Wukchumni dialect facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wukchumni |
|
|---|---|
| Wikchamni | |
| Region | California |
| Ethnicity | Wukchumni |
| Native speakers | Native: 0 (2021) L2: 2 fluent |
| Language family |
Yok-Utian
|
| Writing system | Latin |
Wukchumni (also called Wikchamni) is a special way of speaking, known as a dialect, from the Tule-Kaweah Yokuts language family. It was once spoken by the Wukchumni people. These people lived near the eastern part of the Kaweah River in California.
For many years, Marie Wilcox (who lived from 1933 to 2021) was the very last person who spoke Wukchumni as her first language. She worked hard to keep the language alive. Marie Wilcox created a complete dictionary for Wukchumni. When she passed away, at least three other people had learned to speak the language very well.
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Saving the Wukchumni Language
People are working hard to bring the Wukchumni language back to life. This is called "revitalization."
Marie Wilcox's Big Project
In the early 2000s, Marie Wilcox and her daughter, Jennifer Malone, started putting together a Wukchumni dictionary. This dictionary was finished in 2019. It is a very important book, even though it hasn't been printed for everyone to buy yet.
Marie Wilcox and Jennifer Malone also taught classes. They helped members of the Wukchumni tribe learn the language. Jennifer Malone still teaches these classes today at the Owens Valley Career Development Center.
Learning Programs for Wukchumni
Other groups are also helping to save Wukchumni. One of these is the Master-Apprentice Language Learning Program. In this program, people who know the language (masters) teach it to new learners (apprentices).
Hope for New Speakers
Because of Marie Wilcox's efforts, at least three people can now speak Wukchumni fluently. One of these fluent speakers is Destiny Treglown, who is Marie Wilcox's great-granddaughter.
Destiny is raising her own child, Oliver, to speak Wukchumni. If Oliver learns to speak the language fluently, he will be the first person in four generations to grow up speaking Wukchumni as his native language. This would be a huge step in bringing the language back!
