Chile Expedition Photos -- Enduring Voices Project, Endangered Languages, Map, Facts, Photos, Videos -- National Geographic

Hugo Antipani Oyarzo
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Hugo Antipani Oyarzo, the youngest speaker of Huillichesungun, at Wequetrumao, Chiloe Island, Chile
Read the Enduring Voices team's findings about why Huilliche is much more endangered, at least in some communities, and the overall number of speakers lower than previously reported.
Ana Celia Guenteo Rain
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Ana Celia Guenteo Rain at Wequetrumao, Chiloe Island, Chile
Hilda Guenteo Guenteo
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Huilliche Cultural activist Hilda Guenteo Guenteo at Wequetrumao, Chiloe Island, Chile
Huilliche cultural activist Hilda Guenteo Guenteo
Photograph by Joanie Nasher
National Geographic Fellow Chris Rainier composes a portrait of Huilliche cultural activist Hilda Guenteo Guenteo at Wequetrumao, Chiloe Island, Chile.
Portrait of Ancapichun and Maripan
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Anselmo Nuyado Ancapichun and Teresa Maripan
"Shuka Kura"
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Anselmo Nuyado Ancapichun and Teresa Maripan at the sacred site "Shuka Kura" (House of Rock), near Choroy Traiguen, Chile
Recording
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Dr. David Harrison records Anselmo Nuyado Ancapichun at Choroy Traiguen, Chile
The Enduring Voices Team
Photograph by Chris Rainier
The Enduring Voices team (from left to right)‚ Dr. David Harrison, Dr. Greg Anderson, Freddy Leon‚ learning Tsesungun words from Anselmo Nuyado Ancapichun at Choroy Traiguen, Chile
Anselmo Nuyado Ancapichun
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Huilliche language activist Anselmo Nuyado Ancapichun
Traditional Ritual Offering and Blessing
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Anselmo Nuyado Ancapichun and Teresa Maripan perform a traditional ritual offering and blessing at Choroy Traiguen, Chile.
Huillichesungun Language Poster
Photograph by Joanie Nasher
Huillichesungun language poster used to teach children in the kindergarten at Wequetrumao
Huillichesungun Language Poster
Photograph by Joanie Nasher
Huillichesungun language poster used to teach children in the kindergarten at Wequetrumao
Jovita Ovando Guenteo
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Jovita Ovando Guenteo is interviewed by Dr. Greg Anderson of the Enduring Voices team at Choroy Traiguen, Chile.
Huilliche Elders
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Huilliche elders Wilma Guenteo Rain and Teolinda Guenteo Rain view recorded footage of Huilliche.
Huilliche Elders
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Huilliche elders Wilma Guenteo Rain and Teolinda Guenteo Rain discuss their concern for cultural survival over tea.
Huilliche Hip-Hop Artists
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Huilliche hip-hop artists Javier Guenteo Guenteo and Milton Nein Neipan. They perform protest songs in a mixture of Spanish and Huillichesungun languages.
Manuel Antonio Guenteo
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Manuel Antonio Guenteo at Wequetrumao, Chiloe Island, Chile
Herberto Segundo Rain Millalonco
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Herberto Segundo Rain Millalonco herds cattle at Wequetrumao, Chiloe Island, Chile.
Rosa and Liborio
Photograph by Chris Rainier
Rosa Neipan Guenteo and Liborio Neun Ovando
David Harrison Conducting Interview
Photograph by Chris Rainier
David Harrison of the Enduring Voices Project records an interview with Huillichesungun speaker Hugo Antipani Oyarzo at Wequetrumao, Chiloe Island, Chile.

Santa Fe Workshop Digital Stories and Books

View photos of digital stories and books in different endangered languages from the Santa Fe workshop held in April 2010.
Papua New Guinea Photos

See photos of the Enduring Voices team's expedition to Papua New Guinea and view speakers and words of the Foe, Yokoim, Wamut, Karim (Yimas), Panau, and Huli languages.
Paraguay Expedition Photos

In May 2009, the Enduring Voices team traveled to Paraguay, which lies within the Central South America Language Hotspot and has a reported 18 languages (not counting Spanish) belonging to six distinct language families.
India Photo Slideshow 2008

See photos from the Enduring Voices team's expedition to India in November 2008 and view different words translated into the Aka, Monpa, Nishi, and Sherdukpen languages.
Expedition Video

The Enduring Voices Project travels to some of the most remote parts of the world to study Earth's many endangered languages. See a team of intrepid researchers in action in this video of expeditions to Northern Australia and Northeastern India.
David Harrison at Pop!Tech 2008

More than 3,500 of Earth's 7,000 languages are in danger of extinction. Linguist K. David Harrison discussed the ongoing effort to document and preserve these threatened languages at the 2008 Pop!Tech conference in Camden, Maine.

Stories From the Expeditions

Vanishing Voices Pictures

By the next century nearly half of the roughly 7,000 languages spoken on Earth will likely disappear, as communities abandon native tongues in favor of English, Mandarin, or Spanish. What is lost when a language goes silent?
Cultural Revival in Europe’s Only Buddhist Region

The Enduring Voices team visited the Republic of Kalmykia, in European Russia, where they found evidence of a strong cultural revitalization among the younger generation, expressed in song, dance, poetry, and renewed use of the Kalmyk language.
NG Explorers Help Record Xyzyl Language

The Enduring Voices team reports back on the Xyzyl (pronounced “hizzle”) language from the Republic of Xakasia northwest of Mongolia. They will be working with the Xyzyl people to create a talking dictionary and grammar to help them preserve their ancient tongue.
Arunachal Pradesh, India Expedition 2011

Read the full report from the Enduring Voices team's 2011 expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, India, where they visited five endangered language communities.

Meet the Team

Gregory Anderson, Linguist

Dr. Gregory D. S. Anderson is a linguist who is director of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the documentation, revitalization, and maintenance of endangered languages.
David Harrison, Linguist

K. David Harrison is a linguist and leading specialist in the study of endangered languages. He co-leads the Enduring Voices project at National Geographic and is an associate professor at Swarthmore College.
Chris Rainier, Photographer

Chris Rainier is considered one of the leading documentary photographers working today. His life's mission is to put on film both the remaining natural wilderness and indigenous cultures around the globe and to use images to create social change.

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Talking Dictionaries

Hear the world's rarest languages for yourself in the Talking Dictionaries that the Enduring Voices Project has created with various communities around the world.

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Ethics Statement

Ethics Statement

View the Enduring Voices Project ethics statement.

The Last Speakers

The Last Speakers

The poignant chronicle of K. David Harrison’s expeditions around the world to meet with last speakers of vanishing languages.

"The Last Speakers" is now published in Japanese. Read the interview with Dr. Harrison here and purchase the Japanese edition here.