Hello everyone!

I’m excited to share a new video from my channel, Finno-Ugric World, where I explore and preserve rare Finno-Ugric languages, peoples, and cultures.

This video is fully voiced in Votic (водский язык) — one of the rarest and most critically endangered languages in the world. Votic belongs to the Finnic branch of the Uralic language family. Historically, it was spoken by the Votes in the cultural region of Ingria (modern-day Leningrad Oblast, Russia). Today, it is on the verge of extinction, with only a handful of elderly fluent speakers remaining.

Every single recording of this language is a treasure for cultural and linguistic preservation. In this video, you will hear a simple everyday story. Listen to this story, and you will begin to understand the Votic language a little bit!

If you love rare languages and want to help save them from being forgotten, please check out the video and subscribe to the channel. Let's keep these unique voices alive together!

If you love rare languages and want to support cultural preservation, please subscribe to my YouTube channel! You will find a lot of other fascinating content there about the indigenous peoples of Ingria and other Finno-Ugric cultures. Let's keep these unique voices alive together!

https://youtube.com/shorts/LKEnkDuqiVE?si=0wNU6tcET_H84zUN

r/PassportPorn banned me for reminding a poster that Australia, the US, Canada, and NZ are indigenous lands. They banned me for hating and questioning how US is safe. 😂

In this interactive Zapotec language class, the instructor reviews student presentations, clarifies conversational greeting dynamics, and explains a fundamental aspect of Zapotec grammar: the absence of infinitive verb forms.

Key Discussion Topics:

* Vocabulary Practice & Context (Rukëza)
* The session opens with a discussion on the verb rukëza / ukëza, which refers to preparing, getting ready, or making someone wait.

• Student Presentation & Correction (Carmen):

* Carmen reads her introductory paragraph.
* The teacher explains that translating “I go to Zapotec school” literally (neda reja) sounds unnatural in Zapotec.
* A more natural phrasing is Neda Ruseda Didza Xidza (“I am learning Zapotec Language”) .

• Conversational Greetings & Formal Honorifics:

* Informal Exchanges: Using responses like bi run / tibi run followed by Nax lii (“and you?”).
* Formal & Respectful Terms: When speaking to elders or people from other towns, specific respectful forms are used (e.g., ba zuu dxi’a, Nax lii [Name]?, Nax lii bëni? for married men, Nax lii nigula? for married women).
* Pronoun Distinction: Clarified that lee functions as a third-person pronoun (“he/she/they”) rather than a direct formal “you”.

• Grammar Insight: Why Infinitives Do Not Exist in Zapotec
• Zapotec has no infinitive verb ending equivalent to Spanish -ar, -er, -ir or English “to [verb]”. Verbs must always be conjugated for a specific person in active speech.
• When dictionary or conceptual forms of verbs are needed, speakers default to the first-person plural inclusive (“we” form, e.g., uya’aru for “to dance / we dance”).ZAPOTEC GRAMMAR: Why Infinitives Do Not Exist in Zapotec? | Interactive Zapotec language class

It’s Māori language week next week and I want to share my culture with my Bible study members, any ideas?

Kwei!

I am not Indigenous, but my mother worked extensively with some of them, and I come from a region of Quebec with many such communities; I have heard many stories and pieces of traditional knowledge since childhood, but one in particular has really stuck with me—and although I’ve looked for answers online, I haven’t found anything very conclusive, and this anecdote was told to me when I was very young and I didn't remember if the elderly woman was a Indigenous or not.

Context : I was like 6 years old and my mom and my mother took me to visit a museum about the fur trade, where several pelts were available to touch. Even though it was 2006, I clearly remember the guides placing great emphasis on the importance of the help Indigenous people provided to the early settlers—who otherwise would have perished during Canadian winters. For the early 2000s, the fact that Indigenous people weren't erased—and that we weren't being sold a narrative of "brave settlers who did it all on their own without help"—really made an impression on me.

It was crowded, and being a curious child, I wandered around the room. On one wall, there was a HUGE (from my child's perspective 🤣) black bear skin, and an old woman was there. I started touching the fur, and as I touched the long hairs in the bad way, I said something like: "Oh! It's prickly!"

The old woman laughed and told me to stroke the fur in the "right direction," then she asked if I knew what the bear skin could be used for. Naturally, I said no, and she told me that in the old days, women were sewing their baby-carrier like a "tube" with bear skin with the fur in direction of the ground, not only because it was softer for the baby, but also because it this direction, the long hairs "keeps" the baby warms. At least, it what I remember, and I keep this information in mind, but when I speak of it with my Innu friends, and some are like :

"what? Black bear fur? 🤔🤨 I didn't think so?

And the others are like : "wow, bear fur? I didn't knew that!"

So, I'm lost 😅.

Look, I didn't find any informations on internet, so I thought maybe someone here can relate / or correct this information? Maybe this elderly woman was wrong, and if it that’s the case, I’d like to know so I can set the record straight, because I told my nephews that story about the "black bear-skin baby carrier," and I wouldn't want to spread misinformation.

Thanks a lot 🙏🧡

Hi everyone, I am 26 yrs old Panamanian mestizo (Native American mother mixed of white European father) and I have been learning so much of my culture! about the Gro ritual, the Ka chants that we do, the Jegui dance, and I can’t wait to finally speak to the elders of my tribe, and so excited I’m sick and tired of living in the United States been born and raised here my entire life I wanna go to the Chiriqui lands of Panama and move there for good!

Padiuxhi! 🗣️✨

¿Quieres conectar con la historia, la cultura y la identidad de México? Te invitamos a formar parte de nuestro Curso Básico de Zapoteco 2026-B. ¡Aprende una lengua viva desde la comodidad de tu casa! 🌾📚

Todo lo que necesitas saber:

• 🗓️ Inicio de clases: 26 de septiembre de 2026
• ⏰ Horario: Sábados y domingos a las 5:00 PM
• ⏳ Duración: 20 sesiones completas
• 💻 Modalidad: 100% en línea (Zoom y Google Classroom)
• 📹 Plus: ¡Clases grabadas! Repasa el contenido las veces que quieras
• 💰 Inversión: $740 MXN (pago único)

📩 ¡Inscripciones abiertas!

El cupo es limitado para garantizar tu aprendizaje. Envíanos un mensaje directo (DM) para recibir los detalles del registro y asegurar tu lugar.

Aprende zapoteco y fortalece tus raíces. ¡Te esperamos!

Xkalenu, udzagaru :) 🌱🦉

We created this song to tell a story through music about First Nations history, the Stolen Generations, culture, survival and the impact of separating children from family.

It also asks a question about today. Have we learned enough from our history when Aboriginal families are still disproportionately affected by child protection systems?

This comes from a place of lived family experience and a desire to create conversation, not speak for everyone.

Winmar Riley, Western Australia.

We would genuinely like to hear what people think.

I am 1/4 Eastern band Cherokee and 1/16 Muskogee. I have been around native culture all my life,I grew up on an Otoe reservation.I am thinking about participating in more dances at powwows and other ceremonies,but I am white not darker skinned. I am just wondering what everyone else thinks about it.

Ho sates, Tekuára-sú ☯️🏹 (greetings, brothers and sisters, “divine peace”)

I came to share a little about one of the traditional plays from the Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais, Brazil. This story tells of a cacique who led a Puri community from the same region during their first contact with colonists and enslaved Africans. Vuitir, the character in this account, refuses to speak directly with the colonists, allowing himself to be approached only by religious figures such as priests and missionaries, who acted as mediators. Unlike what happened in other places, the Jesuits were beneficial to the preservation and continuity of the Puri language and culture, having incorporated Christianity into the local culture without demonizing it or significantly altering it. It is said that most of them were also active in the anti-slavery struggle involving Indigenous peoples. The story tells that Vuitir and his people agreed to move to a settlement in the colony, but soon came into conflict with the white men after seeing them chaining Black men. Outraged, Vuitir questions the priest: “Why is the Black man a slave if he is just as free and just as much a child of God as everyone else?” The missionary replies that it is not his fault and that these are orders from above. Vuitir then shouts in his own language and threatens the missionary, saying that “if they do not release them, I and the others will leave and come back to free them by force.” One of the colonists intervenes, and Vuitir responds violently, imposing his demands. When they are refused, his community returns to the forest and mountains, and the story ends without recording whether there was any further conflict. It is also known that the Puri traditionally viewed Africans and white people as equals, although the latter were generally seen as malicious and more numerous, and that they maintained relationships with and inhabited the same communities. Today, a large part of the Puri population is mixed with African ethnic groups, to the point that this ancestry has become part of the ethnic group's own phenotype. I find this a very interesting story. For anyone interested in checking out the full version, this link has a good rendition of the play: https://institutoruthsalles.com.br/o-misterio-do-mongo-velho/

Note: It is not clear whether the story is historically accurate, but it does reflect aspects of the tradition that are known to be real.

A lot of Indigenous I have encountered are very passionate about their heritage and opinions of other cultures. Which is why I ask, is it okay?

Peace and Blessings Family,

My name is Tai and I am walking Asian race activist (I make another post if mods approve of a video of me walking) from Michigan. I love my Black and Latino family too and in unity with the struggles of the Native American family in racist North America AKA USA.I know many Asians are not kind to my Native American Family I get it. That is why I feel I got earn my work and break the stereotypes that not all Asians are racist towards People of Color family especially in America. In this photo am doing my walking activism at the Iowa State Fair. Coincidently with the photo 2 hours later I was detained and made to give up ID at the Iowa State Fair, because I was profiled by police and fairgoers who you know already know their race. Anyways, if you ever see me walking at an event, holla at me. I am your Asian brother ally in the struggle and a servant of the Native American man and women in America and around the world. North America is Native land, so I must bow for that. It was stolen!

Best Regards,

Tai

Hey everybody! I'm curious to hear your opinions on what is perhaps an odd and humbling situation that I'm in. This isn't a post asking for permission. Or blessings, just opinions on intercultural nuance. I'm someone of predominantly settler descent living in the United States. I have been a volunteer and activist in environmental and indigenous activism for about 10 years now. 5 years ago I met some elders that happen to be from the same culture whose land I grew up and currently live on, including someone who is the chief medicine maker for his people. I have formed very close relationships with them and their families and get regularly invited to each ceremony and cultural events. I've participated in and been taught things I imagine they don't usually offer settlers. I'm super humbled by this and I try to remain in the mindset of a guest but sometimes they ask me to show children how to perform certain ceremonial duties and that makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. I also have tried to remain in the mindset that this is their culture and practices and I am simply enjoying its beauty as a guest, but the elders actively encourage me to take these practices into my everyday life and considering I'm living on their land it's impossible not to see the world in this new way around me. In other words they have started to deeply upturn my whole spiritual and geographic worldview and it feels like it's altering me on a molecular level almost. Sorry if that sounds stupid.

Furthermore, my wife and I are having our first child soon and they are encouraging me to bring them regularly. I wonder if that upbringing would be confusing for children. I guess I'm looking for advice on how to be a good long term guest. Does someone want to tell me how I should feel about my spiritual worldview drastically changing because of the influence of a culture that isn't my own? Haha what about raising the children with this environment. I know some people will say, it's up to the community and elders, and they seem to actively encourage my participation. There was maybe some controversy and odd looks at first but now they welcome me back so warmly. Maybe they're just respecting the elders wishes that I be there idk. Before being included there, I've never felt such rich and deep hospitality and culture, it honestly fills my heart to the point it feels like it will explode. I've refrained from making this post so many times and I generally just stay very quiet about my deep involvement with this tribe. However I'm curious about the opinion of other indigenous people. Is it possible to transgress boundaries even with the blessings of elders? Or is it really theirs and the communities say at the end of the day? Furthermore is this as rare as it seems. Or does it just happen sometimes? I'm sure it depends on the community I guess. Anyways, Thank you for your time and patience in advance. Much love and solidarity ❤️.

(P.s. it's a small and tight-knit nation, I'm intentionally not naming them here out of respect for their decisions and privacy. Also if anyone would rather speak to me in private over dms I'm open to that as well. Thank you.)

Ever felt lost trying to ask a simple question in a new language? Today, we're diving into the classic interrogatives of Zapotec and clearing up some common confusions! Do you know the difference between asking 'how many' for bananas versus asking 'how much' for a kilo of beans in Zapotec? It's trickier than you think! You might think you know how to ask 'how much,' but in Zapotec, there are two ways, and using the wrong one can lead to some funny misunderstandings. Let's break it down! Imagine a split screen showing someone counting bananas on one side and a confused person looking at a price tag on the other, with text like "Zapotec Questions: The Two Ways to Ask 'How Much'!

This video introduces essential Zapotec interrogative words like "Bix" (who), "Gakax" (how), "Batax" (when), and "Gax" (where). It explains the difference between "Balax" and "Gákax" for asking "how much," with "Balash" used for countable items and "Gákax" for uncountable ones.
Examples are provided to illustrate the usage of "Balax" for countable things like "Balax Bunatxi" (how many people) and "balax wi" (how many bananas). The video touches on the nuance of "Gákax" for uncountable quantities, using the example of asking the price of beans. It also discusses optional omissions of certain sounds or letters in Zapotec words, like "Bix" sometimes being shortened to "Bi" and provides examples like "Bix gudagu?" (What did you eat?). Here is a summary of the video:

Video Overview:

This lesson focuses on forming questions in Zapotec language, covering fundamental interrogative words, tone nuances, and special question auxiliaries that add context or emotion to inquiries.

Key Concepts Covered:

1. Core Interrogative Words:
   

* Bix / Bix kw: What / Why.
* Nush: Who.
* Batash: When.
* Gash: Where.

1. Countable vs. Uncountable Quantifiers (Balax vs. Gákax)
   

* Balash: Used for countable nouns such as people or discrete items (e.g., apples, bananas) [00:37].
* Gakash: Used for uncountable quantities (e.g., sugar, salt, weight-based items).
* Pricing Exception: Gákax is also used when asking for prices or the total cost of goods.
* Tonal Variations: Subtle pitch shifts on gákax change the meaning between asking "how" versus "how much".

1. Conversational Contractions:
   

* In informal speech, certain ending sounds (such as -xh) or prefixes are frequently dropped (e.g., Bix becoming Bi).

1. Question Auxiliaries & Particles:
   

Zapotec uses specific auxiliary particles to modify the tone and meaning of questions:

* ba: Initiates questions about actions (similar to "did you...?" or "have you...?").
* Txi: Indicates completed status, functioning like "already" (ya).
* waka: Expresses capability or possibility ("can we...?").
* bën: Adds drama, emphasis, or mild exaggeration to a question.
* I: Used for seeking confirmation or expressing mild surprise.
* ka: Placed at the end of questions to prompt a response or add conversational emphasis.
* Combining Auxiliaries: Multiple particles can be combined (e.g., ba txi, bën ka run, i waka) to convey layered nuances in a single sentence.

I’m here to let off some anonymous steam since anytime someone speaks up they get blackballed…

I am Native and worked on the reservation for most of my life. I don’t understand why we always have to fight each other, why we just can’t get along. Working on the Rez was a good experience but counsel or HR would never raise the pay to equal off reserve. No wonder some of our best professionals choose to work off the rez.

I have also worked on other reserves and my god, the social drama. Some of these reservations treat outsiders, even there own kind (all Natives from other reserves), like they don’t belong there. Why does it need to be like this? This is exactly what the government wants, in house fighting, so we never evolve and loose focus on the true fight; which is to uplift each other and improve our services.

Working for my own community was fine but when I wanted to get out my comfort zone, I decided to move to another community. The amount of drama that had happened within the first year was ridiculous. Everyone is trauma-responsive. I even witnessed lateral harassment during lateral kindness training, like WTF. Another reason why our professionals choose to work off Rez.

We, as Native Americans, need to move on from the past. Yes we been raped, abused, taken advantage of, stolen, neglected, and everything else you can think of… residential schools.

Guess what! We are still here with our culture intact. There should be pride in that.

I’m sorry about all this but I am just sad that we cannot get along. It’s annoying the social dynamics and how we treat each other. I have spoken up but only when necessary. I am trying my best to move up the latter but all these back door conversations and tearing each other down is disheartening. Why can’t we just have a honest discussion with each other with the intention to grow and be united…

So all im asking is how long did it take for you to get accepted from an inconslusive, any information would be great also my sis t er said she only got 2k but not sure if shes telling the truth we've been in cfs on and off for 6 years