Barbareño language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barbareño |
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| Native to | California, United States | |||
| Region | Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez | |||
| Extinct | 1965, with the death of Mary Yee | |||
| Language family |
Chumashan
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Barbareño is a language that was once spoken by the Chumash people. The Chumash are a group of Native American people. They lived in the area around Santa Barbara, California. Another very similar language, called Ineseño, might have been a different way of speaking Barbareño.
Sadly, Barbareño lost its last person who spoke it as their first language in 1965. Her name was Mary Yee. But today, people are working hard to bring both Barbareño and Ineseño back to life. This effort is called language revitalization.
Bringing Barbareño Back
It's really important to keep languages alive, especially those that are part of a culture's history. Bringing a language back means teaching it to new generations. This helps keep the culture strong.
As of 2013, the Barbareno Chumash Council has been working to revive the language. Some of their members are learning the language and also teaching it to others.
In 2010, the Wishtoyo Chumash Village in Malibu, California, opened a special school. It's called the Šmuwič Language School. This school helps teach the language to more people.
See also
In Spanish: Barbareño para niños
