UC Santa Barbara

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.