Last known speaker of Chilean Yaghan language dies at 93

By Calley Hair

Cristina Calderón, the last known native speaker of the Indigenous language Yaghan, speaks at the University of Magallanes in southern Chile on Oct. 23, 2014. Calderón died this week at the age of 93. Photo courtesy of the University of Magallanes.

Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The last known native speaker of the Indigenous Chilean language Yaghan died this week at 93, her family announced via social media.

Cristina Calderón was the only remaining person to speak Yaghan, a melodic language with no written form once spoken by people living on the southernmost tip of Chile.

Calderón -- known locally as "Abuela Cristina" or "Grandma Cristina," the Buenos Aires Times reported -- was recognized by the Chilean government as a "living human treasure" for her cultural preservation work.

The Yaghan people lived on the tip of South America for approximately 6,000 years. Until about 150 years ago, there were around 3,000 people in the community. Their population was decimated by infectious diseases introduced by European settlers.

The presence of foreigners also altered their culture, which prized fishing and basket weaving. Today, the region's primary industry is tourism.

Calderón's daughter, Lidia González Calderón, wrote in a tweet that her mother's death represented "sad news for the Yaghan."

"Everything I do in my work will be in your name," she wrote in Spanish." And in it will also be reflected your people."