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| Jaqaru: Campaign launched to protect dying Peruvian language from extinction | Jaqaru: Campaign launched to protect dying Peruvian language from extinction |
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| The children sit rapt as Rosalbina Valerio, 77, recounts a traditional fable in her native Jaqaru, a language now so rare that it is spoken by only 580 people in three villages scattered along a precipitous valley in the Andean foothills above Lima. | The children sit rapt as Rosalbina Valerio, 77, recounts a traditional fable in her native Jaqaru, a language now so rare that it is spoken by only 580 people in three villages scattered along a precipitous valley in the Andean foothills above Lima. |
| The story, about a pale-skinned demon who turns up for dinner but then attempts to eat his hosts, offers a revealing glimpse into the Jaqaru psyche, and how this indigenous culture has been under siege ever since marauding Spaniards first showed up here in the early 16th century. | The story, about a pale-skinned demon who turns up for dinner but then attempts to eat his hosts, offers a revealing glimpse into the Jaqaru psyche, and how this indigenous culture has been under siege ever since marauding Spaniards first showed up here in the early 16th century. |
| Ms Valerio is in the school, in one of those villages, Tupe, as part of a government programme to prevent Jaqaru – once spoken in the great Wari empire that preceded the Incas – from becoming extinct. | Ms Valerio is in the school, in one of those villages, Tupe, as part of a government programme to prevent Jaqaru – once spoken in the great Wari empire that preceded the Incas – from becoming extinct. |
| Peru once had 84 languages, scattered mainly around the Amazon and, to a lesser extent, the Andes. It is now down to 47 and expected to lose more. After Spanish, the most widely used is Quechua, the language spoken by the Incas. | Peru once had 84 languages, scattered mainly around the Amazon and, to a lesser extent, the Andes. It is now down to 47 and expected to lose more. After Spanish, the most widely used is Quechua, the language spoken by the Incas. |
| Only 100 miles from Lima, Tupe could hardly be more isolated. Perched on a saddle overlooking a deep valley, 3,000 metres above sea level, the village is a hair-raising five-hour drive from the capital, via unpaved roads capped off by an arduous hour-long walk up a mountain path. | Only 100 miles from Lima, Tupe could hardly be more isolated. Perched on a saddle overlooking a deep valley, 3,000 metres above sea level, the village is a hair-raising five-hour drive from the capital, via unpaved roads capped off by an arduous hour-long walk up a mountain path. |
| With almost no economic opportunities other than small-scale farming on the valley’s steep, terraced slopes, migration to Lima and other cities has only deepened since the 1980s when a first wave of Jaqaru fled the violence of the Shining Path terrorists. | With almost no economic opportunities other than small-scale farming on the valley’s steep, terraced slopes, migration to Lima and other cities has only deepened since the 1980s when a first wave of Jaqaru fled the violence of the Shining Path terrorists. |
| Of the village’s 160 youngsters, half attend schools on the coast, and only return to Tupe occasionally. But for those who remain, Ms Valerio has a message: “If we lose Jaqaru, then we lose our entire culture, and then we are nothing”. | Of the village’s 160 youngsters, half attend schools on the coast, and only return to Tupe occasionally. But for those who remain, Ms Valerio has a message: “If we lose Jaqaru, then we lose our entire culture, and then we are nothing”. |
| “It’s the parents,” she says. “Mine were illiterate and never learnt Spanish. But today, many prefer to speak Spanish even at home, with their children. They think Spanish is cool, but they will never know what they have lost.” Lev Michael, a linguistics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, believes the root of the problem is the widespread apparent disdain for native cultures, in Peru and around the world, which he calls “racist”. It is such disdain, he says, which leads to many indigenous people renouncing their own identity. | “It’s the parents,” she says. “Mine were illiterate and never learnt Spanish. But today, many prefer to speak Spanish even at home, with their children. They think Spanish is cool, but they will never know what they have lost.” Lev Michael, a linguistics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, believes the root of the problem is the widespread apparent disdain for native cultures, in Peru and around the world, which he calls “racist”. It is such disdain, he says, which leads to many indigenous people renouncing their own identity. |
| “There is nothing to be ashamed of,” insists José Martínez, a bilingual primary school teacher. “Why is Jaqaru less than Spanish or English?” Yet Mr Martínez also struggles to ensure his pupils learn Jaqaru. Although he is grateful for the centrist government of President Ollanta Humala encouraging Ms Valerio to teach the native language and culture at school, he is still waiting for the education ministry to provide books and other teaching materials in anything other than Spanish. | “There is nothing to be ashamed of,” insists José Martínez, a bilingual primary school teacher. “Why is Jaqaru less than Spanish or English?” Yet Mr Martínez also struggles to ensure his pupils learn Jaqaru. Although he is grateful for the centrist government of President Ollanta Humala encouraging Ms Valerio to teach the native language and culture at school, he is still waiting for the education ministry to provide books and other teaching materials in anything other than Spanish. |
| “It’s not enough to just learn [Jaqaru] at school. They need to speak it at home,” adds Mr Martínez. “It all depends on us. We need to have the whole community involved.” | “It’s not enough to just learn [Jaqaru] at school. They need to speak it at home,” adds Mr Martínez. “It all depends on us. We need to have the whole community involved.” |
| Jaqaru’s plight is typical of the loss of native languages around the world, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The Linguistic Society of America has predicted that of between 5,000 and 6,000 languages in use globally, fewer than 1,000 may have survived a century from now. | Jaqaru’s plight is typical of the loss of native languages around the world, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The Linguistic Society of America has predicted that of between 5,000 and 6,000 languages in use globally, fewer than 1,000 may have survived a century from now. |
| That presents a headache not only for numerous ethnic groups fearful of losing their identity, because of globalisation. The window is also rapidly closing for linguists to carry out all kinds of research that range from the origins of humankind to how our brains work. | That presents a headache not only for numerous ethnic groups fearful of losing their identity, because of globalisation. The window is also rapidly closing for linguists to carry out all kinds of research that range from the origins of humankind to how our brains work. |
| Vatican Gendarme adjusts his cloak as Pope Francis celebrates the holy Mass for the families in St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, | Vatican Gendarme adjusts his cloak as Pope Francis celebrates the holy Mass for the families in St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, |
| A man walks near a building on fire following a reported air strike by government forces in the rebel-held region of Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. Syria's nearly five-year war has left more than 250,000 dead and forced some 12 million people from their homes | A man walks near a building on fire following a reported air strike by government forces in the rebel-held region of Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. Syria's nearly five-year war has left more than 250,000 dead and forced some 12 million people from their homes |
| A local dressed up in the traditional "caretos" costume poses during a winter mascarade in the northern Portuguese parish of Parada de Grijo, some 20 km from Braganca, during the Sao Estebao festivities | A local dressed up in the traditional "caretos" costume poses during a winter mascarade in the northern Portuguese parish of Parada de Grijo, some 20 km from Braganca, during the Sao Estebao festivities |
| An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man gestures the v-sign for victory from behind police tape at the site of a reported attack by a Palestinian assailant near Jerusalem's Old City. "Police officers spotted a man who aroused their suspicions and approached him to check," a police spokeswoman said. "The terrorist pulled out a knife and tried to stab the policeman and was quickly killed by police gunfire." | An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man gestures the v-sign for victory from behind police tape at the site of a reported attack by a Palestinian assailant near Jerusalem's Old City. "Police officers spotted a man who aroused their suspicions and approached him to check," a police spokeswoman said. "The terrorist pulled out a knife and tried to stab the policeman and was quickly killed by police gunfire." |
| Children queue to receive food and toys during a distribution by members of the Youth Movement for the Future of Ivory Coast (REJACI) in a poor neighbourhood in the suburb of Cocody, in Abidjan | Children queue to receive food and toys during a distribution by members of the Youth Movement for the Future of Ivory Coast (REJACI) in a poor neighbourhood in the suburb of Cocody, in Abidjan |
| Maxi yacht Comanche powers through heavy swells outside Sydney's harbour during the 71st Sydney to Hobart Yacht race, Australia's premiere bluewater classic race. | Maxi yacht Comanche powers through heavy swells outside Sydney's harbour during the 71st Sydney to Hobart Yacht race, Australia's premiere bluewater classic race. |
| Fire photographer Tod Sudmeier gets hit with flying embers from strong winds at the Solimar brush fire that started early Saturday morning in Ventura County, California. A wildfire in Southern California burned over 1,000 acres of land, forced the closure of parts of two major highways and led to evacuations on Saturday, fire officials said. | Fire photographer Tod Sudmeier gets hit with flying embers from strong winds at the Solimar brush fire that started early Saturday morning in Ventura County, California. A wildfire in Southern California burned over 1,000 acres of land, forced the closure of parts of two major highways and led to evacuations on Saturday, fire officials said. |
| Novice Buddhist monks react to the camera during the Jangchup Lamrim teachings conducted by the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (not pictured) at the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Bylakuppe in Karnataka, India | Novice Buddhist monks react to the camera during the Jangchup Lamrim teachings conducted by the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (not pictured) at the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Bylakuppe in Karnataka, India |
| Pope Francis waves during the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the City and the World) Christmas message from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican | Pope Francis waves during the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the City and the World) Christmas message from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican |
| Winter swimmers (L) look on as a man (R) wearing a Santa Claus hat and beard jumps into a pool carved into thick ice covering the Songhua River, to celebrate the upcoming Christmas, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, | Winter swimmers (L) look on as a man (R) wearing a Santa Claus hat and beard jumps into a pool carved into thick ice covering the Songhua River, to celebrate the upcoming Christmas, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, |
| Fruits are displayed for sale at a market in Hanoi, Vietnam. Vietnam saw record low inflation of 0.63 percent in 2015 but the rate could rise to 5 percent next year on anticipated increases in electricity, education and healthcare prices, the government said on Thursday. The inflation average was the lowest since Vietnam started calculating it in 2006, which the General Statistics Office (GSO) attributed to falling oil prices globally. | Fruits are displayed for sale at a market in Hanoi, Vietnam. Vietnam saw record low inflation of 0.63 percent in 2015 but the rate could rise to 5 percent next year on anticipated increases in electricity, education and healthcare prices, the government said on Thursday. The inflation average was the lowest since Vietnam started calculating it in 2006, which the General Statistics Office (GSO) attributed to falling oil prices globally. |
| The child of Kurdish migrants stands outside a tent at the Grande Synthe migrant camp near Dunkerque in northern France. More than 2,000 migrants, mostly Iraqis and Kurds, live in the camp. The UN refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said this week more than one million migrants and refugees reached Europe this year, most of them by sea, more than four times the figure for 2014 | The child of Kurdish migrants stands outside a tent at the Grande Synthe migrant camp near Dunkerque in northern France. More than 2,000 migrants, mostly Iraqis and Kurds, live in the camp. The UN refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said this week more than one million migrants and refugees reached Europe this year, most of them by sea, more than four times the figure for 2014 |
| A diver dressed as Santa Claus greets children during a show before Christmas at the Aquarium of Paris | A diver dressed as Santa Claus greets children during a show before Christmas at the Aquarium of Paris |
| Expedition 46 Flight Engineer Tim Kopra on a spacewalk, in which Kopra and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly successfully moved the International Space Station's mobile transporter rail car ahead of Wednesday's docking of a Russian cargo supply spacecraft. | Expedition 46 Flight Engineer Tim Kopra on a spacewalk, in which Kopra and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly successfully moved the International Space Station's mobile transporter rail car ahead of Wednesday's docking of a Russian cargo supply spacecraft. |
| Aisha, 15, (L) (who asked to withhold her last name), a Syrian refugee from Raqqa, waits with a fellow refugee while harvesting cannabis in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon. Syrian refugees work to harvest and process spiky-leafed cannabis plants in neighboring Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Often farmers of cotton and wheat back home in Raqqa province - now the de facto capital of Islamic State - the conflict in Syria drove them to seek safety in a region where Syrian migrant workers used to spend a few months a year before returning home. | Aisha, 15, (L) (who asked to withhold her last name), a Syrian refugee from Raqqa, waits with a fellow refugee while harvesting cannabis in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon. Syrian refugees work to harvest and process spiky-leafed cannabis plants in neighboring Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Often farmers of cotton and wheat back home in Raqqa province - now the de facto capital of Islamic State - the conflict in Syria drove them to seek safety in a region where Syrian migrant workers used to spend a few months a year before returning home. |
| Students dressed up as Christmas gifts take part in a Christmas parade in Beirut, Lebanon, | Students dressed up as Christmas gifts take part in a Christmas parade in Beirut, Lebanon, |
| The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns to land in a time exposure at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on the launcher's first mission since a June failure, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket carried a payload of eleven satellites owned by Orbcomm, a New Jersey-based communications company. | The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns to land in a time exposure at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on the launcher's first mission since a June failure, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket carried a payload of eleven satellites owned by Orbcomm, a New Jersey-based communications company. |
| Russian Communist party supporters hold portraits of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin as they take part in a ceremony to mark the 136th anniversary of his birth at Red Square in Moscow | Russian Communist party supporters hold portraits of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin as they take part in a ceremony to mark the 136th anniversary of his birth at Red Square in Moscow |
| AFP/Getty | AFP/Getty |
| Rescuers look for survivors after a landslide hit an industrial park in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province. A massive landslide at an industrial park in southern China buried 22 buildings and left 22 people missing, state media reported, as more than 1,500 emergency workers searched the scene. | Rescuers look for survivors after a landslide hit an industrial park in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province. A massive landslide at an industrial park in southern China buried 22 buildings and left 22 people missing, state media reported, as more than 1,500 emergency workers searched the scene. |
| Left-wing Podemos (We Can) party leader Pablo Iglesias casts his vote in Spain's general election in Madrid, Spain | Left-wing Podemos (We Can) party leader Pablo Iglesias casts his vote in Spain's general election in Madrid, Spain |
| Reuters | Reuters |
| A man prepares decorations ahead of the birthday of Prophet Mohammed in Sidon, south Lebanon | A man prepares decorations ahead of the birthday of Prophet Mohammed in Sidon, south Lebanon |
| Reuters | Reuters |
| US Press Secretary Josh Earnest speaks to the press in the briefing room at the White House in Washington, DC, with Star Wars characters R2D2 and Storm Troopers. The new Star Wars movie "The Force Awakens" was shown at the White House for children of military families. | US Press Secretary Josh Earnest speaks to the press in the briefing room at the White House in Washington, DC, with Star Wars characters R2D2 and Storm Troopers. The new Star Wars movie "The Force Awakens" was shown at the White House for children of military families. |
| AFP | AFP |
| A couple carrying a freshly cut Christmas tree at a plantation in Negenborn, Germany | A couple carrying a freshly cut Christmas tree at a plantation in Negenborn, Germany |
| Paratroopers from the Qatari armed forces take part in Qatar's National Day celebrations in Doha | Paratroopers from the Qatari armed forces take part in Qatar's National Day celebrations in Doha |
| Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik gives the final touches to his sand sculpture of Mother Teresa at steel city Rourkela in Sundargarh district, in the north-west tip of Orissa state. Pope Francis has recognised a second miracle attributed to the late Mother Teresa, clearing the path for the nun to be elevated to sainthood next year, the Vatican said | Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik gives the final touches to his sand sculpture of Mother Teresa at steel city Rourkela in Sundargarh district, in the north-west tip of Orissa state. Pope Francis has recognised a second miracle attributed to the late Mother Teresa, clearing the path for the nun to be elevated to sainthood next year, the Vatican said |
| A Haitian journalist covering demonstrators marching to the Ballot Tabulation Center in Sonapi, to protest against the Provisional Electoral Council, the election results and also to request an independent commission to review the election outcome, is overcome by tear gas fired by police in Port-au-Prince | A Haitian journalist covering demonstrators marching to the Ballot Tabulation Center in Sonapi, to protest against the Provisional Electoral Council, the election results and also to request an independent commission to review the election outcome, is overcome by tear gas fired by police in Port-au-Prince |
| Bangladeshi children attend a rally during the Victory Day celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh marks its 44th Victory Day across the country remembering the country's war heroes. Bangladesh became a free nation on 16 December 1971 after a nine-month bloody war with Pakistan | Bangladeshi children attend a rally during the Victory Day celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh marks its 44th Victory Day across the country remembering the country's war heroes. Bangladesh became a free nation on 16 December 1971 after a nine-month bloody war with Pakistan |
| Filipino children rest next to damaged houses in the typhoon-hit town of Magallanes, Sorsogon province, southern Manila, Philippines. At least four people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced as a powerful typhoon pummelled the Philippines for the second day, officials said. Typhoon Melor also toppled trees and electric posts, totally and partially destroyed houses, as well as rice paddies submerged in waters, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Thousands of air and sea passengers were stranded in different ports and airports as 64 domestic flights were cancelled while hundreds of ships stopped from sailing due to bad weather | Filipino children rest next to damaged houses in the typhoon-hit town of Magallanes, Sorsogon province, southern Manila, Philippines. At least four people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced as a powerful typhoon pummelled the Philippines for the second day, officials said. Typhoon Melor also toppled trees and electric posts, totally and partially destroyed houses, as well as rice paddies submerged in waters, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Thousands of air and sea passengers were stranded in different ports and airports as 64 domestic flights were cancelled while hundreds of ships stopped from sailing due to bad weather |
| Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) jump as part of their winter training in temperature of negative 26 degrees Celsius at China's border with Russia in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, China | Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) jump as part of their winter training in temperature of negative 26 degrees Celsius at China's border with Russia in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, China |
| A villager walks outside her house as Mount Bromo spews volcanic materials into the air, in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia. Indonesian authorities have raised the alert level of the volcano to the second highest as its activity increased earlier this month | A villager walks outside her house as Mount Bromo spews volcanic materials into the air, in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia. Indonesian authorities have raised the alert level of the volcano to the second highest as its activity increased earlier this month |
| Labourers pull a pontoon to construct a temporary bridge for the Magh Mela festival on the river Ganges in Allahabad, India. The festival is an annual religious event held during the Hindu month of Magh, when thousands of Hindu devotees take a holy dip in the waters of the Ganges | Labourers pull a pontoon to construct a temporary bridge for the Magh Mela festival on the river Ganges in Allahabad, India. The festival is an annual religious event held during the Hindu month of Magh, when thousands of Hindu devotees take a holy dip in the waters of the Ganges |
| “It would be like Darwin faced with a dog, a cat and a cow and trying to deduce the theory of evolution,” says Professor Michael. He is currently studying another language even rarer than Jaqaru. Only 15 people in Peru’s northern jungles still speak Iquito – and the youngest is 70. | “It would be like Darwin faced with a dog, a cat and a cow and trying to deduce the theory of evolution,” says Professor Michael. He is currently studying another language even rarer than Jaqaru. Only 15 people in Peru’s northern jungles still speak Iquito – and the youngest is 70. |
| One of Professor Michael’s startling discoveries is that in Iquito, tenses can change from past to future simply by switching the word order. “This is the first known case,” says Professor Michael. “Until Iquito, linguists didn’t know that that was even possible.” | One of Professor Michael’s startling discoveries is that in Iquito, tenses can change from past to future simply by switching the word order. “This is the first known case,” says Professor Michael. “Until Iquito, linguists didn’t know that that was even possible.” |
| Back in Tupe, Ms Valerio ponders Jaqaru’s future. “The Incas came to conquer us but they couldn’t,” she says as she takes a break from teaching fables. “We used to be rebellious, real warriors. But everything is changing now. We have a different fight on our hands, just to keep our language and culture alive for our children and grandchildren.” | Back in Tupe, Ms Valerio ponders Jaqaru’s future. “The Incas came to conquer us but they couldn’t,” she says as she takes a break from teaching fables. “We used to be rebellious, real warriors. But everything is changing now. We have a different fight on our hands, just to keep our language and culture alive for our children and grandchildren.” |