Sisters save a language in Kenya

Sisters save language in Kenya - 3rd February 2025

Nine languages die every single year. One of those languages in danger is Yaakunte, which is spoken by the Yaaku tribe, in Kenya.

In 2010 UNESCO said Yaakunte was dead. But in the area of Laikipia, in a small village, the language is growing. Two sisters are trying to save the language and also their culture.

Ann and Juliana Loshiro were taught Yaakunte by their grandfather. They're two fluent speakers, but there are few others. So Juliana, a teacher, is giving classes to both young and old villagers.

Since the 1950s, the number of speakers has fallen. When the Yaaku people began to marry members of the nearby Maasai tribe, they gave up their own Yaakunte language.

The Yaaku people traditionally used the Mukogodo Forest for hunting animals and for collecting food, like plants and honey. The Kenyan government stopped the Yaaku tribe from hunting there and many then moved away. By using the forest in their teaching, the sisters want to make their past traditions stronger.

If you walk around the forest, you can see pieces of metal in the trees. Words in Yaakunte and English are written on them for learners. Connecting with the forest means saving the language, and the culture too.