Gyani Maiya (2019)

No community can express the pain of losing an elder, especially when one was presumed to be the last fluent speaker of their language and the language is nearing endangerment.

Gyani Maiya (2019) poster

“We left our language and started speaking others’. The girls have got married and have left for the villages. Boys are getting married in villages. It should be taught to children”. — Gyani Maiya Sen-Kusunda The Gi Mihaq (also known as Kusunda) was a semi-nomadic hunter and gatherer community that settled in villages around the mid-western Nepalese district of Dang. They have long lost their native language Mihaq (Kusunda), to acculturation and other barriers to active use. The community also lost their 83-year-old elder Gyani Maiya Sen-Kusunda in 2020, the most and the only known fluent Kusunda speaker then. Filmed in Kulmor in the Dang District in 2018, this openly-licensed documentary is a memoir of Sen-Kusunda in her own words and a biography of her people who were forced to leave their language and cultural identity. Kusunda is being revived by Kamala Sen Khatri, Sen-Kusunda’s younger sister, and Uday Raj Aaley, a local researcher who is the key interviewer for this film.

Director: Subhashish Panigrahi
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 25 min
Release Date:

Cast

Screenplay

Production: O Foundation
Country: Nepal
Language: Nepali
Original Language: en

Keywords

nepal, language, kusunda, endangered language

Trailer

Gyani Maiya Trailer
More Films by Director: Subhashish Panigrahi
More Films in Genre: Documentary

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Gyani Maiya about?
“We left our language and started speaking others’. The girls have got married and have left for the villages. Boys are getting married in villages. It should be taught to children”. — Gyani Maiya Sen-Kusunda The Gi Mihaq (also known as Kusunda) was a semi-nomadic hunter and gatherer community that settled in villages around the mid-western Nepalese district of Dang. They have long lost their native language Mihaq (Kusunda), to acculturation and other barriers to active use. The community also lost their 83-year-old elder Gyani Maiya Sen-Kusunda in 2020, the most and the only known fluent Kusunda speaker then. Filmed in Kulmor in the Dang District in 2018, this openly-licensed documentary is a memoir of Sen-Kusunda in her own words and a biography of her people who were forced to leave their language and cultural identity. Kusunda is being revived by Kamala Sen Khatri, Sen-Kusunda’s younger sister, and Uday Raj Aaley, a local researcher who is the key interviewer for this film.
Who directed Gyani Maiya?
Gyani Maiya was directed by Subhashish Panigrahi.
Who stars in Gyani Maiya?
Gyani Maiya stars Gyani Maiya Sen Kusunda, Uday Raj Aaley, Sanjib Chaudhary.
How long is Gyani Maiya?
Gyani Maiya has a runtime of 25m (25 minutes).
What genre is Gyani Maiya?
Gyani Maiya is a Documentary film.
Where was Gyani Maiya produced?
Gyani Maiya was produced in Nepal.