Empowering Indigenous Communities: A Community-to-Classroom Approach to Language Reclamation

At the University of Toronto, I have been leading the revitalization of Itzaj Maya, supported by the Connaught Fund and other internal sources. Collaborating with UofT students and Indigenous communities, we have published an Itzaj pedagogical grammar. The project has received additional support through programs such as the Indigenous Course Module (ICM), which enables students to engage directly with Mayan communities in Guatemala. In Toronto, we are actively teaching and learning two Mayan languages to foster Indigenous language revitalization within diaspora communities. Through this collaborative and community-centered approach, we aim to cultivate a sustainable culture of language revitalization.

About the presenter

Pedro Mateo Pedro is a native speaker of Q’anjob’al Maya and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. His work focuses on the documentation, acquisition, and revitalization of Mayan languages. In his revitalization project, he has published an Itzaj pedagogical grammar, in collaboration with UofT students and community members.