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Culture Ministry aims at preservation of indigenous languages
In observance of September as the national month of Amerindian Heritage, the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport is looking to strengthen and preserve the spoken languages of the country’s nine Amerindian tribes.
This was disclosed yesterday by the Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, at a simple ceremony held at the Ministry’s Main Street Office to usher in the month dedicated to the country’s ‘first people’.
An Arawak dance group doing the ‘humming bird dance’.
Dr. Anthony said that one of the initiatives is to compile dictionaries of the nine indigenous languages.
Seven such dictionaries, he said, have been completed so far, while works on the other two are continuing.
The Minister noted that the Culture Ministry is also working to document the tribal stories of the past, so as to ensure that they are not lost with time.
“The stories told by these tribes are mostly oral, and we do not want for these stories to die with the generation that told them, so we are going to put all of these into a book and have it published,” Dr. Anthony said.
He emphasized that “if we don’t write and retain, the stories of the past will be lost forever”.
The Minister explained that while the stories will be documented in its original languages, there will be English translations. This, he said, will also help to further preserve the indigenous languages, while targeting the issue of young people in the various Amerindian communities not being able to speak the official languages.
Dr. Anthony reminded that each of the tribal stories told, contain nuggets of wisdom that can be beneficial to those visiting the Amerindian communities.
“There is much to learn from the tribal stories of the past. The artifacts, wisdom, techniques of sustainable living, etc,” the Minister said.
In addition, he noted that with the support of the people in each of the Amerindian villages, his Ministry will also be pursuing eco-tourism. He said that one of the things to be done is the establishment of community museums.
The museums, he explained, will contain artifacts as well as the history of the village and its people.
“It will be good for tourists,” Dr. Anthony added.
The Culture Minister also told the gathering that like the Calypso and Chutney competitions held to commemorate Mashramani, efforts are being made to host a singing competition where songs will be sung only in the indigenous languages.
In closing, Dr. Anthony urged that although Guyana is known to be the only English-speaking country in South America, its citizens should take pride in informing outsiders of the nine indigenous languages.
Amerindian Heritage Month 2013 is being celebrated under the theme, “Honouring our culture, Advancing our future”.
The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs recently launched the calendar of activities to commemorate the event.
The Amerindian tribes include the Wai Wais, who are known for their skilled architecture on the Umana Yana; the Macushis; the Potomonas; the Arawaks, known to be skilled in fishing; the Caribs, the tribe that cultivated cotton; the Wapishanas, the expert trackers; the Arecunas, the experts in manufacture; the Akawaios; and the Warraus.
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