Language at risk of dying out – the last two speakers aren't talking
I think its horrible when governments refuse to allow children to lean and speak their indigenous language. It's a form of forced acculturation that is unnecessary and cruel. The damage done is so far reaching both into the past and the future. It cuts people off from their heritage and their ancestors, and once gone a language is almost impossible to regain unless it has been written down. Thankfully Dr. Daniel Suslak is trying to save this language from diapering for ever.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Fossil finger bone yields genome of a previously unknown human relative
Looks like we got a new distant cousin. While not the missing link, they were surely a link that was missing in our understanding of our ancient past.
Fossil finger bone yields genome of a previously unknown human relative
Fossil finger bone yields genome of a previously unknown human relative
Friday, September 17, 2010
Whales Tohora @ the Museum of Science - Boston
On Friday the 3rd of September I had the chance to go to MOS and see the traveling exhibit Whales Tohora. While the exhibit is now closed, I highly suggest looking to see if it is coming to a museum near you, as it was a great exhibit.
Whales Tohora combines the biological information about whales and their evolution with the role the whale plays in Maori peoples of New Zealand. The exhibit takes you on a tour of the past, present and future roles of the whale and the Maori people.
My favorite part of the exhibit was the stories of whale riding told from inside the belly of a whale:
These are tales told by modern members of the Maori tribe of the whale riding traditions and the stories of settlement in New Zealand. Many of the Maori tribes believe that their ancestors came to the island on the back of a whale and this tradition plays an important part of Maori culture and is the cornerstone of the whales significance to them.
A truly touching legend is that of Cheif Tinirau and his friend the whale named Tutunui. Poor Tinirau was tricked into letting an evil man ride his whale and when Tutunui brought the man back to his home, he and his fellow villagers killed and ate the poor whale. When Tinirau heard of what had happened he tricked the evil chief and killed him. This story has inspired much of the Maori's art and traditions. For more info check out: Pataka and the story of Tinirau.
One of the most impressive stories shared through the exhibit was the story of the Maori people themselves and the cycle of whale use they have been through and are still going through. From a people who worshiped the whale and never hunted them, simply taking what was offered them in the form of beached whales for meat, to a people who actively participated in the whale hunting trade to the point where it was the major source of income for them, now to a group of people dedicated to the preservation of whales, and working with the state government to protect them at the same time honoring their traditional use of the whales for food, weapons, ritual, and art. Once again only taking what is offered them in the forms of beached whales and taking that once step further by working to save those whales when possible. It is truly inspiring to see a people examine their life and history and future and make changes to continue their culture and to protect its legacy for the future.
Whales Tohora home page
Whales Tohora combines the biological information about whales and their evolution with the role the whale plays in Maori peoples of New Zealand. The exhibit takes you on a tour of the past, present and future roles of the whale and the Maori people.
My favorite part of the exhibit was the stories of whale riding told from inside the belly of a whale:
These are tales told by modern members of the Maori tribe of the whale riding traditions and the stories of settlement in New Zealand. Many of the Maori tribes believe that their ancestors came to the island on the back of a whale and this tradition plays an important part of Maori culture and is the cornerstone of the whales significance to them.
A truly touching legend is that of Cheif Tinirau and his friend the whale named Tutunui. Poor Tinirau was tricked into letting an evil man ride his whale and when Tutunui brought the man back to his home, he and his fellow villagers killed and ate the poor whale. When Tinirau heard of what had happened he tricked the evil chief and killed him. This story has inspired much of the Maori's art and traditions. For more info check out: Pataka and the story of Tinirau.
One of the most impressive stories shared through the exhibit was the story of the Maori people themselves and the cycle of whale use they have been through and are still going through. From a people who worshiped the whale and never hunted them, simply taking what was offered them in the form of beached whales for meat, to a people who actively participated in the whale hunting trade to the point where it was the major source of income for them, now to a group of people dedicated to the preservation of whales, and working with the state government to protect them at the same time honoring their traditional use of the whales for food, weapons, ritual, and art. Once again only taking what is offered them in the forms of beached whales and taking that once step further by working to save those whales when possible. It is truly inspiring to see a people examine their life and history and future and make changes to continue their culture and to protect its legacy for the future.
Whales Tohora home page
Monday, August 30, 2010
Quitting the Homid Fight Club
This article spawned a great discussion between myself and a friend about the imperative for aggression and if it is a biological condition or an environmental one, as well as the very nature of man.
Quitting the Homid Fight Club
Quitting the Homid Fight Club
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Ancient DNA identifies donkey ancestors, people who domesticated them
ScienceDaily (2010-07-28) -- In a finding that says much about the people who lived in northern Africa 5,000 years ago, scientists believe domestication of the donkey was achieved by nomadic people responding to the growing borders of the Sahara. Scientists also determined the endangered African wild ass is the living ancestor of the modern donkey and found hints that one strain of African wild ass thought to be extinct may still be alive.
NewsDaily: Canadian archeologists find lost ship in Arctic
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