None of us know about God. Will you teach us?

February 5, 2013

The Nahuatl have a story about how the world ended. In their version there was just water everywhere. All the people had died and all the trees were gone. There was just one man and his little dog in a canoe. All the people in the world come from that man and his dog. As […]

Uyuli

August 1, 2012

I was checking words with my language helper a few days ago. When I asked her about “uyulí” Agustina gave the definition as “it re-lived.” “Like what, for example?” I asked. “Oh, you know,” answered Agustina, “like if a plant is getting all dry and brown and you think it’s dead, but then it starts […]

Meet: Leyo

July 29, 2012

I have two main language helpers. One is Leyo. She is great for conversation and practicing what I’m learning. She loves to talk and corrects me when I say something wrong. Then she makes me say it right. She loves to be recorded and sometimes prompts me with, “I have a story to tell you, […]

Baby Wearing

June 24, 2012

Baby wearing is not a new fad. For hundreds, maybe thousands of years, the Nahuatl and other indigenous mothers have been wearing their babies. Here is a 16 year old mother with her one year old: I got to try my hand, or my back, at this ancient practice. Katie was checking language with one […]

This week

June 11, 2012

This week our house became a movie theater – complete with snacks: Tang and animal crackers! The early showing was Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The second showing was Planet Earth. Both were much enjoyed! This week we studied Nahuatl. We have a language evaluation soon, so we practiced as much as […]

From Katie: Not straight talking…

March 12, 2012

As we continue to spend hours daily studying the Nahuatl language, it is fun to see things start to take shape and make sense. Several months ago I had written down “amomelahtaketsaliste” as meaning “a lie.” We knew that the verb, to talk, is “taketsa” and “amo” means not. Then, a few weeks ago, while […]

Needed: Clean Water

October 23, 2011

In Las Moras, Mexico, the Nahuatl people have few options for water. Some haul it from a nearby stream where people also bathe and wash laundry. Some haul it from small, dirty springs that are often muddied by livestock. Some gather it from puddles when it rains. None of them have access to clean water, […]

Conversation with Alberta

June 29, 2011

On the second day of the dental clinic, a truckload of people arrived first thing in the morning. Alberta was the first one in the door and therefore the first with the dentist. She was really nervous. I told her it wouldn’t hurt, the doctor would give her medicine (anesthesia) so she wouldn’t feel pain. […]

Life in Las Moras

May 3, 2011

2011 Video from rachel chapman on Vimeo.

Our best Nahuatl so far…

January 17, 2011

To kinda give you an idea of what we know so far, I’ll let you listen in on a conversation my co-workers and I had with one of our friends… We spoke in Spanish, Nahuatl, and English. Here’s how it went… My co-workers and me: Our Nahuatl friend: Hi! How are you? I’m fine. Come […]