Voices of the Maya

Voices of the Maya is a project which aims to preserve indigenious Maya culture and language in the voice of the Maya themselves.

It started as research as part of my Masters degree and turned into an incredible adventure. In 2019 I was named the Scientific Exploration Societies Rivers Foundation Explorer in order to create educational resources in Q'eqchi' and Mopan Mayan, explore caves for evidence of ancient Maya habitation; educate the wider community of Aguacate about their ancestors and educate the community about the importance of oral hygiene.

It has since developed into a long term project which aims to create even more educational material in Q'eqchi' and Mopan Maya. This means the project requires continual support!

You can contribute to the success of this project and donate above.

Your donations will be used for:

Expedition costs, printing and publishing costs of educational materials.

For updates on the project and the impact your donation is having please sign up to my newsletter at:

The Endangered Languages Music Project is a global anthropological research project which aims to record and document extinct and endangered languages through music. The project will start by recording songs in the six languages mentioned above because of the languages very concerning rates of rapid decline, the rising threat of sea level rise to the South Pacific islands and the areas fascinating culture. By focusing on recording the languages through song, we are making the languages more memorable for future generations.

Additionally, the languages above have been chosen, because they are South Pacific languages which according to the UNESCO Atlas of languages are the most in danger of becoming extinct, ranging from approximately 600 - 15,0000 speakers.

This project will record existing folk songs and write new ones, but in collaboration with native speakers. On each island, we will work with local translators and community members. This could include local universities, arts groups, choirs and within schools.

We will also work with local schools to create alphabet books, with illustrations in the six different languages. This will help preserve the foundations of the language for new language learners.