Skip to main content

What if Grandmother composed a song for you, but you couldn't understand the words? What if no one else could, either? The half-hour independent film "Breath of Life" explores the painstaking efforts of dedicated indigenous Californians who have committed themselves to revitalizing the rich cultural legacy their ancestors have left to them in tribal languages under threat of extinction. For decades, every two years a group of determined Native activists and allied language experts have convened an extraordinary week-long conference at the University of California, Berkeley, to make sure that the more than 100 individual tongues of this region remain vibrantly alive. The archive of linguistic resources housed here is of world significance. Conference attendees learn how to use it: locating anthropological field notes and cherished recordings that were made of their ancestors' stories, grammar and songs. For most it is a challenging and emotional--even spiritual--experience to rediscover these treasures.