DAJU DAR DAJU
WHAT IS THIS SITE ABOUT?
This website is intended to be repository for information on the Daju people and language, with specific focus on the Daju dar Daju people of Chad, Africa. While several academic papers exist on the Daju dar Daju, they often lie behind a paywall and may not be accessible to all, or may be published in hard-to-find print versions. Other resources are religious in nature and may not fit the needs of Daju people wanting to connect with public information on their language. This website is intended to be a constant work in progress, and a springboard for learning and sharing.
The Daju dar Daju people are an important and sometimes underrepresented presence in Chad. Recognizing this, they formed a language council and are working to build up a written record of their language. This website adds to the body of writing about Daju dar Daju in a way that is accessible online.
I hope that this site sparks some curiosity about the Daju dar Daju, their language, and their history for those outside the community. For those within the Daju community, I hope this site can be used as a tool for you to share with others about your language and people. Please, feel free to contact me with questions, comments, or suggestions! Note: it is my goal to eventually offer this site translated in French or Arabic as well as in Daju dar Daju.
Who created this site?
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Hi! My name is Ruth Myers, and I'm an undergraduate Linguistics student at Western Washington University. When I was a child, my family lived in Chad, and my parents, Annie and Richard, studied the language of the Daju people. They weren't able to continue their work as planned, but passed their linguistic notes and recordings on to me. Even though I was young, some of my earliest, most vivid memories were formed in the Guéra and Ndjamena, and I am inspired by the Daju dar Daju people and their language. This website provides access to my parents' previously unpublished data, along with online and in print sources I have compiled, and some linguistic analysis and data preparation of my own. It is meant to be interdisciplinary, and accessible to a broad audience that may not have formal linguistic training.
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This website was created for my Honors Capstone Project at WWU, with lots of help from WWU Linguistics Professors Kristin Denham and Jordan Sandoval.
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Some fun in the Guéra!
Life in Ndjamena
CONTACT ME
I hope this website proves helpful - please get in touch if you want to hear more, or if you have any suggestions!
