#231 | Before It Is Lost: Indigenous Identity & Language In Amazonia w/ Joshua Birchall

Intro: 6:36

This interview with anthropologist and linguist Joshua Birchall was recorded in his office at the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi in Belém, Brazil. Joshua has been doing field work in Indigenous communities in the Brazilian state of Rondônia and in parts of Bolivia for over a decade, documenting dying languages before they completely disappear from the human collective for good.

Languages are disappearing at an increasing and alarming rate, with Indigenous communities in Amazonia at the forefront of this trend. As Joshua explains in this discussion, of the 26-or-so known languages in the region he does field work in, two-thirds of those languages have less than 50 speakers left. This indicates that one of the most linguistically diverse regions on the planet is on the verge of losing a majority of its speakers within a few generations, if that. Along with documenting these languages for their continued use and preservation, Joshua has a deep understanding of the role language plays in the cultural makeup of the communities he researches, including the internal and external forces that are threatening their disappearance. I ask him to describe what those pressures are, and how they fit within the broader history of colonialism, capitalist development, and environmental destruction in the region.

Mirna Wabi-Sabi set this interview up and none of this would have been possible without her. Learn more about her work: https://medium.com/mirna-wabi-sabi

Episode Notes:

- Learn more about the peoples and languages Joshua has spent the most time with — the Oro Win, Wari’, and Aikanã: http://bit.ly/37428xi / http://bit.ly/39hpG3c / http://bit.ly/31AlEQW

- Learn more about the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi: https://museu-goeldi.br

- The song featured in this episode is “Deixa A Gira Girar” by j g b from the 1Löffelchen EP: https://drosssel.bandcamp.com/album/1l-ffelchen

- Photo featured in title card was taken by Andy Richter: https://www.andyrichterphoto.com