In the vibrant classrooms of Baubau, Indonesia, an innovative language preservation effort is transforming how the Cia-Cia tribe's children experience their indigenous language. Using Hangul, the Korean alphabet, these students are learning to write Cia-Cia, a language that has been passed down orally for generations.
Indigenous Indonesian Tribe Adopts Korean Alphabet for Language Preservation
Indigenous Indonesian Tribe Adopts Korean Alphabet for Language Preservation
Cia-Cia children in Indonesia are learning to write their indigenous language using Hangul, Korea's script, as a means to preserve their cultural heritage.
As the school bell rings at Hendea Elementary School, an air of excitement ensues in the classroom. Students, each with nameplates displaying their names in Hangul, eagerly engage in lessons that interweave the complexities of their native dialect with the elegant strokes of a foreign script. This educational initiative stems from a recognized need: Cia-Cia, spoken by approximately 93,000 individuals on Buton Island, lacks an established written form.
Deuk-young Jung, the dedicated educator who has been teaching these children for over a decade, emphasizes phonetic pronunciation as the class practices their writing skills. The value of language preservation resonates deeply in Indonesia, a nation celebrated for its rich tapestry of cultures and over 700 native languages. However, local languages, including those on Buton Island, face extinction without a written form.
“Language is the wealth of a community, a legacy,” reflects Amirul Tamim, a former mayor of Baubau and advocate for the Cia-Cia language. He underscores the idea that a language lacking its own script risks becoming an echo of the past, losing the authenticity characteristic of its heritage. By embracing the Hangul system, the Cia-Cia tribe not only fosters language skills among its youth but also reinforces their cultural identity and continuity in an increasingly transient world.
As the sun sets over the lush landscapes of Buton Island, this classroom becomes a beacon of hope for indigenous languages everywhere, redefining what language survival can look like in the 21st century.
Deuk-young Jung, the dedicated educator who has been teaching these children for over a decade, emphasizes phonetic pronunciation as the class practices their writing skills. The value of language preservation resonates deeply in Indonesia, a nation celebrated for its rich tapestry of cultures and over 700 native languages. However, local languages, including those on Buton Island, face extinction without a written form.
“Language is the wealth of a community, a legacy,” reflects Amirul Tamim, a former mayor of Baubau and advocate for the Cia-Cia language. He underscores the idea that a language lacking its own script risks becoming an echo of the past, losing the authenticity characteristic of its heritage. By embracing the Hangul system, the Cia-Cia tribe not only fosters language skills among its youth but also reinforces their cultural identity and continuity in an increasingly transient world.
As the sun sets over the lush landscapes of Buton Island, this classroom becomes a beacon of hope for indigenous languages everywhere, redefining what language survival can look like in the 21st century.
