Van Gujjari Speaker Advocates Oral Documentation

Taukeer Alam, an Indian conservationist speaking Van Gujjari, discussed language documentation with Rising Voices’ Subhashish Panigrahi. Alam emphasized audio and video as superior to books for preserving the nuances of spoken language, capturing emotion and authentic pronunciation. He explained that written forms often fail to convey the tonal qualities unique to Indigenous languages like Van Gujjari, spoken by a nomadic Muslim community in northern India.

Alam noted a shift in the value of written materials as literacy increases among younger generations, but stressed that audio and video remain crucial for elders. He recommends making documented materials accessible through platforms the community already uses and sharing them quickly to ensure knowledge isn't lost.

He advocates for participatory documentation, involving youth to sustain the work, and using high-quality equipment to preserve valuable knowledge from elders. Alam also expressed concern about the potential misuse of community knowledge with AI, advocating for clear recognition of community rights and proper consent before wider publication. The interview led to the “Maari Jaban Maari Birsa” (our language, our culture) project, to be published in OpenSpeaks Archives.