Celebrate Papua New Guinea Pidgin Language Week

 It’s Papua New Guinea Pidgin Language Week with the theme for 2024: ‘Lukautim, strongim na kirapim tokples na pasin blo tubuna - Preserve, revitalise and promote our language and culture.’  

Papua New Guinea is the largest and most populated Pacific Island nation with almost 11 million people and a land area 1.7 times the size of New Zealand.

University of Auckland’s Business School doctoral candidate Victoria Ongolea is among the 1,100 Papua New Guinea diaspora who call Aotearoa New Zealand home. She hails from her mother’s village of Koge, Peramara, Kundiawa, in the Simbu Province of Papua New Guinea. Koge is nestled in the highlands, alongside the river Wara Rice surrounded by waterfalls. Its setting has profoundly shaped her core. 

“The beauty of nature was woven into my daily life, however I only truly grasped its significance after moving to Tonga and then eventually to New Zealand,” says Ongolea, who was eight when her father moved the family back to his homeland of Tonga. 

She says while her family may not have had much, they found richness in the love they shared and the bounty of the land. These experiences instilled in Ongolea a profound appreciation for life’s simple treasures. 

“I cherished the moments spent with my grandparents, my mother, uncles and aunties, and my cousins, who embraced an array of native languages. Papua New Guinea's diversity – over 800 languages – reflects a culture that values authenticity to your roots. Where part of your identity is rooted in your mother tongue.” 

On the language journey 

Transitioning to a new environment required Ongolea to adapt; her fluency in Tok Pisin, the language she grew up with, began to fade as she learned Tongan. Even now, she can still catch bits of Tok Pisin when it’s spoken slowly and remembers some basic phrases.

“My childhood in PNG is a treasure I hold dear – it's a reminder of my roots and a testament to the beauty of embracing one’s heritage. These memories continue to inspire me and guide my journey, no matter where I go.”

A financial well-being coach, Ongolea is excited about continuing her research journey through a PhD in Management, that will focus on the Tongan community.

A commitment to the revival and maintenance of Pacific languages 

University of Auckland Associate Professor in Linguistics and Associate Dean Academic Jason Brown (Faculty of Arts) has a strong interest in languages from the Pacific and especially Papua New Guinea. 

For the past ten years, Brown has forged strong connections with Bougainville Island. He led a group of linguists undertaking field research almost seven years ago with the aim of producing works in Naasioi, one of the 25 languages on the island. 

He has visited Bougainville about six times since 2017, focusing on language maintenance and revitalisation, despite the Covid-19 pandemic posing significant obstacles. 

Brown says his work has provided him with a unique perspective on the longevity and resilience of languages. While English and French are relatively new, the languages of Bougainville have been spoken for thousands of years, offering a stark contrast and a rich tapestry of experiences. 

“Some of the languages are 40,000 years old, to put things into perspective. English or French are relative newcomers and only a few thousand years old. 

“There’s no comparison with languages that are thousands and thousands of years old; they show how people were living, what it was like back then. Those people are still there,” he says remarking on the tribes living in PNG and, in particular, Bougainville.  

Brown says Aotearoa, New Zealand was well ahead globally with its efforts to maintain and revitalise Indigenous languages, compared to his experiences of having grown up in the United States of America.

"Certainly when I was growing up, there wasn't any awareness of the local Indigenous languages."

He adds that the unity and respect for linguistic diversity in Bougainville is remarkable. The recent referendum for independence has amplified this sense of unity, with the people of Bougainville determined to show the world their strength and cohesion. The use of Tok Pisin and the visibility of signs in Pidgin across PNG highlight the vibrant linguistic landscape that Brown continues to explore and document.