Language revitalization
Government Efforts
Since the arrival of the conquistadores in the fifteenth century, Spanish has been slowly taking over the indigenous languages of Central and South America, including Nahuatl. This language dominance is a form of colonial violence. Though various regimes have made different efforts to preserve indigenous languages over the centuries, the number of speakers continues to drop. Recently, in 2003, the Ley General de Derechos Lingüísticos de los Pueblos Indígenas was passed. This law recognizes sixty-eight indigenous languages of Mexico (including Nahuatl) as “national languages”, and citizens have the right to use them in their private and public lives. The Instituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas (INALI) stresses the importance of indigenous languages. This government-backed organization recognizes indigenous languages as a vital part of the history and culture of Mexico, not just in the past Amerindian tribes, now extinct, but in the culture of modern day. The organization seeks to advise many levels of the government to bring together the public policy necessary to protect and enrich indigenous languages and cultures (INALI.gob.mx 2012).
Local Efforts
Public schools are making some effort to promote Nahuatl and Nahua culture. Francisca, pictured at left, remembers being hit in school for speaking Nahuatl. This summer, mothers told me that the teachers had instructed them to speak Spanish instead of Nahuatl at home to prevent confusing their children and giving them a severe disadvantage in school. This erroneous assumption keeps children from learning from their parents, their first teachers and sources of socialization. Few schoolteachers in Amatlán are originally from there, and few of them speak Nahuatl. This makes a difference, as Spanish becomes the language of education and a future outside of the fields.
At least the schools in Amatlán have realized the cultural value of Nahuatl. The schools possess a handful of Nahuatl textbooks, and students learn (from non-native speakers) the national anthem and poems in Nahuatl. Functional fluency in Nahuatl is not taught in the schools in Amatlán. In the kindergarten, Wednesdays are supposed to be dress-up day, when the children wear the traditional clothing of the Huasteca. Very few children particpated. In the picture to the left, you can see Francisca's intricate, handmade blouse. But behind her, on the clothesline to her left, you can see the blue jeans and tee shirt of her grandson drying on the clothesline.
Local Efforts: La Uvi
La Universidad Veracruzana Intercultural (UVI) has a campus located only a short drive away from Amatlán. The university offers incredible financial aid to reach indigenous students and aims to show the value of these students and their varied cultures. Degrees in cultural heritage, classes in linguistics and indigenous languages, and final creative projects and theses keep students engaged in indigenous culture. La UVI educates the young, bright minds of the area to keep their traditions and languages alive and well.
La revitalización de la danza Montesón
(The Revitalization of danza Montesón) |
Isaías, mentioned earlier here, made an excellent video about Danza Montesón, a style of dance native to Northern Veracruz. Just as interest is dying in Nahuatl and other indigenous languages, interest in native culture in general is dwindling among young people. For his thesis project at la Universidad Veracruzana Intercultural (UVI), Isaías researched this form of dance that dates back to the time of the Aztecs. He made an effort to increase interest in Danza Montesón among the children in Amatlán. He interviewed musicians who play the traditional Nahuatl music that accompanies this type of dance. Isaías is an excellent dancer, and he also taught a group of students how to perform this special dance. The video is in Spanish, but it is worth a watch to get a feel for the rhythm of Amatlán. In the interviews with the students,they talk about how happy they feel when they dance for a whole host of reasons- they like the music, they feel like they're carrying on an important tradition, their parents are proud of them, and simply because they like to dance. One girl says all children should join their dance group because "it is very beautiful and it is a culture that shouldn't be lost".
Other students at la UVI did projects in their own villages about revitalizing interest in Nahuatl and other indigenous languages. When the effort to remember the past and make it relevant in the future comes from within the community, especially from one's peers or an admired older student, the change is more likely to stick and last. |