737

Similarly, persons trained by missionaries in Bolivia
revealed a certain self-deprecation, as expressed in the
example in 9-5: 'We ask you to pardon us because we
sometimes make mistakes'. Yapita (1967) noted a ten-
dency to reject Aymara language and culture in Rosario
(province of Pacajes, department of La Paz), a community
that had been under Seventh Day Adventist influence since
1919.

Whatever their origin, such negative attitudes do
have an effect. In some communities where bilingualism in
Spanish and Aymara has existed for decades if not longer,
there is now a trend toward eventual disappearance of
Aymara, since young people under 20 no longer speak the
language although some still understand it. In Juli
children 12 and under in a family whose older members were
all bilingual neither spoke nor understood the language.
In farms on the outskirts of Salinas children still use
the language when helping grandparents with farm work, but
in town they use only Spanish.

Nevertheless, there is also ample evidence of deep
attachment to the Aymara language and pride in Aymara
culture. A wish to believe that Aymara is indeed the equal
of, if not superior to, Spanish probably contributed to
the positive reception given my statement of research
purposes during the course of field work. In explaining

those purposes, I alluded to certain basic anthropological