Understanding Indigenous Languages and Why They Matter

What makes a language an Indigenous? Why is it important to preserve these languages?

This blog dives into the answers to these questions, as well as examines the effects of colonialism on their languages and explains what makes these languages so valuable in modern times.

Image from: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/mapped-the-worlds-indigenous-peoples/ 

What is an Indigenous language?

Indigenous languages are those spoken by the native inhabitants of a particular geographic area before colonization or with heavy influence from another language or culture. For the most part, they are spoken by comparatively fewer people, and many are at risk of extinction. 

We want to emphasize that these communities and their languages are long-established in their regions, existing well before modern borders and colonialism, and have developed over millennia. Speakers of Indigenous languages have often suffered decimation, discrimination, and worse from colonial powers. 

An Indigenous language is deeply intertwined with its community's customs, culture, and identity. For the communities that speak them, they often have deep historical roots and hold immense cultural and social value. 

There are over 4,000 indigenous languages spoken in the world today, but speakers of those languages account for just under 6% of the global population. This means that the vast majority of individuals on the planet do not speak an Indigenous language, but of the world’s over 7,000 documented languages still in existence, the majority of those are considered Indigenous languages.

Only until relatively recently have many countries begun to officially recognize Indigenous languages. Among the leading examples are Bolivia, which recognized all 36 of its Indigenous languages as official state languages in 2009, and Guatemala, which recognized its 24 Indigenous languages as national languages in 2003. 

Indigenous languages are not typically used in schools, businesses, or governments, and have historically been looked down upon by speakers of non-Indigenous languages. Many were prohibited from being spoken in public in certain countries under colonialism, including within the United States.

Although many Indigenous languages are predominantly passed down orally, some once had vibrant writing systems, such as the Maya codices, that were intentionally destroyed by colonial forces to suppress Indigenous populations. Following generations of oppression, marginalization, and even genocide and ethnic cleansing, Indigenous languages today are usually poorly documented or disappearing altogether. 

Indigenous languages usually also contain a wide range of context-specific vocabulary and terms associated with their environments as well as their community’s traditional practices and belief systems. The deep connection to the land is one of the most important factors that set Indigenous languages apart from other languages, often having specific terms for certain geographical elements or environmental characteristics found in their homelands.

Challenges Of Preserving Indigenous Languages

There’s a tendency in the majority of countries throughout the world to teach only colonial languages, like English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French in schools, meaning that with each generation, fewer and fewer individuals are learning their community’s Indigenous language.

To make matters worse, there are a limited number of qualified teachers, teaching materials, and curriculums designed specifically for Indigenous languages. Without any emphasis on teaching Indigenous languages in schools, many are becoming at risk of extinction. However, the fact that Indigenous languages are excluded from educational systems is just one reason that the number of people speaking them is dropping.

Often in Indigenous communities, “Western” or colonial languages, like Spanish and English, are believed to be more valuable and important to learn. Consequently, many parents tend to push their children toward learning those languages and discourage them from putting any emphasis on their languages, believing that doing so will make them more employable and have better economic opportunities. 

The forced linguistic and cultural assimilation that was prevalent in colonial-era practices and has continued throughout many centuries has also created a negative stigma around speaking Indigenous languages. Throughout generations, this brutal suppression has led to fear and shame of speaking Indigenous languages.

In some instances, it is so strong that, due to their own negative past experiences, many parents are reluctant to teach their language to their children in order to avoid putting their children in similar situations. This fear and shame that has been horrifically ingrained into Indigenous cultures is rooted in a long history of oppression and discrimination, that in many places around the world, is sadly continuing today.

With Indigenous parents speaking less, or not at all, to their children in their native languages, they could eventually disappear.

Why is it important to protect and preserve Indigenous languages and culture?

Besides being a means of communication, Indigenous languages contain an abundance of cultural and ecological knowledge, holding elaborate systems of knowledge that date back thousands of years, a result of having observed and exchanged information about the environment for millennia. Many institutions today are starting to recognize the critical importance of Indigenous knowledge, particularly when it comes to resource conservation, climate health, community and social wellbeing, and other pertinent issues. 

Their languages have rich vocabularies and terms concerning natural environments, sustainable living practices, and traditional healing methods. Some Indigenous languages, for example, contain specific information about species of plants that can help botanists study ecosystems better. Without a doubt, this has tremendous value for science, medicine, governments, and resource planning, and losing it would be detrimental.

Because this information is typically passed down orally from one generation to the next, if Indigenous languages disappear, so would the knowledge they contain, and it would not be possible to recover it. 

Language plays a role in forming our worldview, how we see the world, and the way we process information. The convergence of thousands of worldviews, influenced by language, creates a rich fusion of ideas, personalities, and perspectives. With the loss of each Indigenous language, we risk losing knowledge, unique ways of thinking, and the global diversity that makes humankind truly beautiful.

Whenever a language dies, its ties to culture and history die with it. A threat to Indigenous languages is a threat to Indigenous people, too. For Indigenous communities, language and culture are deeply associated with their pride and sense of self. Losing these languages could have adverse effects, like loss of self-esteem and cultural identity, as well as generational and cultural trauma. 

Preserving and protecting indigenous languages and cultures can also contribute to advancing social justice and equality. Throughout history, and even still today, Indigenous peoples have been subjected to discrimination, marginalization, and violence. Recognizing and preserving Indigenous languages and cultures can be a first step toward increased advocacy for Indigenous rights.

Maya Bridge - A Leading Advocate For Indigenous Language Access In The U.S.

Since 2021, Maya Bridge Language Services has been advocating for increased access for speakers of Mayan and other Latin American and global indigenous languages here in the United States. Maya Bridge is a mission-driven, niche interpretation agency offering 24/7 on-demand services for over 230 languages.

We have worked diligently to mobilize, train, and evaluate a network of hundreds of interpreters both in the US and throughout the world to ensure that speakers of Indigenous languages can fully understand and be understood in important situations like healthcare, legal settings, in disaster and emergency response scenarios, and in receiving access to government programs. 

Contact us to schedule a meeting or call us anytime, day or night, at (801) 753-8568.

About the Author

Jace Norton is a Q'eqchi' interpreter and linguist with an extensive background in the Q'eqchi' language. Norton lived and worked among the Q'eqchi' people from 2010-2012, created a language learning guide for Q'eqchi' in 2014, and worked in Q'eqchi' translation and interpretation from 2017-2021. In 2021, Norton founded Maya Bridge Language Services and is now a leading advocate for Mayan language access in the US.