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Celebrating The Year of Indigenous Languages with Astronomy
Help raise awareness to the alarming rate languages around the world are disappearing by highlighting the importance of astronomical knowledge of indigenous peoples and inspire other regions to take actions for appreciation of our cultural diversity.
“The United Nations declared 2019 The Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL2019) to raise the appreciation of our world’s rich cultural diversity through awareness of the alarming rate languages around the world are disappearing. Languages play a crucial role in the daily lives of people, not only as a tool for communication, education, social integration and development, but also as a repository for each person’s unique identity, cultural history traditions and memory.” (IYIL2019)
The IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach, through the Astronomy Translation Network (ATN), has joined the celebrations by launching a challenge to the community: to translate astronomy resources into endangered languages and to help raise awareness to the cultural diversity of our world. The resources are related to the IAU100 celebrations “Under One Sky” and the importance of cultural heritage in connection to the night sky and dark skies protection. Javier Mejuto, the Honduran National Outreach Cultural Astronomy Projects Coordinator has translated the IAU100 logo in Garífuna, Miskito and Tol, indigenous languages from Honduras in Central America. The Miskito language, and especially the Tol are in critical risk of disappearing, as referred by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger, and therefore deserve our special attention.
“We hope that these actions can raise awareness for the importance of the astronomical knowledge of indigenous peoples and inspire other regions to take similar actions to preserve our cultural diversity” says Javier, Head of the Archaeoastronomy and Cultural Astronomy Department at the National Autonomous University of Honduras .
If you want to be involved in the project or find out more, please reach the Astronomy Translation Platform team (ATN) at translation@oao.iau.org.
More information
The Astronomy Translation Network (ATN), is managed by the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) and is a large network of volunteers composed of nearly 350 translators, scientific reviewers and proofreaders in 40 languages that are supporting the IAU100 celebrations by contributing to the various translations of IAU100 materials.
Contacts
Lina Canas | IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach / International Outreach Coordinator | lina.canas@nao.ac.jp
Javier Mejuto | Honduran National Outreach Cultural Astronomy Projects Coordinator | javier.mejuto@unah.edu.hn
Pisit Nitiyanant | NARIT Astronomical Public Outreach Officer (NARIT / IAU OAO Trainee) | pisit@narit.or.th
Yukiko Shibata | International Outreach Officer (IOO) | shibata.yukiko@nao.ac.jp
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Our latest contribution to the project is from Malaysia, that celebrates with a sample of 16 Malay indigenous languages our IAU100 motto "Under One Sky".
We would like to send our warm thanks to Nurul Fatini Jaafar for the amazing work collecting and recording. You can follow more efforts on Ethnographic Astronomy (in Malay) at https://www.facebook.com/Etnoastronomi.
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Phrases (sayings) about the sky by native speakers in Qom and Moqoit, indigenous languages from Argentina. Credit: Alejando Lopez
Click at each button to listen the voice records in each indigenous languages
"Na piguem, seloqto'ot nache huo'o ra qanaquitaxac."
(Audio file: Sentence in Qom)
"The sky for us is a reading that brings us hope"
Valentín Suarez, community leader, Maestro Especial de Modalidad aborigen, pueblo qom, Riacho de Oro, Pcia. de Formosa, Argentina.
Cha’ỹaxashiguim ca’ sa’denaq dama saqata’gue
(Audio file: Sentence in Moqoit)
"By looking at the sky we know where we are going and what is going to happen" (e.g. seasons, weather)
Ricardo Mendoza, maestro intercultural bilingüe, pueblo moqoit, San Bernardo, Pcia. de Chaco, Argentina
Hear the "100 Years Under One Sky" recited by native speakers in Garífuna, Miskito and Tol, indigenous languages from Honduras in Central America. Sound Credit: Javier Mejuto, Tol native speaker: Marcia Nuñez; Garifuna native speaker: Dwight Steve Guity and Miskito native speaker: Noel Ponce.
Click at each logo to listen the voice records in each indigenous languages
Garífuna Language (Garífuna people)
Miskito Language (Miskito people)
Tol Language (Tolupan people)
Hear the "100 Years Under One Sky" recited by native speakers in 2 indigenous languages in Thailand
Northern Thai Language
Yong Language, a Tai indigenous language in Northern Thailand with a different phonetic from Northern Thai language.
Pattani Malay Language, a Malay indigenous language in Southernmost provinces of Thailand
The coordinator for examples from Thailand: Pisit Nitiyanant (NARIT-IAU OAO Trainee)
Northern Thai: Written Tai Tham script, Nattawut Sareein. Spoken: Jeerawit Jaknissai.
Yong language: Spoken (only): Nattawut Sareein.
Pattani Malay: Written (only) in Jawi script, Hara Shintaro
(Click at the logo to listen the voice record)
(Written Jawi Script only)
Hear the "100 Years Under One Sky" recited by native speaker in Minderico, a small region in Portugal called Minde. Credits: Vera Ferreira and Pedro Manha. A special thanks to Catarina Leote, Co-coordinator of the Portuguese Language Group of the IAU Astronomy Translation Network.
