The Commonwealth of Dominica celebrated the International Day of World’s Indigenous People on August 9, and part of the activities marked out was the revival of the eroded Kalinago language. This was largely because this year’s theme is “Indigenous People’s Language,” a theme that prompted the new Kalinago Chief Lorenzo Sanford to task the people on reviving the region’s ancestral language.
Sanford in his speech to the people of Kalinago paid homage to the ancestors who fought back European invaders and colonizers for two centuries in order to conserve the Kalinago heritage. He said people of Kalinago heritage are survivors of European colonialism and genocide and not victims.
Let this International Day of The World’s Indigenous Peoples be a time not only for reflecting on the past but also, a time to create a new vision for ourselves, and take charge of our destiny as we take our rightful place in the Land of Our Ancestors.
Kalinago Chief Lorenzo Sanford
The new Kalinago chief blamed colonialism for the loss of Kalinago identity, culture, language and ancestral heritages.
“The near-total loss of our ancestral language was a most significant blow to the survival of the Kalinago People,” Lorenzo said. “It also meant loss of knowledge and skills related to agriculture, astronomy, fisheries, animal behavior and hunting techniques, natural healing, prayers, incantations and rituals, and the mastery of ecological systems.”
He further revealed that remnants of the tribe must strive to pass on the sacred and secular knowledge of the Kalinago culture and language to future generations by teaching it to their children. Stating that all that is left the people are list of words, phrases and names of plants and animals and places, the people must do all in their power to preserve, protect and develop the original Kalinago tongue.
Sanford said he plans to implement some initiatives in reviving the people’s language after the new Kalinago Council is inaugurated in a few weeks. Some of these initiatives include –
- Create and collate documents of Kalinago language
- Task parents with giving native Kalinago names to newborns
- Renaming youths and elders with ancient Kalinago names
- Prompting business owners to give or rename their business with local names
- Task professionals and teachers to develop curricula and games using Kalinago themes, phrases and names
“Let us vow to use, as much as is possible, all the words and phrases that we know in our daily speech; and to teach them to our young braves and nataris,” he urged. “Let us recommit ourselves to the presentation of our culture and heritage for the good of the land and for future generations.”
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