User:Langstudent1028/Huilliche language

The Huilliche language (alternative spellings include Williche, Huiliche, Veliche, or Beliche) is a branch of the Araucanian language family. It is a moribund language spoken by the Huilliche people of Chile, the name of whom translates to “men of the south” regarding their geographic location, as is common among its related dialects. The Huilliche people inhabit the southern provinces in Chile within the Los Lagos and Los Ríos regions, including Osorno, Valdivia, and Chiloé Island. Its local name in San Juan de la Costa, which lies within the Osorno province, is cesuƞun, meaning “speech of the people.” The language is considered to be at the point of death with what is estimated to be no more than 2,000 speakers as of 1982, consisting mainly of elders spread out over a considerable area, and only those over the age of 60 can speak the language to a satisfactory degree in Isla Huapi and San Juan de la Costa. Today, Spanish is most often the first language of Huilliche speakers, as it is gradually replacing the language in many locations due to the dominance of the Spanish speaking society.

Classification
Huilliche is one of four dialects of the Mapudungun language, which is commonly referred to as Mapuche and spoken by the Mapuche people. All of these dialects are mutually intelligible with the exception of Huilliche. The Mapuche, or the “people of the land,” never created a written version of their language, nor has an official Mapuche grammar been produced. It was first transcribed by Catholic missionaries using variations of European characters, and was passed down from generation to generation through the tradition of oral literature. The Huilliche language has not been widely used in media, and has since dwindled drastically due to the prominence of the Spanish language in Chilean education and culture.

History
The Huilliche people historically lived in the Lake District, housed between the Toltén river and north of Chiloé, with a small remainder of the tribe still in existence today scattered in rural communities across areas within the Los Lagos region. Frequent wars occurred between the Huilliche, Moluche, and Puenche people, primarily caused by their people seeking wives outside of their tribes. The Moluche lived between the Maule and Toltén rivers prior to the arrival of invading tribes who drove them to the south, where they then became a part of the Huilliche nation. The wars among the Chilean tribes also led to the gradual capture of a large number of Araucanian women by the intruders, causing their language to spread throughout different communities. This was imperative to the spread of Huilliche, as the female element was significant in regards to their language, and children were raised speaking the tongue of their mothers within their nation. The Huilliche territory eventually became composed of agricultural communities among nomadic tribes as well as a primitive fishing population along the coast, both forged by the unity of the Huilliche and Moluche people, along with the original Araucanian captives.

The Huilliche language has been spread through the integration of Huilliche wives within several communities as well as through the Mapuche tradition of oral literature, which typically took the form of narratives or fictional stories such as myths, fables, stories about the deceased, and stories about demons or witches. It has also been shared through stories recalling true events. Even still, the majority of the Mapuche population of La Araucanía spoke only Mapuche at the time of their incorporation into the new Chilean state at the end of the 19th century, thus becoming one of the principal surviving languages in Chile, while the number of fluent Huilliche speakers waned as Huilliche education became less common.

Geographic distribution
The Huilliche language is spoken in the southern Chilean provinces that constitute portions of the region of Los Lagos as well as the Los Ríos region. In Los Lagos, Huilliche is spoken on the coast of the Osorno province within San Juan de la Costa and the Choroy Traiguen village, where the Tsesungun dialect is used, as well as a number of locations near Quellón, found at the southern tip of the island of Chiloé. Chiloé Island houses the Wequetrumao community, within which the Huillichesungun dialect is spoken. Within the Los Ríos region, Huilliche is spoken in the interior area of Valdivia, known as Isla Huapi in Lake Ranco.

Dialects/Varieties
Huilliche is one of the eight dialect areas in Chile, mainly used among friends or for ceremonial purposes. Present-day Huilliche is a divergent variety of the Mapudungun language (“language of the (people of the) land”), which is often referred to as Mapuche by the Mapuche people. Although it is considered a dialect of Mapuche, Huilliche is likely a separate language due to its lack of mutual intelligibility with the three other Mapuche dialects, including Picunche, Moluche, and Pehuenche, and the Huilliche consider themselves to have a distinct language and identity within the broader Mapuche ethnic group. Today, the number of Mapuche speakers in Chile is estimated to be about 40% of the entire Mapuche population, with about 400,000 speakers within the Chilean region of Araucanía , while no more than a few thousand can speak Huilliche specifically as of 1982. This number varies across areas of research, as it is difficult to construct a complete summary of exactly how many Huilliche speakers remain, especially regarding the two different dialects of Huilliche that are used within various regions of southern Chile, as well as the effects of limited Huilliche education for young children.

Dialects of Huilliche
Although it often falls under the single name of Huilliche when referred to by those outside of the community, there are two distinct dialects spoken within the Huilliche tribe. One of these dialects is known as Tsesungun (alternatively spelled Chesungun), which is spoken among the inhabitants of the Choroy Traiguen village within the Osorno province. The word Tsesungun means “language of the people.” There are few speakers of Tsesungun under the age of 70. The second dialect is Huillichesungun, which is used among the people of the Wequetrumao community on Chiloé Island. This dialect is also severely endangered, with only about eight to 12 fluent speakers remaining. The youngest of these fluent Huillichesungun speakers is 50 years old in the present year. These two dialects share approximately 80% of basic words, which differ in their sounds and grammar.

Revitalization Efforts
Although the present day Huilliche are few in number, efforts are being made in an attempt to revitalize the Huilliche language. Today, the ability to speak Spanish in Chile proves to be a significant tool for social promotion, and the majority of Huilliche speakers speak Spanish as their first language. However, speakers of both the Huillichesungun and Tsesungun dialects show a desire to renew their language, along with the culture that comes with it. For this ehtnic group, the language is strongly linked to the indigenous land and its history. Huilliche people have a strong sense of ethnic and linguistic pride in their community, and utilize both Huilliche traditions and speech in the modern era to represent and maintain their cultural identity. In the Choroy Traiguen village, those in their 50s and 60s who still speak the language use Huilliche greetings and occasional words in their everyday Spanish in order to assert their cultural pride. In Wequetrumao village, there exists a kindergarten that teaches students elements of Huilliche language and culture. Two young performers in the community also composed protest lyrics that include words in Huillichesungun.

In addition to the integration of the Huilliche language in speech, education, and entertainment, the Huilliche tribe also maintains a number of traditional practices, including the weaving of wool textiles, basketry, and the gathering and preparation of medicinal plants. Traditional Huilliche dances are still performed today by cultural advocates, and prayers for Huilliche religious ceremonies are shared among community members. Rituals performed to a sacred rock called “shuka kura” are maintained as well.

Various young children, in addition to those being educated in the kindergarten that teaches students about the language and culture, are being taught limited Huilliche in other schools, and others are taught basic kinship words, nature terms, and counting by their elders. Some children have been shown to have the ability to learn Huilliche fluently. Though the remaining Huilliche speakers attempt to maintain their language and cultural identity, their experience of giving up their rights to land, as well as the dominance of Spanish education in schools, has led to the diminishing use of Huilliche. It is no longer spoken in upper-level schools and is hardly, if at all, used by those under the age of 60.