Kshetrabasi Juang jupamp Opino Gomangomp aruskipt'asa Mysore, India markana. Qillqirin jamuqapa.

Aka qillqatax «Spotlight» Global Voices ukankiwa, llumpa phaxsin 2026 marana, «Derechos indígenas«. Akanx markanakan jakawinakapxat uñt'ayi, irpirinakamp llikan qillqirinakamp yaqhanakamp aruskipt'atatanak uñt'aysa. Yanapampiw ch'amancharakïsma.

Uraqpachanx arunakax jilpachaw arst'ata ukampins janiw qillqatanakax utjkiti. Ukhamïpanx Wikipedia ukat Wikimedia ukanakax uñt'ayat qillqatanak muni.

OpenSpeaks Archives ukax mä «proceso» sarantayaski ukhamat wikimedistas jupanakax pisin jakir markanakan arunakap arst'asipxirinakan yatiñanapa qillqatan uñt'ayapxañapataki, niya pä tunka markanakaw ukanki saraksanwa India, Nepal ukat Sri Lanka markankiriankata. Aka sarantanx uñtañ waruqataw uñjasi, tiknulujik ukat yatichawinakatak apnaqañ yänak uñstayañataki, markan yatiñanakapar ch'amanchañataki.

Aka aruskipt'atanakax yanapt'asirinakan saraw yatiñanakapaw mä uñtañ waruqatan uñt'ayi, nayraqatax Kshetrabasi Juanga, yatichiri, qillqiri ukatx juang aru arst'irirakiwa, uka arux niya chhaqtañampiskiwa, 30,000 arst'rinikirakiwa Odisha marka, India markan jikxatasiraki.

Opino Gomangomp Subhashish Panigrahinampix Rising Voicesan sutipxaruw Kshetrabasi Juanga juparuw jiskt'apxi. Jikt'asisa ukhamarak jawsawtuqi aruskipt'asa. Akjarux Kshetrabasi Juangamp Opino Gomangomp aruskpatanak uñtañ waruqattuqix OpenSpeaks Archives ukatak uñt'ayapxi taqinitakiw licencia Creative Commons, ukamp uñt'ayata

Kshetrabasi Juanga (KJ): Some work has been done. The Odisha government has worked on the language through the MLE program. The Academy of Tribal Language & Culture (ATLC) has published tri-language books. The Eastern Regional Language Centre (ERLC) has published a primer and a grammar book. The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) conducted a significant research programme on Juang. But our people, society, and culture — our festivals, marriage ceremonies and songs — are rarely documented.

Kshetrabasi Juanga (KJ): Akxat luratax uñt'ayasi. Odisha marka irpirix MLE uka wakichatuqiw uñt'ayi. Academia de Lenguas ukatx Culturas Tribales (ATLC) ukax pank kimsa arun uñt'ayi. Centro Regional de Lenguas del Este ukax mä ullañ pank qalltaskirinakatak uñt'ayi ukharux gramática uka pank kikiparakiw uñt'ayi. Instituto Central de Lenguas Indias ukax juang arut mä wakiskir yatxatañ wakichaw wakicht'araki. Ukampirus markasa, markachirisa, sarawisa, thuqhuwisa, jaqichawisa ukat jaylliwisas yaqhippachakiw mayachthapitaraki.

Rising Voices (RV): Kunja wakiskiris arumatakix uñtañ waruqat mayachthapitaxa?

KJ: This is helpful and a welcome step. Juang is shifting. But while globalisation is bringing more languages to people through technology, our language and culture risk becoming stagnant. Documentation is essential, and that is why this work matters.
Imagine someone from the next generation doing their PhD on tribal languages and cultures. When they do, they will find a great deal of information waiting for them. It will also be invaluable for young speakers. Today’s children are tomorrow’s young people, and if they one day watch videos in Juang, they will feel that some effort has been made to preserve what is theirs. Those videos will remain on Wikipedia and beyond.

Suppose a recording is made today, in 2026. When someone listens to it decades from now, they will be able to understand how the language was gradually changing, how a culture was being challenged, and how it survived. I think of it like a bitumen road. In some places, the surface has cracked, the bitumen risen, and green grass has pushed through. I see our language like that green grass surviving despite countless vehicles crushing it every day. No matter how globalised the world becomes, Indigenous languages and cultures are surviving, and will continue to survive.

KJ: Wakiskiriwa ukatx mä nayrar aski chillqtaw uñt'ayaraki. Juang arus turkakipaskiwa. Uraqpachan arunak mayachthapiñ tiknulujiyas ukamp arus sarawis uñt'ayañas utjkchix ukampins ukax sayantakispawa. Mayachthapiñax irnaqañax wali askiwa.

Sullkawirinakatx mayniw doctorado ukham arunakxat sarawinakxat luraspa. Ukxat yatxatat mayachthapitanak jikxatarakini, ukakipkarakiw wayn tawaqunakatakis askirakini. Jisk'a wawanakax qharürux wayn tawaquxapxaniwa, mä urutï juang arun uñtañ waruqat uñjapxanix jupanakatakix ch'amámp jikxatataw amuyasini.Aka uñtañ waruqatanakax Wikipedia ukat yaqhanakampin jikxatasini.

Aka 2026 maran waruqasi. Akat walja mararux maynix ist'ani ukatx kunjamas arux mayjt'aski kunjamas sarawix aynacht'ayata ukatx nayrar mistuwayi ukwa amuyarakini. Mä llusq'achat thakjam uñjtxa. Yaqhip chiqanakanx k'ak'aratawa ukatx llusq'achatax jakatatayarakiwa ukatx ch'uxña alinakax alirarakiwa. Arusarux uka ch'uxña alix jakaski ukakipk uñjtxa,sapurjunjamas k'añaskunakax taqxatkpan ukhampachas jakaskakiniwa. Arus sarawis jakaskiwa ukhamarus jakaskakiniwa.

RV: Juang aru arst'asirinakarux kunjams uñtañ waruqat mayachthapitax yanapt'ani?

KJ: It will be very helpful, especially for those interested in our language and culture. It will mean a great deal to young children aged three to twelve. From a child psychology perspective, children in that age range can learn multiple languages and cultures simultaneously. What we are building now will serve them directly.
And how about subtitling/captioning documented audio/video?
Consider two groups of Juang speakers. There are those who have moved away from rural areas due to urbanisation, perhaps one per cent live in cities today. If a Juang person living in a city comes across this documentation, it will feel like history to them. They will find self-respect and feel proud.

And then there are those who remain in their communities, holding on to a way of life that carries deep moral value. In the Juang tradition, if four or five people are walking together, holding bows, arrows, and spears, it signals that sad news is coming that someone in a village has passed away. Such traditions carry meaning that cannot easily be written down. Or consider how our mothers collect firewood: They go out, gather dry wood and twigs, stack them, and break branches piece by piece. No one else takes those branches everyone knows someone has kept them there. That trust, that unspoken moral code, is something a society outside our community can learn from. The subtitles help them understand. To me, documenting these traditions will create an invaluable resource for the entire humankind.

KJ: Yanapasiniwa, juk'ampins khithinakatï arusat sarawisat yatiñ munapkan jupanakatakiw askini.Pä maran kimsa maran jisk'a wawanakatakis kipkarakiw askini. Amuy yatiñanakarjamax jisk'a wawanakax jasak walja arunak sarawinak yatiqapxaspa, kuntï jichhax lurktan ukax jupanakatakix askiniwa.

Uñtañ waruqatax qillqanakamp uñstasp ukax kunja askisa?

Pä t'aqa juang arst'irit amuyt'añani. Jach'a markar tukuwayx uka chiqanakatx jayanakaruw jitjtawayxapxi, inas sapa patakatx 1% ukhak jach'a markan jakxapxchi. Mayni juang jupati jach'a markan jakchix aka mayachthapitampix jikxatasiniwa, jupatakix mä isturya ukatx jupa pachp munasiña jikxatani ukhamarak kusisiniwa.

Yaqhasti marka pachpan jakirinaka, jupanakax sarawinakaparjamaw jaksipxaraki. Juang sarawinx may may amuyunakaw utji, pusini jan ukax phisqhan markachiritï arkunaka, philichanaka, jaqt'añanak apt'at sarnaqapch ukax jan wali yatiyawinakaw jutani sañ muni: pachpanx mayniw jiwatayna. Uka sarawinakax janiw qillqatanakanx jasak jikxataskiti. Taykanakasax kunjams t'ulanak apthapixi ukxat amuyt'añani: waña k'ullunak apthapipxi ukharux alinaka ukatx sapa mayat siq'irapxi. Janiw khithis uka alinakx aptxiti, taqinirakiw maynin jaytjatax yatipxi. Uka amuyunaka utjirix maynin yatiqañapatakix askiwa. Uka sutinchatanakax jasak amuyt'añaruw yanapt'i. Naytakixa, aka sarawinak apthapitax wali askiniwa.

OG: Kunjams juang arun sarawin utjir amuyunak apthapiñ yanapt'asiwayta?

KJ: I’m documenting our traditional knowledge through my YouTube channel, Majang Studio Vlogger. It has videos on how to ignite a fire with stones and how to take shelter under palm leaves during the rainy season. It’s so hard to record these in books. I couldn’t record as well as expected, but I’m trying. People are moving away from many traditional techniques. I continue to share my identity as an Adivasi through whatever means are available. More documentation needs to be done on a scale.

KJ: Yatiñanakx nayankir YouTube utjirtuqiw apthapisktxa, Majang Studio Vlogger. Kunjams nina qalamp naktaysna ukas utjarakiwa, Jallutx kunjams uka quqanakat jark'aqasna. Taqi ukanak mä pankar apthapiñax ch'amakiwa. Kunjamtï munkayat ukarjamax janiw sum waruqañ atiwaykti, ukampins yant'asktwa. Markachirinakax uka sarawinakatx jithiqtxapxiwa. Sarawix uñacht'ayaskakta. Wali askiw juk'amp uka yatiñanak apthapiñaxa.