Who will speak Arunachal’s mother tongues when the elders are gone?

Six-year-old Andikru cannot speak a single word of Idu Mishmi, his mother tongue. Most of the time, he converses in Arunachali Hindi, a pidgin-like form of Hindi used in Arunachal Pradesh, with his friends, while shying away from the prospect of speaking in English with his teachers at school.

The Idu Mishmi are a tribal community of Arunachal Pradesh. They mainly inhabit the Dibang Valley and Lower Dibang Valley districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

Sarita Phinya is a 65-year-old woman of the Bugun tribe. Formerly known as Khowas, the Buguns are one of the earliest recognised Scheduled Tribes of India and live in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.

She nostalgically remembers how she chanted for hours during wedding ceremonies, but today her grandchildren only know Bollywood songs and giggle when Sarita sings in her mother tongue.

Like Andikru and Sarita’s grandchildren, there are hundreds of children in Arunachal Pradesh who, unlike their grandparents and elders, do not know how to speak their own mother tongues.

If this trend persists, a vast majority of youngsters in the state will end up losing their native tongues – a death knell for the culture, ethos and identity of indigenous communities across the state.

Arunachal Pradesh is home to 26 major tribes and numerous other sub-tribes that have a vast repertoire of indigenous languages, many of which are spoken only within small communities.

Yet, with migration, modern schooling and the dominance of Hindi and English, children often grow up with limited knowledge of their own languages. To popularise and revitalise these languages, familiar practices at home, in schools and at community gatherings would no doubt help.

Home Language

Parents, grandparents and elders are the best custodians of indigenous languages, and one of their main responsibilities lies in transmitting their language to the younger generation. But is it being done? Many parents ask, “How do we motivate our kids to speak in their mother tongues? It’s so difficult!”

There are some simple ways by which an indigenous home could become a bustling hub of conversation. Storytelling, songs and casual chats centred around food, domestic animals, the environment (weather and physical features) and everyday routines could go a long way in helping children learn their mother tongues organically.

Small children are naturally drawn to songs, lullabies, rhymes and melodies, where the use of alliteration, repetition and rhythm helps them learn a language spontaneously. It is useful to introduce traditional and even modern songs that speak of the culture, identity and history of tribal communities to young children. These initiatives would inculcate in them a sense of pride in their community’s lyrical traditions.

However, the biggest obstacles to language learning are often parents themselves, who do not or are unwilling to communicate with their children in their own mother tongues because they feel more at ease with Hindi.

This habit accelerates the decline of indigenous tongues and leads to their erosion. It is indeed shocking to read how ‘every week, a child is losing approximately 10 words because they are not using their own language at home’.

Language in Schools

Can teachers play an important role in preserving indigenous languages? Yes, they certainly can!

For indigenous languages to survive, schools ideally should conduct local language classes and be equipped with bilingual materials such as primers, illustrated storybooks, audio resources with clear recordings of tales narrated by indigenous language experts or elders, and AniBooks.

AniBooks, Folksongs and Same Language Subtitling (SLS)

AniBooks are animated storybooks with Same Language Subtitling (SLS), where the story text is synchronised with the narration, helping children read better and faster.

Currently, the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, along with IIT-D and PlanetRead, a not-for-profit organisation, is running the Billion Readers (BIRD) AniBook project to create multiple AniBooks in six indigenous languages: Tai-Khamti, Singpho, Adi, Idu Mishmi, Kaman Mishmi and Tawrã Mishmi.

For the very first time, the new generation of young readers in Arunachal Pradesh will not only have the opportunity to read stories in their mother tongues digitally, but also in a book!

Additionally, in the entertainment field, DD ArunPrabha has started telecasting folksongs in indigenous languages with Same Language Subtitling (SLS), with the help of the Billion Readers team.

It is a new programme on television that aims to strengthen, promote and preserve indigenous scripts and languages, many of which are on the verge of extinction.

Storytelling by Elders

Oral traditions were and still are an intrinsic part of an indigenous community’s culture. To keep these traditions alive, community elders could be invited to schools to narrate folktales and sing songs that were passed down by their ancestors. Having a real person narrate folk stories of their forefathers would certainly refresh young minds!

Language Games and Activities

Games, rhymes and role-plays in indigenous languages can make mother tongue learning fun, effective and memorable in classrooms. Fluent and creative indigenous teachers can design games and activities such as dumb charades, riddles and memory games to help children stay in touch with their own languages.

Community Festivals and Language

Solung, Reh, Shapawng Yawng Manau Poi, Sangken, Tamladu…the list seems endless! Communities in Arunachal Pradesh celebrate myriad festivals with gaiety, colour and cultural programmes.

These events play important roles in the lives of indigenous children. Wouldn’t it be beneficial if communities continued to organise storytelling sessions, skits and songs in native languages during local events? These initiatives would help children use their local language confidently and in many different ways.

The Singphos celebrate their main festival uniquely in their mother tongue to mitigate the influence of dominant languages such as Hindi, Assamese and English.

The Adis conduct an extempore speech contest for the youth during their Solung Festival, providing opportunities for young people to improve their spoken skills in their mother tongue.

Youth Clubs and Libraries

Libraries and youth clubs could become important hubs of literacy and cultural activities with a community’s support and cooperation. In villages and smaller towns, a few of these centres could be established to provide access to indigenous literature and digitally archive stories narrated by community elders.

Hopefully, a language-learning app, despite the challenges posed by indigenous scripts, will soon be developed for the youth to learn their mother tongues independently and at their own pace.

Community Radio and Language Promotion

The involvement of communities in promoting language through radio broadcasting is a powerful social tool. Indigenous people fluent in their mother tongues could read the local news of their villages or towns and thus motivate others to communicate in their native languages.

Incidentally, community radio stations have not yet been established in Arunachal Pradesh, but plans are under way to build them. However, Akashvani Itanagar has news that is read out in different Arunachali languages.

The Way Forward

Learning one’s mother tongue is not about shunning modern studies or giving up favourite pastimes and pursuits such as football or music. It is about cherishing one’s culture and community stories by learning the language of elders.

When children hear and speak their native languages, they are not just saying words. They are keeping alive the wisdom, songs and pride of their grandparents and ancestors and preserving them for future generations.

In Arunachal Pradesh, where numerous languages are threatened, helping children learn their mother tongues creatively is the greatest service parents, guardians and community members can render to their state and, by doing so, enrich the linguistic heritage of our country.

Views expressed are that of the author and do not reflect EastMojo’s stance on this or any other issue. The author is a writer and teacher educator now residing in Arunachal Pradesh. Currently, the author is involved in a project for indigenous language preservation with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and IIT-Delhi.

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