International Case Studies: Insights of Native Language on Cultural Policies and Implementation

This presentation will explore the Welsh Government's national strategy aimed at revitalising and promoting the Welsh language. Attendees will gain insights into the collaborative efforts of the Welsh Government and its partners in promoting Welsh, with a focus on the crucial role that arts and culture play in bringing the strategy to life.

Gaelic and Scots are indigenous languages of Scotland. They are protected under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, and Gaelic has official status as a ‘national language’ of Scotland under the Gaelic Language Act (2005). Both languages are intrinsic parts of Scotland’s culture and our creative lives. They are indivisible from the land, culture, people, and place. Gaelic has been spoken in Scotland for over 1500 years, with Scots arriving slightly later, and both languages were, at different points, the dominant language of the nation. However, with the rise of the English language, and centuries of direct action by successive governments and civic society to repress and remove both languages, Gaelic and Scots are now considered endangered. Cultural policy can support both languages, and their communities, to thrive, through understanding the historical and political contexts, and addressing the different needs of each language community. In my presentation, we’ll look at each language, the current challenges and opportunities and how different creative programmes aim to support both languages to flourish.

• Te reo Māori is integral to the well-being of Māori people
• Te reo Māori protects ancestral knowledge
• As Māori museum practitioners we are responsible for the care of Māori artifacts or taonga. Te reo Māori is also a taonga.
• Empowering and encouraging everyone in Aotearoa to learn and speak te reo Māori

Under the influence of colonial policies, the language proficiency of the Māori people in New Zealand declined steadily. It wasn't until the Māori Renaissance movement that the decline was somewhat mitigated, with the promotion of language policies and the publication of numerous language books. This presentation discusses how contemporary Māori people have developed their language literature following the language revitalisation. It showcases Huia Publishers, New Zealand's earliest and most representative Indigenous publisher, and the Kotahi Rau Pukapuka, aＭāori-language literature project. These examples illustrate how the Māori people have tackled economic and publishing challenges while continuing to publish language works to preserve their cultural heritage.