Language revitalization in indigenous communities has been examined from a variety of perspectives in recent decades. Many of the communities focused on in the literature have
substantial populations and access to ample resources. Less numerous are studies of small
and fractured communities with little access to resources. This study focuses on one such
community, the Barbareño Chumash community in Santa Barbara County, California, which
still experiences the effects of severe language shift brought about by colonization. This
study examines one symptom of language shift in this community and potential causes,
focusing on beliefs about identity and the ancestral language held by members of this
community. Why do community members choose to engage with the ancestral language?
How do deeply-held beliefs about identity and language inform their decisions to engage
with the language? This study finds that the role of passing down lived narratives within
families can act as a means for advancing engagement with the ancestral language, even as it
enables connections to healing from historical trauma in the community.