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Interesting article. But included at the very beginning is a ‘pepeha’ in an undisclosed language. While I realize most people can recognise, read, and understand this language I can’t and assume at least a few others can’t either. If the ideas expressed in the quote are important, why not include a translation in a footnote or even a parenthetical.

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You're right Julie, I should have included a translation. Even though I wrote my pepeha in te reo Māori, I'm new to the language myself. Here's a translation:

Ko Damavand te maunga - Mt Damavand is the mountain I call home

Ko Arabian te moana - The Arabian Sea is my water

Ko Parsi te hāpu - Parsis are my tribe, my community

Ko Patel tōku whānau - I'm part of the Patel family

Ko Perzen tōku ingoa - my name is Perzen

What I didn't get to go into in this piece is the significance of a pepeha in Māori culture. It's a form of introduction that's meant to share the places and people that are important to you.

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Thanks for the comment Julie. I'll contact Perzen for the translation and update the post.

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Thank you Perzen, understanding the significance of a pepeha, makes it even more important for non-speakers of the language to understand the words.

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