Hori (slur)

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Hori is an ethnic slur used against people of Māori descent. The term comes from a Māori-language approximation of George, an English name that was very popular during the early years of European colonisation of New Zealand. By means of synecdoche, the term came to be ascribed firstly to any unknown male Māori and then as a negative epithet to all male Māori.[1]

The usage as a derogatory term for Māori grew with the increasing urbanisation of Māori and is still common, though its usage may be less than in past decades.[2] The level of offence implied by the use of the term has varied over time and with context. In the mid-1950s, there was a radio sketch "Dad and Hori"[3][4] and in the early 1960s, the Pākehā writer W. Norman McCallum published several bestselling comedic books under the pseudonym "Hori".[5][6][7] The pseudonym was chosen as a typical Māori name and the books depicted Māori as overweight, lazy, and happy-go-lucky.

In recent years amongst Māori it has to some extent been "reclaimed" by the community which it was originally intended to insult – being often used as a term of endearment or as a signifier of "keeping it real".[1] An example is the musical group AHoriBuzz, the frontman of which describes the term as embracing Māori humour.[8][9] This "reclamation" over the last 20 years has progressed so far that many youth may have no idea that the word is a racial slur.[8]

  1. ^ a b "Dropping the H-bomb?". Linguistics and Second Language Teaching, Massey University. 5 June 2008. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  2. ^ Taonui, R. (2011). "Ngā tuakiri hōu – new Māori identities – Urban identifiers". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
  3. ^ Harker, Caroline. "Developing a national sense of humour, 1900–1970". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. New Zealand Government. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  4. ^ Ralston, Bill (1 August 2009). "Silly buggers". Noted. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  5. ^ Hughes, S. F. D. (2004). Was there ever a "Māori English"? World Englishes, 23(4), 565–584. doi:10.1111/j.0083-2919.2004.00377.x
  6. ^ Williams, Melissa Matutina (2015). Panguru and the city : kāinga tahi, kāinga rua : an urban migration history. Bridget Williams Books. p. 265. ISBN 9781927247921.
  7. ^ Belich, J. (2011). "European ideas about Māori – Hard racism and the 'Call of the Pah'". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
  8. ^ a b "A Hori Buzz – Nation of The State". Radio New Zealand. 15 August 2015. Archived from the original on 27 October 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  9. ^ "A Hori Buzz interview". sounzgood.co.nz. 6 February 2011. Archived from the original on 25 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.