Juan Huenupan, defender of a dying language
One of the few speakers of the indigenous Williche-Mapuche language Chezungun on what needs to be done to protect a rich and endangered tradition.
Just a 30 minute drive outside of the southern city of Osorno is San Juan de la Costa, the poorest municipality in the Los Lagos Region. Although 90 percent of the population here identifies as indigenous Mapuche-Williche, much of the culture and language faces extinction as younger generations grow up with modern Chilean and Western cultures in their schools, on television and increasingly in their homes.
The Santiago Times spoke with Juan Huenupan, a member of the local Williche community who is one of the area’s few remaining fluent speakers of Chezungun, the Williche language.
Huenupan actively works to preserve the language and the culture and traditions it carries with it, through projects with the local municipality and beyond. He is passionate about keeping his language, history and culture alive.
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