The addition of some te reo Māori words to the Oxford English Dictionary caused a stir earlier this year, with charges of assimilation – and worse. Such concern is understandable, given the history of appropriation of Māori culture, art and, of course, land.
However, I believe the concern here is misplaced. The inclusion of Māori words is neither new nor limited to the Oxford dictionary. More significantly for te reo, when words are taken from one language into another, it is the giver, not the taker, who acquires the mana.
“Borrowing”, as it is called, is universal. Whenever two communities communicate with one another, there will be a trade in words for many reasons. It can be an equal trade, but often it has been the result of
