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Sisters give new life to language - 3rd February 2025

Every year, nine languages die across the world. One of these is Yaakunte, the former language of the Yaaku tribe of Kenya, which was described as dead by UNESCO in 2010. However, in a little village in Kenya's Laikipia region, two sisters are hoping to rescue the language and, at the same time, their culture.

Ann and Juliana Loshiro, who were taught Yaakunte by their grandfather, are two of a tiny number of people who speak it fluently. Teacher Juliana provides lessons for both young and old community members.

The language has been dying out since the 1950s. The Yaaku tribe lived and hunted close to the land of the neighbouring Maasai tribe and members of the two tribes began marrying, with negative consequences for the Yaakunte language and culture.

The Mukogodo Forest was the traditional home of the Yaaku people, the place where animals were hunted, and plants and honey were collected. When the Kenyan government put a stop to hunting there, many Yaaku people left. So it's here, in the forest, that the two women are bringing their language back to life. And they're making sure their tribe's customs live on too.

Students plant ancient trees and place metal labels on the branches, on which words are written in both Yaakunte and English. As Juliana explains, it's become a "word forest" so that "as the trees grow, the language grows."

Modern tools will be used to help save an ancient language and its rich culture. Juliana's using modern technology, and has plans to build a website and an app.