Sidney Stadelmann
October 21, 2022
In today’s world of mass media, we see a rapid spread of information and culture via technology. However, in most cases this spread of pop culture and ideas does not encourage the diversity of culture, but rather homogenizes culture. Traditional cultures enrich life on earth, and add to what Wade Davis coins the “ethnosphere”. He states, however, that the ethnosphere is being “eroded” and destroyed at a shocking rate. We see this through the loss of language, which allows traditional ancient culture to be passed down, and thus the ancient traditions and beliefs die along with the language. Cultures today are not only struggling to pass down their traditions and beliefs, but also have to combat the forces encouraging homogeneity.
In southern Siberia the Teleut community is suffering from the aforementioned challenges of language preservation. An article from the Washington Post illustrates how, “…The Teleut, a centuries-old tribe whose domain once spanned from the steppes of southern Siberia into northern Mongolia, speak one of the languages on the brink of extinction. Only 2,900 Teleut are left in Russia, and only one in 10 speaks the language fluently”. If this language is lost, “…so is the nation”, according to Maria Kochubeyeva, President of the Association of Teleut People. Cultural loss and the homogeneity of language poses a serious threat to native communities, and active efforts must be taken if culture is to be preserved.
CITATIONS:
Rodriguez, Alex. “As Culture Shifts, Many Languages in Siberia Slowly Disappear.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 21 Jan. 2007, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2007/01/21/as-culture-shifts-many-languages-in-siberia-slowly-disappear/35eb30d2-e247-4c06-ac80-2a4981c07e69/.