturing our Rotuman identity through language and culture.
The 2013 New Zealand Census states that 783 people with Rotuman ethnicity live in Aotearoa, with 30.1% able to speak Rotuman. Rudolph Mario, a Lecturer with the School of Services and Trades, is a Rotuman, and work colleague, Ioane Aleke, Pacific Learning Advisor, talks to him about the importance of retaining the Rotuma language, how he keeps in touch with his culture as an ‘Aucklander’, and some of the local traditions including fine mats (apei), dancing, cooking as well as traditional ‘delicacies’ – watch the video here.
For special occasions, Rotomans wear a ‘tefui’, a special garland, made with sweet smelling flowers like ginger or ylang ylang, leaves and the spathes of coconut shoots. Decorations include red pandanus kernels and colorful wool
Learn more about Rotuma
Go to the Pacific Centre Facebook page for two short videos that will teach you a couple of Rotuman phrases, courtesy of Ioane and Rudolph.
Our Unitec Library has a range of online resources to learn more about the Rotuma so check out the Library catalogue and the Pacific subject guide.
You can use #rotumanlanguageweek2020 to follow the events on social media.
For more information, go to these websites:
- Auckland Museum
- Ministry of Pacific Peoples
- NZ Rotuman Language Week on Facebook
- Te Kete Ipurangi – The New Zealand Curriculum online