The mother tongue

As a nation that has seen both the endangerment and resurrection of te reo Māori over the past two hundred years, we know about the importance of language. Language opens the gates to identity, a sense of belonging and the chance to hear the old stories the way in which they were relayed a thousand years ago. The Gift Trust has been fortunate to support our donors in making a number of gifts to organisations here and around the world who are working hard to revitalise a wide range of languages.

We thought you’d like to hear about these very different projects in Aotearoa and around the world. With our thanks to the staff of these four charitable groups who took the time to tell us about their journey of language restoration.

Kichwa language (Ecuador)

The innovative not for profit group Humans for Abundance runs a forest school in the Kichwa community of Mushullakta in the Ecuadorian rainforest. This school is passing on to the next generation their ancestral wisdom and knowledge – in their own native language. 

Today only around 7% of Ecuador’s indigenous population speaks Kichwa, a dialect of Quechua, the lingua franca of the Incan Empire. The restoration of the language and all that goes with it is key to the survival of this unique culture.

With the help of Humans for Abundance, this small indigenous community is actively restoring 150 hectares of Amazonian native forest and protecting 300 hectares of primary forest adjacent to the Sumaco volcano, one of the most biodiverse volcanoes in the world. They are learning how to extract seeds from the forest and grow and prepare traditional foods, with a garden large enough to feed their community. The children experience all aspects of their culture through their language including dance, ceremonies and storytelling. One of The Gift Trust’s donors supports this project through her Feminista Fund, preventing children from having to leave their area and their language to board in a nearby city, losing their connection with their forest home. With additional funding the school plans to open enrolments to more children, hire more staff and document their work for others to replicate.

Kikaonde language (Zambia)

Fluent Zambia is an organisation that believes every child has great potential, if only they learn and read in the language of their birth. Bright Kifita, founder of Fluent Zambia grew up speaking Kikaonde (or Kaonde), a Bantu language spoken primarily in Zambia and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is estimated that 2.3% of Zambians speak the language as their mother tongue. Bright says, “I think there is certain wisdom that is expressed in Kikaonde which cannot be fully expressed or appreciated in another language, so if you lose Kikaonde, you basically lose that wisdom and perspective of life.”

A linguist, Bright has noted the lack of a well-researched dictionary in Kikaonde, and very few books. Many early childhood teachers are not native speakers, so teaching at that early stage, with few resources, is almost impossible. It also creates the impression that other languages are more important for education and can guarantee better career opportunities.

Bright explains, “We are writing a Kaonde dictionary and so far we have collected more than 47,000 distinct words into a database and we are currently annotating these words. We are also working on a children’s local language audiobook (stories written, narrated, and illustrated by children, for children). Our first volume, containing seven stories, will be released in May this year.” Fluent Zambia is currently seeking funds for their ongoing dictionary project and for their audiobook initiative. Our Aotearoa Zambia Fund is an easy way to give directly to support this work, while earning New Zealand tax credits on your giving.

Vagahau Niue (Aotearoa New Zealand)

The kaupapa of the Niutupu Pulapulaola Group is about reviving and empowering Vagahau Niue, the language of the Pacific Island Nation Niue, now listed as a dying language. There are an estimated 8,000 speakers of this Malayo-Polynesian language around the world, many of them living in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Niutupu Pulapulaola teaches the language to both children and adults through traditional Niuean crafts such as weaving and Hiapo painting, listening to their students as they discuss how the language has fallen from use in their families. Everyone has a story of how this special gift was lost to them. They work hard to create a safe space for all to learn, regardless of what level they are at, correcting pronunciation with respect and care. 

Currently teaching at beginner level, this magafoa (family) run organisation plans to move eventually into more advanced classes for those approaching fluency. The teachers (all three generations of them) delight in hearing the language spoken in their classes as their students’ confidence grows. The current round of teaching is being conducted by the grandparents of the family, who inspire so much of the group’s work. Magafoa is at the heart of Niutupu Pulapulaola, as teachers, students and organisers.

Niutupu Pulapulaola are seeking funding to teach more classes, host professional development for Niuean teachers, create more language resources, write books and engage with their community through workshops. The group also hosts Matua events to honour their elders and their work in their communities in Aotearoa, many of them the last fluent speakers of this vital link to their island home.  

We are delighted to host Niutupu Pulapulaola on The Gift Trust’s Gift Collective fundholding platform, offering transparent financial administration for small, not yet registered charities.

Assyrian (Sureth) language (Aotearoa New Zealand)

Adessa Language and Cultural Project are committed to safeguarding the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Assyrian community in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Assyrian Sureth language descends from Old Aramaic, the lingua franca in the later phase of the Assyrian Empire, which slowly displaced the east semitic Akkadian language from around the 10th century BC. 

Sadly, instability throughout the Middle East over the past 100 years has led to a worldwide diaspora of Sureth speakers, with most of the estimated 240,000 native speakers now scattered around the globe. The language is classified as endangered. 

As the Adessa team have stated, “with more Assyrians residing outside our ancestral homelands than within them, preserving our traditions, especially the language, becomes difficult. The Assyrian language, which has endured over centuries, stands as a duty that we aim to pass on to future generations, amid the very real danger of linguistic extinction. We therefore work to revive our existence, our language and our culture as much as possible.” 

As we’ve seen with other language restoration projects, the process is not without difficulty. “New generations often grow up without learning the Assyrian language at home, resulting in understanding but limited speaking proficiency. Younger generations tend to prioritise dominant languages, which further complicates the preservation of the Assyrian language.” There are also very limited educational resources available for the language and few opportunities to use it in New Zealand. 

As the number of fluent speakers in Aotearoa grows, the satisfaction of the team at the Adessa Project lies in the collective sense of relief. “Given Assyria’s ancient roots and the looming threat of extinction, seeing the younger generation investing their effort in learning and preserving the language fulfils our duty and obligations.” 

The Adessa Project is seeking funding to create easily accessible educational materials for those learning the language. While they dream of opening schools to teach Sureth and the Assyrian culture, the lack of comprehensive teaching material is the largest current barrier to the growth of the language. 

Adessa Language and Cultural Project is proudly held by The Gift Trust’s Gift Collective fundholding initiative, offering transparent administration for small, not yet registered charities.