Minding Their Language: Miriama McDowell

dea — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 06:42:17 +0000

Actress and Board member, Miriama McDowell.

While many actors look towards Hollywood as a focal point in their careers, an increasing number of Māori actors are instead following the proverb, “Titiro whakamuri, kōkiri whakamua” (“Look back and reflect, so you can move forward”), investing time, money and focus into reclaiming their language. Miriama McDowell speaks with fellow students about what this means to them.

Five New Zealand actors are currently undertaking a full immersion course in te reo Māori, the Māori language, at Te Wānanga Takiura o Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa in Auckland, as part of the biggest intake the school has ever had.

Te Huamānuka Luiten Apirana: Tainui, Tūhoe, Ngāti Hikairo, Ngāti Manunui.

“He kai kei āku ringa” (“The world is in your hands”).

This experience has changed the way I see the world. I have become braver, I make bolder choices and I am much more keen on making my own work now.

Do you have any advice for other actors considering this pathway?
“Me ako te reo maori. He tino tāonga, he tino tapu, he tino hōhonu.”

Renaye Tamati: Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Ngāti Rongomaiwahine, Te Āti Awa, Kai Tahu.

“He namu pea ahau” (“I may be as small as a sandfly, but I can have a big impact”).

I’m studying for my whānau — my dad has been trying for years to learn te reo Māori, so I’m proud to be doing this for him. It’s important to me to teach my son, too, so that he knows who he is, so he has a foundation in the world.

(L-R) Rihari Te Are, Te Huamānuka Luiten Apirana, Renaye Tamati.

Rihare Te Are: Tūhoe nō Ruataahuna, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga.

“Whaia te iti kahurangi, ki te tūohu koe, me he maunga teitei” (“If you must bow your head, let it be only to the highest mountain”).

I’m 33 and thinking of the future. If I ever have children, I want to be ready. I want them to grow up with te reo Māori, mātauranga Māori, tikanga Māori. I recently played Tybalt in a Reo Māori reading of Romeo and Juliet at Te Pou Theatre. That’s one of the outcomes from this course; I would never have been able to do that a year ago.

Rob Kipa-Williams: Ngāti Maru.

“E kore e taka te parapara ā ōna tūpuna; tukuna iho ki a ia” (“He cannot lose the spirit of his ancestors; it must descend to him”).

It was when I was working on Home and Away in Australia that I heard the call to come back and learn te reo. I am the only person in my whānau on this reo journey.

Miriama McDowell:

Ko tōku reo tōku ohooho
Ko tōku reo tōku māpihi maurea
-Tīmoti Karetū

My language is my awakening
My language is the window to my soul

I consider this year to be one of the best years of my life. I completely put aside my work as an actor and committed to a year of full immersion te reo Māori study at Te Wānanga Takiura o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa, based in Ōwairaka.

I love learning languages; I’m a fluent Spanish speaker and French was my favourite subject at school. But learning te reo Māori, the language of my tupuna, is different. I am reclaiming my reo, not learning it. He kaiwhakataumanu reo Māori ahau.

I always thought that te reo Māori me ōna tikanga meant learning the language and learning about tikanga. But now I know that every word in Māori has a tikanga, a whole world of values and philosophy and story around it. Does learning te reo Māori change me as an actor? Yes, I think so. I have deeper wells of connection to draw on, I am more connected to my history, my tūpuna, this whenua.

Miriama McDowell, Ngāti Hine, has worked in the theatre and screen industry for more than 20 years. She is an award-winning actor, director, writer and dramaturg. Miriama is a graduate of Toi Whakaari, NZ Drama School, a founding member of Intimacy Coordinators Aotearoa and a board member of Equity NZ. She is passionate about diversity, telling Māori stories and creating work where women take the lead.

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Minding Their Language: Miriama McDowell