It’s been said, “If you lose your language, you lose your culture”. This statement stresses me out a bit because I know my indigenous language is massively endangered, though thankfully, not extinct. In 2021, I attended a one month ‘Iipay/Tipay immersion class, where we counted up all the fluent speakers we had amongst the tribes. The number was in the 30s. Since then, many of those amazing knowledge keepers have moved on. The impact of this dwindling number has fueled a desire within me to learn all the ‘Iipay aa I can, but it has not been an easy task. This one is hard for me. One blessing that has come from my language journey has been a deeper understanding through words of what it meant/means to be a Kuemayaay.
Take our word for “Hello” for example. It doesn’t mean “Hi!”but rather translates “May the fire inside you go on burning”. How lovely. One word, with so much beauty in it when speaking to one person. You’re wishing their souls well. You want the best for them. Imagine practicing saying this to everyone you passed. Wouldn’t it start to ignite this awareness of generosity? When you meet someone, you would already be thinking, “What’s best for this person?” Take the greeting for people in a plural setting. “Menyuweya!” meaning, “Are we all here? Are we all ready?” Not starting on your time, but waiting til everyone has everything they need to begin. That sounds like a core value of equality to me. That sounds like “Village Mentality” to me. Now imagine the change that word can make in your life if you put into practice saying it everyday. For me, it provides insight to how they treated people, and confirms how I should treat others today. It also makes me very proud of them for having this in their character to the point that it shows up in their speech. What’s showing up in my speech?
May we never lose our language and therefore never lose our culture, and may the fire inside all of us go on burning.
mandycuro@hotmail.com
