From Aotearoa To Kernow: Reflections on Grassroots Activism, Minority Language Use, and Indigenous Studies

This report looks at the use of Kernewek (the Cornish language) in grassroots activism. I provide examples of banners, stickers and t-shirts to showcase how activists are using this minoritised Celtic language. The report is also auto-ethnographic by reflecting on my journey through activism and Indigenous language use. These reflections begin in Aotearoa New Zealand, where I grew up, and where te reo Māori (the Māori language) has a strong place in the grassroots. By sharing my Cornish heritage and activism in Aotearoa, the report weaves together two sides to my life: living in a settler-colony and belonging to a Celtic nation. My aim is to show that Kernewek is a strong point of connection between Cornwall and decolonial struggles, such as in Aotearoa. I explore this relationship through my undergraduate discipline of Indigenous Studies and conversations happening on the left-wing Cornish blog, Sordya. I argue that Kernowek in the grassroots is a promising example of prefigurative and place-based activism, one which can complement Indigenous movements and tactics. As the Cornish movement navigates its entangled position within and against colonialism, I argue that storytelling and relationship building with Indigenous Studies and Indigenous peoples can help us better understand the political possibilities of Kernewek and the applicability of decolonisation to our Cornish context.