In te reo the word for small is iti.
It’s such a cute word. There’s also a word for making something small:
‘Whakaiti’
‘Whaka’ means to ‘do’ or ‘make’.
‘Iti’ means ‘small’.
To ‘whakaiti’ a person is to make them small. I love the simplicity of that translation. I don’t, however, love what it represents.
Making people small is, unfortunately, really common these days. Couples make jokes at the expense of their significant other, we laugh at peoples attempts or push them down when they try something new.
What we should aim to do is make people big: to whakanui them. That is, to shine a light on them. Uphold their mana. Listen when they want to be seen anew. Celebrate them and support them.
Remember, it’s not always obvious if what you’re doing is a whakaiti or a whakanui. And it might seem like a little joke here and there doesn’t matter…
But one cut still draws blood.
Here’s a simple question if you’re unsure: is what I’m saying or doing honouring the fullness of this human being, or shrinking them down for a quick laugh or aside?
It’s easy to whakaiti someone. But it takes real guts to make others big, celerbrate them and honour them no matter what.
