Akha Voices in One Script:
A Project of Digitalization and Standardization of Oral Texts

The Akha, an ethnic group residing in the highlands of Yunnan, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam, possess a vibrant oral tradition that has been meticulously documented by anthropologists since the 1950s. Central to this tradition are ritual texts that reflect the unique cultural and spiritual heritage of the Akha people.

However, the use of varied, idiosyncratic writing systems by researchers across different periods and regions has created significant challenges for comparative analysis. Moreover, a substantial portion of these oral texts remains untranslated into English or Chinese, limiting their accessibility and understanding. In recent years, the Akha community has embraced a new Common Akha Orthography (CAO), which is gaining traction across the region.

This project seeks to digitize a significant body of Akha material from the archives of four fieldworkers and convert these diverse writing systems into the standardized CAO. Additionally, we aim to explore the feasibility of developing translation software to facilitate the translation of Akha oral texts into English and Chinese, thereby enhancing the preservation and dissemination of Akha cultural heritage.