Rebecca Manzi In 2010 Boa Sr. passed away and with her the BO language, which was more than 65,000 years old, became extinct forever: a piece of indigenous history was gone forever.
@Wikipedia
When Boa Sr died in 2010, the Bo language, one of the prehistoric languages of the Andaman Islands, died with her. It was the loss of a 65,000-year-old cultural connection to one of the world’s oldest native peoples.
Boa Sr was the only fluent speaker of this language remaining, but for the final years of her life, she did not have any person to converse with in her native tongue. Bo’s passing away was an irreparable loss not only to her people but also to linguistic and anthropological studies.
The Andaman Islands, located in the Bay of Bengal and governed by India, were never the same after British colonizers landed in 1858. Colonization was costly for the indigenous people, as they were decimated by disease and violence. Over the years, the majority of the tribes attempted to preserve their independence by relocating into the forests and avoiding outsiders. Yet, road construction and expansion of modernization accelerated assimilation and loss of culture.
Thanks to linguist Anvita Abbi, some words, stories, and songs of this language are left.
Boa Sr witnessed chaotic historical occurrences, from the Japanese invasion during World War II to the tsunami in 2004, which she endured by climbing a tree. When there were no longer any people who spoke her language, legend has it that in her final years, she began speaking to the birds and to nature, as if searching for a dialogue with the only world that still listened to her.
Linguist Anvita Abbi took years to learn the Bo language and record the last oral depositions of Boa Sr. Thanks to her efforts, some words, stories, and songs of this language are still with us, even though it is no longer feasible to use them for everyday communication.
The passing away of Bo is a typical instance of the susceptibility of indigenous languages to globalization and outside pressures. Organizations like Survival International have stressed the need to save still-intact cultures, so that other tribes do not share the same destiny. Sadly, with Boa Sr’s passing, a distinct piece of human history has passed with her, leaving us with the stark reminder of just how vital it is to safeguard the world’s linguistic heritage.
Source: BBC Sounds
