K’iche’ Maya Oral History Project
Latin American and Iberian Institute at the University of New Mexico
Spearheaded by Dr. James Mondloch, the project contains 149 oral histories collected in western Guatemala during the 1960s and 1970s. Now fully digitized, this collection of written and spoken K’iche’ Maya is open and free to access. The narratives speak to the social organization, values, agriculture practices, and cosmovision of the K’iche’ Maya. Written transcriptions of recordings are also available.
Resource Type: Archival material
Online K’iche’ Learning Resources
Ki’kotemal TV Tijob’al
Ki’kotemal TV is a collective of young indigenous people who produce language learning content in K’iche’ and Mam Maya. They feature a number of videos that focus on basic concepts in both languages and offer videos that promote cultural learning as well. Their content can be found on Youtube or on Instragram @kikotemaltv.
Chqeta’maj le Qach’ab’al K’iche’!
Chqe’tamaj le qach’ab’al K’iche’! is a set of beginner online course materials for K’iche’. The team includes faculty and graduate students at The University of Texas at Austin and at Vanderbilt University, as well as associates in Nahualá who are all working together to develop materials relevant for the course. This course seeks to develop oral fluency in the student in addition to an understanding of the grammar as well as reading skills. The intended audience for this resource is foreign students interested in developing their language skills, as well as native teachers in bilingual schools through western Guatemala.
Resource type: Beginner vocabulary
The Guatemala Collections in the Archive of Folk Culture
Library of Congress
Music and song recordings in various indigenous langauges of Guatemala. Digital resources available by request through this link. Recordings with K’iche’ are from the years 1948, 1987, 1989, and 2010. Detailed descriptions of each resource are available on the website.
Resource Type: Archival material
Online narration of Popul Wuj in K’iche’
Instituto Oxlajuj No’j Thirteen Wisdom
Instituto Oxlajuj No’j is a youtube channel for K’iche’ language and culture established by Hiro Yoshioka (PhD Sociology, UT Austin). The project was produced alongside Guatemalan young adults and offers a plethora of videos, including 32 short videos narrating 31 chapters and a prologue to the Popul Wuj in K’iche’. Colorful illustrations and karaoke-style word presentation in K’iche’ assists the viewer in following along and understanding.
Resource Type: Informal videos; Level: beginner/intermediate
Basic K’iche’ vocabulary
Casa Xelaju Language School
Casa Xelaju is a language learning immersive school based in Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala. The videos in the linked playlist offer introductory K’iche’ vocabulary. Topics include numbers, colors, vegetables, and animals. This resource is for beginners.