Where the Language Appears, We also Appear: Tehuelche Language Reclamation in Patagonia

Tehuelche is an indigenous group from Patagonia, long dismissed as “extinct”. Their image, though, has been used to evoke a Patagonian imaginary and identity. This chapter presents an ethnographic study of their language revitalization initiative, structured around a “last speaker”, whose iconization sustains Tehuelche identity claims. Today, when there is a virtual absence of speakers, a small but persistent group of activists are bringing the language forward in original ways. Domingo shows how Tehuelche is now being used to “show off” as part of “an ethnic coming out” in the public display of homemade linguistic objects or by “sharing” linguistic tokens that mark their ethnic identity. Activists contest received cultural symbols by focusing on their own personal histories. The initiative is unfolding a metalinguistic community.