Poemas de la Pradera: Transnational Identity Development Through YPAR and AI-Assisted Mayan Language Preservation
Hector Palala Martinez1, Edmund T Hamann1
1Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 26, 2026
Summary
Transnational Mayan youth in Nebraska used digital tools and poetry to preserve K'iche' and Q'anjob'al languages. This project fostered cultural pride and advocacy skills by connecting them to Guatemala.
Area of Science:
- Sociolinguistics
- Digital Humanities
- Youth Studies
Background:
- Transnational Mayan youth in rural Nebraska face challenges in preserving their linguistic heritage.
- Maintaining connections to Guatemala is crucial for cultural identity development.
- Digital technologies offer potential for language preservation and transnational communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how transnational Mayan youth preserve and develop linguistic heritage through the Kematzib' Project.
- To investigate the role of digital technologies in language preservation and transnational connections.
- To understand how youth can activate transnational funds of knowledge and develop bicultural identities.
Main Methods:
- Employed Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methodologies.
- Adolescents served as co-researchers in K'iche' and Q'anjob'al language initiatives.
- Utilized poetry workshops and digital storytelling to create trilingual educational materials.
Main Results:
- Digital technologies facilitated both language preservation and maintenance of family connections to Guatemala.
- Collaborative creation of digital books integrated traditional Mayan elements with contemporary transnational experiences.
- Participants overcame linguistic shame, developed cultural pride, and built advocacy skills.
Conclusions:
- The Kematzib' Project empowered transnational Mayan youth to activate their linguistic and cultural resources.
- Digital tools can bridge geographical distances, fostering both language revitalization and family ties.
- This research highlights the potential for youth to develop multifaceted identities across national and cultural contexts.
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