July 31, 2021 — People in Indonesia consider their first language is their indigenous language, so that the mother tongue in Indonesia is often identified with the indigenous language. The diglossia linguistic condition causes the indigenous language act as a mother tongue. This shows the richness of indigenous languages in Indonesia plays an important role in continuing the speakers’ community culture.
The indigenous languages presence in Indonesia is decreasing in the number of indigenous language speakers. In addition, youth generations excessively cannot speak the indigenous language due to various factors, such as inter-ethnic marriages, education, and technological impact. Besides, lack of awareness of indigenous language speakers to the importance on preserving and maintaining their indigenous language and culture. Preservation of indigenous languages can be applied through writing of indigenous language reading materials.
The writing of reading materials in indigenous languages is intended as an effort to document indigenous languages and literatures. In addition, writing indigenous languages can encourage the growth of the use of indigenous languages among speakers. The rewriting of folklore in indigenous languages needs to be reactivated. The culture of writing and reading in the community requires a trigger. It can encourage the younger generation to pay attention to their indigenous language. The introduction of indigenous languages must present to children as early as possible. Thus, it requires a media to attract children’s interest in recognizing their indigenous language.
Regional Office for Language in East Kalimantan Province efforts to provide reading materials for children in indigenous and Indonesian language. It carried out through the Election of Bilingual Children Folklore, in indigenous and Indonesian language. The folklore will be published and disseminated to the public in East Kalimantan Province and North Kalimantan Province by Regional Office for Language in East Kalimantan Province.
Practically, participants sent folklore scripts, which are adapted from exists and lives folklore in the community, to committee. The folklore is written in the indigenous language and Indonesian. The use of sentences should match to the character of children reader level, for example the choice of words.
Regional Office for Language in East Kalimantan Province already collected 31 bilingual children folklores through this activity. It used some indigenous languages, such as Banjar Samarinda, Kutai, Paser, Tidung, Berau, Kenyah, and Benuaq. It will go on editing and revision process before publishing. The printing and publishing are carried out as a supporting program of Regional Office for Language in East Kalimantan Province to national literacy program launched by Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology.
Translated by Muhammad Erwin Darma