Abstract:

The indigenous peoples face a language battle. Language is an important part of their individual ancestral cosmovision. Anyone who lives in dual languages knows that while there are translations, they are often not perfect translations. This becomes important as you try to maintain the culture. The authors are using as an example the Mayangna of Nicaragua.

Linguistic rights according to the United Nations: Language rights of indigenous peoples Article 13 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their languages, oral traditions, writing systems and literatures…. Articles 14 and 16 state indigenous peoples’ rights to establish their educational systems and media in their own languages and to have access to an education in their own language [1].

The question of what it means to have access to an education in their language is what is explored from an anthropological perspective. Some topics include:
• Challenges of providing education in a mother tongue. 1. To the Indigenous leader, 2. To the Local and National governments.
• Educational Infrastructure: buildings; resources (text, digital and National or district testing in indigenous language); teacher bilingual programs; teacher education programs (for native language speakers); teachers as a source of opportunity; teacher as a source of cultural contamination.
• Where do the rights of mother tongue end? Preschool? Secondary school? University?

As you study this in the case of indigenous people there are some important lessons to be learned.
• Studying the national tongue in public school or in private language schools opens opportunities for the students.
• Studying the mother togue is important to the cosmovision, and the indigenous culture.
• It is difficult to continue modern upper-level education in the mother tongue as it has not necessarily evolved to the challenges of today’s world.

This is a real challenge for universities such as indigenous focused universities like URRACAN in Nicaragua: 1. Few professors from the indigenous communities. 2. Few who have learned the indigenous language as a second language. 3. Regional centers to put education close to indigenous communities. National Universities like UNAN Managua, Nicaragua: 1. Few students at a time. 2. No infrastructure in the indigenous language. 3. Little or no experience in the indigenous culture. 4. Few indigenous support systems in place. 5. A commitment to provide educational for all. 6. Developing increasing programs of taking the university to remote communities.

There is not a clear answer but rather an opportunity to think about the issues when you consider the 6700 languages worldwide and the hundreds in Latin America and the Caribbean. The paper and the presentation focus on some of the issues for indigenous leaders, political leaders, and educational leaders as they wrestle with the many languages.

South America has a rich linguistic heritage. According to The World Bank’s 2015 study “Indigenous Latin America in the 21st century,” the number of languages spoken in the region is 560 [2].

REFERENCES
[1] https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/04/Indigenous-Languages.pdf
[2] https://latinamericareports.com/status-update-south-america-indigenous-languages/1759/

Keywords:

Indigenous Languages, Language rights, Mother tongue, Cosmovision, Mayangna.