Reclaiming the Kariri-Xocó language

Abstract

Since 1989 the Kariri-Xocó indigenous community of Alagoas state, Brazil, has been engaged in a unique process of cultural revitalisation. We have been working to bring back our ancestral language by drawing on community memories of the language through songs, stories and rituals, thus filling gaps in our vocabulary. Some of us circulate word lists to young people and adults in the community via WhatsApp, while others of us have opened a language school to teach the language to younger children. This paper will discuss our community’s process of language revitalisation. In particular, we will look at how our community is harnessing digital media to collect, create, disseminate and teach our language as an important means of reinforcing our cultural identity.