is taking shape. In 2022, Indigenous representatives across the globe convened on the Cherokee Nation reservation to kick off the United Nations’. But it’s not just this worldwide push that is fueling some to connect to the language of their ancestors. To attune themselves to parts that feel undiscovered or untouched, U.S.-born Latines arebecause there are not enough speakers to pass them down.
Today, this devastating loss of languages extends to the extinction of cultural practices and traditions, ways of being, beliefs, and knowledge of the land and spirituality that have guided Indigenous peoples for centuries. Losses like this create anAnd it shows no signs of slowing down. Experts predict that by 2100, we might see the extinction or near extinction of 50% of Indigenous languages, and that’s the more optimistic figure.
Refinery29 Somos spoke with four people with roots in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean to learn why they are pursuing this goal and what it means to them to learn an Indigenous language. Their stories show that despite the challenges they face, they are eager to push through and uncover more about themselves as a result.Kelsey Milian Lopez is Mexican and Guatemalan. She lives in New York City but grew up in Miami.
She has studied the language for two years and is still at the beginner level because the language is tonal, meaning she must expertly master pronunciations to communicate. To learn this specific version of Zapotec, she is taking private classes with a musician and language instructor, a family friend who grew up in Juchitan. It was a combination of things. My grandfather spoke Zapotec but never taught my mom because there is a lot of discrimination toward.