Aotea

Mokori anō kia rere ngā mihi ki te whenua me te tāngata whenua o Aotearoa. Toitū te reo Māori, toitū te ao Māori mō ake tonu atu rā.

Tēnā koutou.

Nō British Isles ōku tūpuna. Engarī i tae mai rātou i Amerika i te tau 1623 hei kaitaumanu.

I whānau au i Texas, i tupu ake au i Florida, nā reira, e aroā ana au i te hiahia ki te manatika.

E ū ana au ki te ako i te reo Māori kia rere noa.

My ancestors are from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. They arrived on Turtle Island/North America as colonizers in 1623.

I was born in Texas and grew up in Florida (the Deep South), so I am very aware of the importance of Justice.

I am committed to learning to speak the taonga that is te reo Māori and to being respectful of te ao Māori.

I am very conscious of my status as a European-descendent living in the U.S. I have no whakapapa to Aotearoa and no lived experience as Pākehā or as Tangata Tiriti. My connections are with friends who have welcomed me on this amazing journey with te reo Māori. Mei kore ake rātou hei hoa pūmau, hei kaiako mōku. I am very fortunate in their manaakitanga and aroha - and incredibly lucky to have found my way to Aotearoa and to te ao Māori.

Nā aua hononga e hono anō nei au ki ōku ake tūpuna. It is because of these connections to te reo and te ao Māori that I have been reconnected to my own ancestors. Because of te reo and te ao Māori I am finding my place in the world.

I love being in Aotearoa and hope to spend as much time as possible in this beautiful motu, I welcome the opportunity to learn and, where appropriate, to share what I have learned (and am still learning) working as an activist and educator in the United States - speaking truth to white folks.

If you have an opportunity for us to share knowledge and experiences, or just want to have a kōrero, whakapā mai! I can be reached at lyndele@gmail.com and at LinkedIn.

Nāu te rourou nāku te rourou ka ora ai te iwi