Language is the Heart of Our Culture
Language is the beating heart of our identity and essential to the survival of Patwin culture. For generations, however, our words and syntax were outlawed. The criminalization of the Patwin language was a deliberate attempt to erase our people and disrupt our way of life.
Despite these efforts, our language endures. Revitalizing and reclaiming Patwin is not only an act of cultural preservation—it is an act of resistance, resilience, and renewal.
By 1997, the Patwin language was critically endangered, listed by the United Nations Atlas of Endangered Languages as one of the most at-risk languages in the world. At that time, only one fluent speaker remained: the late Bertha Wright Mitchell (1936–2018), lovingly known as Auntie Bertha.
Auntie Bertha was more than a fluent speaker—she was a revered basket weaver, mentor, and culture bearer for our Tribe. She shared traditional knowledge, led ceremonies, and nurtured the roots of our cultural resilience. In 2006, she began teaching Patwin alongside now-credentialed language teacher Leland Kinter, introducing the language to students at the Yocha Dehe Wintun Academy and to adult citizens through the Cultural Department. Their work laid the foundation for our current language revitalization efforts.
In 2012, Leland Kinter earned the American
Indian Languages Credential from the
California Commission on Teacher Credentialing,
becoming a formally recognized teacher of
our ancestral language. Since then, the Tribe has
made significant strides, including:
- Publishing a Patwin dictionary and grammar book
- Developing a digital iTunes database with over 8,000 Patwin words and phrases
- Launching a Patwin language website for Tribal Citizens
- Creating a Patwin history curriculum for the Academy, with plans to share it with other California schools
Where once the language was criminalized in an effort to erase our people, todayits revitalization stands as a declaration of sovereignty, identity, and endurance.