"Nunto Nunto ba maye"
Sing along with the little fish (Nunto) that sings in our Suryoyo mother tongue; the language that Jesus Christ spoke on earth.
I'm Refka, born and raised in Mardin, southeast Turkey. I came to the Netherlands at a young age and have lived here for over 30 years. Suryoyo was spoken at home, and I learned the language only by hearing and speaking.
In the Netherlands (Dedemsvaart), where we lived before, there were no other Suryoy people with whom we could speak the language. This strengthened our Dutch. Because I wanted to spare my son the trouble of learning Dutch and prevent him from falling behind in school, I spoke only Dutch to him for the first few years of his life. Over the years, he did learn Suryoyo, but it took him much longer. Looking back now, it was also difficult for me to raise him in Suryoyo. I had no other basis to teach him besides the spoken language. Moreover, apart from a few children's songs, which were actually learned from the Bible or from the echoes of Seyfo (the 1915 Genocide), I knew no children's songs I could sing to him.
Why nursery rhymes and children's stories?
I personally love languages, especially Suryoyo, my native language and, importantly, the language Jesus spoke! I also love children, nursery rhymes, and of course, children's stories. Who doesn't know the stories of Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood? And who doesn't hum or whistle when they're happy? How wonderful is it to hear, see, do, and even dream about this in your own familiar native language🥰?
Partly because I saw the need for children's songs and fun stories, I took the step to launch this important mission: making the Suryoyo language accessible to the next generation, starting with the very youngest. This way, we maintain a connection with our religion, heritage, and culture, and we keep our mother tongue, which is threatened with extinction, alive. Fortunately, I don't do this alone: I have the support of my family, especially my brothers, who are involved in developing and producing cartoons.
How did I start singing?
I actually started translating a song I really liked in 2008, and in 2018 I started singing it. It was the children's song "Little Fish, Little Fish in the Water."
Nunto has since developed further and learned new skills. She can already sing, ride a bike, and has the ambition to embark on many more adventures. Ready to join her? Order your own Nunto here now and join her on her adventure!
My vision is to expand the Suryoyo language through children's songs, stories, and cartoons (and many other ideas, but more on that later 😊). This happens both digitally through media and/or tangibly in the form of a stuffed animal, book, or puzzle, which are shared nationally and internationally.
I'm not a language expert, but I'm committed to teaching children the language through play. Besides creating, writing, and singing children's songs, I also narrate stories. Watch and listen to the songs and stories below—do you recognize my voice?
Curious about what's coming next? Follow me, Alpha Nunto Productions, and of course, Suryoyo Cartoons!
Warm hugs,
Refka Kangus
