About the Language:
Yesa:sahį represents an important part of Indigenous linguistic and cultural heritage in North Carolina. The continued use and preservation of the language help maintain connections to community, history, and generations of cultural knowledge.

About the Interview:
In this interview, Corey reflects on their relationship with Yesa:sahį and discusses the significance of keeping the language present within their community and future generations.

Corey Roberts – Speaking Yesa:sahį in NC

VRS: What is your full name, and where were you born and where do you currently reside?

CR: My name is Corey Roberts. I was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and I currently reside in Burlington, North Carolina.

VRS: What Indigenous language do you speak?

CR: I speak Yesa:sahį́.

VRS: How did you learn this language?

CR: I learned through self-study and graduate work focused on Native American languages and linguistics.

VRS: Do you regularly speak this language in your day-to-day life? If so, who do you speak it with?

CR: I speak the language daily. There are about three members of the language community that I speak with, and I speak with at least one of them every day. I also speak a few words with my sister.

VRS: What has your experience been speaking this language in North Carolina, a state that does not have much Indigenous language representation?

CR: Since going to graduate school specifically to revitalize the Yesa:sahį́ language, I am one of the more fluent, if not the most fluent, people in the language to my knowledge. There is exceedingly little opportunity for me to speak the language here in North Carolina or anywhere. It can be quite sad, but as it is my mission to help make this language more spoken, that sadness comes with the territory.

VRS: Have you noticed a decline in the number of speakers? Why or why not do you think that is?

CR: No, I have not noticed a decline in the number of language speakers. The reason for this is that the numbers dropped to almost zero many years ago. Through efforts being made in the language community today, more people are saying more words in the language each year. No one is able to carry on a fluent conversation just yet, but hopefully it is just a matter of time before that becomes possible.

VRS: How do you feel about speaking your language in public? Why?

CR: I am happy to speak my language in public. I teach and study Yesa:sahį́, and the best way to improve the use of the language is to speak it as much as possible. I am very unconcerned about non-speakers’ reactions to my speaking a language unfamiliar to them in public.

VRS: What do you think North Carolina could do to encourage or promote the speaking of Indigenous languages?

CR: If such a thing were even feasible in the current political climate, it would be tremendously beneficial for the state to provide funding and possibly other support to language revitalization and preservation efforts taking place here.

VRS: Has your relationship with your language changed over time?

CR: My relationship with my language has changed over time. With each bit of research and study I do, I become more knowledgeable about this language that at one time seemed all but lost. Strangely, though, as I become more involved in research on the language, I grow somewhat less fluent in conversation. The mental load required to understand and revitalize the language takes away from my time and ability to actually improve my speaking skills.

VRS: Can you share a memory connected to hearing or speaking your language?

CR: A feature of the language that sticks out in my memory is how changing just one or two letters, or choosing a slightly different word, can change the meaning of a phrase entirely. I had a tribal student trying to describe a spaceship in the language as a “metal bird.” Such innovation is necessary when the amount of vocabulary in a language is greatly diminished. Instead of using the word for “metal,” which would actually be the metal “iron,” he ended up using the word meaning “to iron.” What he ended up saying was, “a chicken is doing the ironing.” The mistake was hilarious.

VRS: What is a favorite word or phrase that you have in your language?

CR: A relatively recent favorite word is the word for “gossip.” It took some research on my part to understand this, but I believe the word kakekhé is onomatopoetic. Just as people say that a crow makes a sound like “kaw kaw,” kakekhé has embedded within it the notion that in the conversation, or gossip, people are clacking away. I think the onomatopoeia here is really cool.

VRS: How do younger generations in your community engage with the language?

CR: Youth engage with the language either in daily life with their parents or through instruction from me or someone in their community during tribal summer camp.

VRS: What concerns do you have about the future of your language?

CR: I am very concerned that when it is my time to cross over, the progress being made with the revitalization of Yesa:sahį́ will slow down tremendously or come to a halt.

VRS: What advice would you give to someone interested in learning an Indigenous language?

CR: Be sure that it is appropriate with the community to whom the language belongs for you to learn it, and seek to learn it from someone in the community if possible.

VRS: What do you wish more people knew about Indigenous languages and your language?

CR: I wish more people knew that Indigenous languages still exist, are fighting to be maintained and revitalized, and deserve respect as some of the earliest languages spoken on this continent.

VRS: What teaching methods have been most successful for you?

CR: The most effective way of teaching language I have found is introducing games as a pedagogical tool throughout the learning process.

VRS: What are some common misconceptions you hear when teaching people about your language?

CR: One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is that the language is “dead” or “extinct,” which are things we never say in the field of language revitalization. As long as there is one person with the ancestry who is even remotely interested in learning their language, “dead” or “extinct” does not apply. Another misconception is that this language should be easy to learn and understand simply because someone has it as part of their ancestry. I understand the concept of blood memory, but I have not found it to be enough to replace the hard work that comes with learning Yesa:sahį́.

Short Intro by Corey along with favorite word