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Community protects indigenous language in Mexico
 "We are a very proud community. Being Cucapá is something to be proud of," says Nicolas.
Nicolas, a member of the Cucapás Indians of Mexico talks proudly of the origins of his ancestors: "The history of the Cucapás begins when Cepa and Commat were under water. As they thought about how to get out Commat started smoking and they rose from the water in the smoke. They began creating everything and dried this land. Cepa made the sun but it did not shine. Commat said it would be the moon and made the sun we have."
The Cucapá reserve, in which Nicolas lives, has a population of 178 and is located in San Luis Rio Colorado. The Cucapás used to navigate the difficult Río Colorado river on reed rafts. Talking about the Cucapás way of life, Nicolas says: "Our ancestors did not work in the fields, they only fished and hunted. But now the river is dried up - it's closed. So now we plant cilantro and parsley for trade".
Sadly, the river is not the only thing to run dry, for the Cucapás language has also been evaporating. It is estimated that as many as 93 Indian languages have disappeared altogether. However, the young members of the group have designed programs to aid in the preservation of the language. The telling of fairy tales is very popular and the custom of elders teaching the youngsters ways in which to preserve the language is carefully being maintained. "I am very happy being Cucapa, teaching the children our language so they can teach others," says a woman Margarita.
Historically, the Cucapás lived in four groups, believed by the Cucapás to have been assigned by the gods: wiahwir, mat skuri, kwakwarsh and hwanyak. The land of the Cucapás was divided when the border between Mexico and North America was established. As a result, the Cucapás now live in four communities speaking English or Spanish and their ancestral Cucapás tongue.
The community is rich in belief and custom, which contains their own concept of the afterlife and the creation of man. The ancient Cucapás based their religious beliefs on nature and took part in rituals such as worshiping the sun, the ocean and even lightening. They possessed an impressive knowledge of medicinal herbs and employed desert plants like mesquite and agave in a wide variety of uses.
Mexico has between 8 to 10 million Indians divided into 56 ethnic and language groups speaking over 100 different dialects, some spoken by only a few people. Some groups, such as the Nashuas, Mayas, Zapotecs and Mixtecs, number in the hundred thousands, while others like the Cucapás, Lacandones, Kiliwas, and Paispais, have been reduced to a few dozen families.
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