Te Vairanga Kite Pakari | The Cook Islands Research Association is pleased to convene a one-day research symposium scheduled for Friday 4 December 2020 at The University of the South Pacific, Cook Islands campus at Takamoa, Avarua.

The one-day symposium will focus on the place of tō tātou au reo Māori ē te leo Wale (our varieties of Cook Islands Māori and the language of Pukapuka) in our research work and  every day lives. Concern for the sustainability and vitality of our language varieties has increased in recent years, evidenced in the work of Te Kōpapa Reo Māori, the growing participation in New Zealand’s Cook Islands Māori Language Week and the high demand for language classes both in the ipukarea and abroad. For researchers working in the Cook Islands context, language competency raises ethical, methodological and critical questions for us all, no matter the discipline or field(s) we align with. The bulk of new research being undertaken about the Cook Islands nation and its people is being published, discussed and critiqued in English and in some cases French. Given that our indigenous languages are crucial to the way our people understand their lives and their worlds, the dominance of English beckons a number of critical questions. This symposium offers space for participants to further contemplate how, and to what extent, the relationship between research and the language varieties of the Cook Islands can and should be woven together.

 We ask participants to consider any one or combination of the questions below:

1.     In what ways are the strands of research practice and language currently braided together in our work?

2.     To what extent can the relationship between Cook Islands language varieties and research be better understood and how might that understanding help us face ongoing and emerging issues in our modern and future lives?

3.     What challenges do we face in the study and use of reo Māori and/or leo Wale?

4.     How do these ancestral languages enable us to articulate, capture, deepen and distil our engagement with the intellectual heritage of our natural environment, social and cultural practices, economy and business?

5.     How can these languages teach us more about the subjects, materials, stories and critical issues that are dealt with in our various projects and writings?

Call for papers

We call for papers that prise open these questions and the long enduring debates about the value, development and importance of our languages in the various contexts we work in. These debates include the vitality of our languages; their importance to our cultural traditions and identities; their place in a Cook Islands modernity given geopolitical power relations, colonisation and globalisation; and the argument for their intrinsic value to, and benefits for, our wellbeing - a gateway to our indigenous knowledge systems, our past and our future.

 The timeliness of such conversations comes as consultations continue on national and regional policy frameworks such as the new Cook Islands National Sustainability Development Plan and the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge across the world and concerns about Climate Change persist for our peoples. This Symposium not only weaves together language and research, but offers room for participants to tether their discussions to these pressing happenings of our time.

 Presentations delivered in a variety of Cook Islands Māori or leo Wale are strongly encouraged for this one-day symposium but are not essential. Papers do not need to be academic as such nor do they need to be from one specific discipline, field or area of expertise. Rather, we wish to make space for all those wanting to engage deeply with one, some or all of these questions. Those with experience in community-led initiatives, in NGOs, government, business and all other sectors of Cook Islands society are encouraged to submit abstracts that address the questions and issues outlined here.  

 Abstracts for consideration should be no more than 300 words, inclusive of keywords and should be timed at no more than 15 minutes. Abstracts must be submitted by no later than 5pm CKT, Friday 6 November, 2020 and can be sent to the Association’s email address: admin@tevairangakitepakari.com

English-translated transcripts are optional and all sessions will be recorded for possible translation later.

Participation and Registration

Participation at this one-day symposium is free however, we ask that all attendees register via this form.

Further information about how to subscribe as an Association member can be found here.

The event will be live-streamed via the Association’s Facebook page. For those located outside of the Cook Islands, it also possible to present your paper via Zoom. When submitting your abstract via the form, please advise us of your location so we can schedule papers accordingly.

Keynote speaker/s

To be confirmed.