Miri conference highlights urgent need to preserve indigenous languages

Borneo Post

19 hours ago

Williams hit the gong to kick off the Borneo Indigenous Linguistic Conference 2025 in Miri.
MIRI (July 27): Indigenous languages should be celebrated for their richness and diversity, as they play a vital role in shaping the cultural identities, heritage and knowledge systems of the indigenous people.
In stressing this, Malaysia Evangelical Theological Seminary (METS) Miri Campus chairman Philip Ngo hailed these languages as beyond being merely means of communications, as they also stood as living testaments to the history, traditions and ancestral wisdom of communities.
According to him, in Sarawak alone, there are 27 native ethnic groups, each with its own distinct tongue.
'Unfortunately for some of these tribes, their languages are in danger of being forgotten or even being lost,' he said in his opening address at the Borneo Indigenous Linguistic Conference 2025, held at a hotel here yesterday.
Adding on, Ngo regarded this conference as being in line with the goal of the United Nations International Decades of Indigenous Languages (UNIDIL), declared in 2022 and on-going until 2032.
'The purpose of the conference is to create a platform meant to celebrate indigenous languages of Borneo, the literature, and the traditional songs.
'At the same time, it provides a forum to raise awareness of the current status of the languages.
'We hope to also ignite a wave of cultural resurgence with the inaugural launches of indigenous dictionaries, the Bible translation, children's books, as well as songs to nurture and revitalising the languages for generations to come.
'The conference also aims to promote awareness within Sarawak, especially the indigenous communities, of the importance of safeguarding and revitalising indigenous languages, in alignment with the UNIDIL 2022-2032,' he elaborated.
Among the keynote speakers of the conference was Dr Lorna Wanosts'a7 Williams, who is the Associate Professor Emeritus of Indigenous Education – Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Victoria in Canada.
Ngo said Williams' presence at the conference offered a unique opportunity for the participants to learn more about indigenous communities in Canada, as well as the advanced processes of language protection and revitalisation being undertaken at University of Victoria.
In her sharing-session, Williams talked about the revitalisation of indigenous languages and also the UNIDIL.
There were other speakers as well: Dr Jeannet Stephen who presented 'Bridging Worlds: Borneo Voices in Global Conversation'; Dr Roselind Wan who discussed 'Language Documentation in Practice: A case study of the Kayan language'; Ricky Yakub Ganang who spoke about 'The Lun Dayeh Language Dictionary'; Elya Bit who delivered the report on 'Compiling the Tring Dictionary'; Mutang Urud and Agan Uru who jointly talked about 'Kelabit Language in Transition and Bridging Generations: The Digital Kelabit Lexicon'; and Komeok Joe Tungang who gave a presentation on 'Penan: Oral History & Pre-School'. Borneo Indigenous Linguistic Conference lead miri native languages