TESTIMONIES
THE TIMES OF OUR LANGUAGE
Testimonies.
The Times of our Language.
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2020-2021.
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Testimonies.
Santa Inés Ahuatempan.
Puebla, Mexico.
It is a compilation of written testimonies. These testimonies come from various meetings and community assemblies around the Ngiba language. In these assemblies, various narratives came to light.
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"THERE ARE SPACES AND PAUSES... OUR TONGUE PULLS TIME; IT DRAGS TIME. THE VOICE COMES OUT OF THE TONGUE, THE MOUTH, THE NOSE, AND THE EARS".
Magdalena Ochoa / Retired teacher / OUR LANGUAGE PULLS TIME
"I PROMISED NEVER TO SPEAK THAT CURSED LANGUAGE, WE SUFFERED A LOT IN SCHOOL, FOR SPEAKING OUR LANGUAGE".
ROSA PASTOR / Artisan, peasant / DAMN LANGUAGE
"WE WERE FORBIDDEN TO SPEAK IN OUR LANGUAGE, PARENTS FORBADE US: MANY OF US ALREADY HAD TO GO TO SCHOOL. ON THE ADVICE OF THE TEACHERS, THEY FORBADE US, -IF THEY KEEP TALKING THAT, THEY WON’T LEARN SPANISH OR THE BILLS, OR THE SUMS OR ANYTHING, THEY SAID. EVEN OUR FATHER WOULD BEAT US IF WE TALKED IN GIBA. HE SUFFERED MUCH DISCRIMINATION... MORE THAN WE. HE TELLS US THAT WHEN HE WAS A KID, FROM THE CENTER THEY RAN HIM UNTIL THEY LEFT HIM IN THE RAVINE -POPOLOQUEROS, POPOLOQUEROS- THEY TOLD HIM. AND JUST LIKE HIM, MANY OF US. WE FELT SORRY FOR HIM FIRST, AND WE REALIZED THAT THEY DID WRONG... WHAT WE DID WRONG, BUT IT WAS DIFFICULT IN THOSE TIMES. WE UNDERSTAND WELL... BUT WE DON’T TALK".
ALFONSO ASCENCIÒN / Retired professor / WE WERE FORBIDDEN
"THEY CAME (THOSE FROM THE SUMMER LANGUAGE INSTITUTE), AND THEY TOOK ME TWICE: THEY SPOKE THE NGIBA. WE TRANSLATED THE (BIBLICAL) TESTAMENT THERE. MY FRIEND AND I GOT MATTHEW. THEY TOOK US TO VARIOUS PLACES TO SPEAK OUR LANGUAGE; THEY RECORDED AND POINTED, AND MANY PEOPLE WERE IN SOME PLACES. THEY PAID US FOR FOOD AND PLANE. THEN WE WENT BACK TO TOWN... THEY CAME BACK OTHER TIMES, THEN THEY DIDN’T COME BACK ANYMORE. I DIDN´T GET ANY OF THAT. THEY GAVE ME THESE BOOKS, WHICH WE DID TOGETHER. BUT IT’S WRONG TO SAY THE BOOK, THAT’S NOT IT, THAT’S NOT IT. THAT’S WHY NOW IT MUST BE CLEAR... WRITTEN BY ALL OF US".
PORFIRIO ARELLANO BENITO / Campesino / NOS LLEVARON
"WE MUST MEET TO KNOW HOW ONE SAYS, AS ANOTHER SAYS. "KA" IS 20, AND WHEN WE REACH 100, SOME SIMPLIFY, MIXING SPANISH WITH NGIBA, THEY SAY: "NGU CIENTO", "YU CIENTO" ... AND IT SHOULDN’T BE LIKE THAT. 100, YOU SAY "NOÓ KA": FIVE TIMES 20; "TÜ JÍ NOÓ" IS 500. THERE’S A NUMBER IN NGIBA FOR EVERYTHING. IT’S A LITTLE COMPLICATED; IT GETS TANGLED: "NI KA KU THE" IS 70, THAT’S "THREE TWENTIES AND TEN". THE BASIS OF EVERYTHING IS "20".
GONZALO VALENCIA / MAGDALENA OCHOA / PORFIRIO ARELLANO
Gonzalo Valencia / Magdalena Ochoa / Porfirio Arellano