T H E P R O B L E M
We often hear Quechua spoken among parents and grandparents of our community, but do we hear it as much among our friends? No one has statistics on the status of our community’s most widely-spoken Native language, but from within our community, we see this disparity between generations.
All languages native to the Americas are classified as endangered, including Quechua. The fact that our language lives on in our community means that we have inherited a rare treasure, a beacon of a people’s survival against all odds. We could lose this treasure, if we do not act.
T H E M I S S I O N
The Quechua Project champions the intergenerational survival of Quechua language within the Bolivian diaspora community of the D.C. metro area. We envision a future where our younger generations have the spaces and encouragement to use Quechua. Two core ideas drive our work: first, because language is a powerful factor in identity, it is a key to a people’s survival; second, reversing a centuries-long pattern of indigenous language loss is a bold act of resistance against intentional Native erasure across the Americas.
T H E V I S I O N
We work towards a future that supports you as a unique individual, as a valued member of a rich community, and as entirely Quechua, in your own way. We envision a world where your Quechua language is easy to use in all aspects of life here and where it is prioritized and valued. In this reality, you recognize that you share a story of language loss and migration with many others, and that by working together in the spirit of Ayni that we know so well, you can forge a better future, with the strength of your ancestors lining your future path.
Ayni is the Quechua and Aymara name for the traditional value behind hoy por ti, mañana por mi. To learn more about Ayni, ask your parents and other community members. This value is native to Qullasuyu, a region which stretches from southernmost Peru, through Andean Bolivia, and into northern Argentina and Chile.