Hasta La Gadget!

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We live in an age of endless information, an age where knowledge can be preserved and accessed as never before. But with major global languages dominating the internet, smaller languages may be left out, or even pushed down a pathway towards extinction.

Indigenous communities such as the Yokoim and Panim peoples of Papua New Guinea (PNG), though they have little or no internet access, are eager to cross the digital divide and engage a global audience by sharing their languages on the world wide web.

Linguist David Harrison shows Yokoim speaker Nick Waikai the video playback of his water spirit myth, while Merilyn Waikai and other family members, dressed in ceremonial attire, look on. (Photo by Chris Rainier)

To support those efforts, the National Geographic Enduring Voices Project has just launched two new “Talking Dictionaries” for Yokoim and Panim, two small and endangered languages making their internet debut in 2014.

Yokoim is spoken by under 2,000 people in three small villages in the Karawari River basin of Papua New Guinea. Locals travel only by dugout canoe, while outsiders fly in by small planes that land on a dirt airstrip cleared out in the jungle. Though most children in the Yokoim community prefer to speak Tok Pisin, the national language, a proud speaker named Luis Kolisi composes and sings original songs in the language. Video recordings of Luis’ songs provide a way for his unwritten language to be shared on the internet.

Nick Waikai, headman of Manjamai village, told our research team about a mythical hero named Waka who brought survival skills to his people. As the tale goes, Waka was captured by river spirits and taken to live underwater for a month. The netherworld spirits schooled Waka in skills such as canoe making, hunting, and bow and arrow making. When Waka emerged from underwater into the world of the living, he taught his Yokoim people those skills. Now the Yokoim are seeking a new set of skills for the digital age.

Panim is spoken by under 400 people in a single village (also called Panim) near the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea, and is highly endangered. When linguists Greg Anderson and David Harrison visited the village on a Saturday in August 2009, almost the entire village population was busy attending Seventh Day Adventist church services. One man, Lihot Wagadu, who was not at church sat down with the linguists and shared some of his language.

The new Talking Dictionaries, hosted at Swarthmore College, contain the first available recordings of Yokoim and Panim. As both are unwritten languages, the dictionaries use the International Phonetic Alphabet, a system used by linguists to represent the sounds of any language.

It is a true milestone as Yokoim and Panim cross the digital divide and establish a very first internet presence. That these tongues, likely never before heard outside of remote villages in Papua New Guinea, can now reach a global audience, shows a positive value of globalization. By learning about such far-flung and remote cultures, and the ideas, songs, and experiences they choose to share with us, we may learn to value them and perhaps contribute to their survival.

Yokoim speaker Luis Kolisi (left) and linguist Greg Anderson interview Ivino Sabakui (right), a speaker of the Womut language. Wamburmas Village, Papua New Guinea. (Photo by David Harrison)

Nick Waikai, Yokoim speaker and councilman of Manjamai village, dressed in ceremonial attire, teaches linguist K. David Harrison some Yokoim words. (Photo by Chris Rainier)

Some words from Panim and Yokoim:

Panim
na’ag – egg; small
ɓaɓalit – butterfly
kuku dugwa – to carry a child on one’s shoulder
ehega – to carry something on one’s head
isamega – to boil something with the skin on

There are also distinct Panim terms for wind from the sea, east wind, wind from the bush, west wind, south wind, and north wind.

Yokoim
aliŋ – yesterday; tomorrow
sawija – shell money
punʤuŋ – sago trunk
sanbo – black and white pig
samburuŋ – partly black pig
kamdaŋ – fish-carrying basket
kabaŋ – three-pronged fish spear
pajnbɨn mɨnaŋ – pronged canoe paddle for men
akunbun mɨnaŋ – leaf-shaped women’s canoe paddle

This work is the result of the Enduring Voices Project, a joint effort between the National Geographic Society and the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages. The 2009 research expedition and later follow-up trips were funded by National Geographic. Project linguists include Greg Anderson, K. David Harrison, Don Daniels, Madeleine Booth, and Jeremy Fahringer. Indigenous consultants include: (for Panim) Segena Som, Deb Molem, and Lihot Wagadu; (for Yokoim) Luis Kolisi, Nick Waikai, Merilyn Waikai, and Felix Andi. National Geographic Fellow Chris Rainier photographed the expedition.

A performance art piece titled “Exhibit B” was slated to run from September 23 until September 27 at London’s Barbican Centre. The controversial work, created by white South African artist Brett Bailey, replicated the “human zoos” that existed in the 19th-and 20th-centuries, forcing viewers to confront a heinous moment in history head on.

However, many have accused the work, which featured black actors chained in cages, of being racist itself.

Two hundred people protested in front of The Barbican yesterday and an online petition demanding the termination of the piece was signed by 23,000 individuals. Due to the overwhelming outrage, the Barbican announced that “Exhibit B” would shut down.

A statement delivered from the gallery reads:

“Last night as Exhibit B was opening at the Vaults it became impossible for us to continue with the show because of the extreme nature of the protest and the serious threat to the safety of performers, audiences and staff. Given that protests are scheduled for future performances of Exhibit B we have had no choice but to cancel all performances of the piece.

“We find it profoundly troubling that such methods have been used to silence artists and performers and that audiences have been denied the opportunity to see this important work. Exhibit B raises, in a serious and responsible manner, issues about racism; it has previously been shown in 12 cities, involved 150 performers and been seen by around 25,000 people with the responses from participants, audiences and critics alike being overwhelmingly positive.”

It’s not all too surprising that massive amounts of people took issue with a white artist orchestrating a “human zoo” of black actors. What is, perhaps, more surprising, is that this isn’t the first occurrence of an art world “human zoo” this year.

Bailey’s piece consisted of 12 “tableaux vivants,” glass cases featuring actors frozen in silence. One tableaux, titled “A Place in the Sun,” featured a black woman chained to the bed of a French colonial officer. “It’s a picture of unimaginable suffering,” Bailey explained to The Guardian. “She is sitting there looking in the mirror and waiting to be raped. It’s the only way she can feed her family.”

“What interests me about human zoos,” the artist explained in the same interview, “is the way people were objectified. Once you objectify people, you can do the most terrible things to them. But what we are doing here is nothing like these shows, where black people were brought from all over Africa and displayed in villages. I’m interested in the way these zoos legitimised colonial policies. But other than that, they are just a catalyst.”

Yet for many, the images on display transformed a critique of racism into a manifestation of racism. Even one performer in the piece raises the question: “How do you know we are not entertaining people the same way the human zoos did?“

Petition author Sara Myers, a mother from Birmingham, Alabama, explained the harm of allowing such an exhibition to continue. “I want my children to grow up in a world where the barbaric things that happened to their ancestors are a thing of the past. We have come a long way since the days of the grotesque human zoo — we should not be taking steps back now.”

“If Brett Bailey is trying to make a point about slavery this is not the way to do it,” she added. “The irony gets lost and it’s not long before the people behind the cage begin to feel like animals trapped in a zoo.”

Bailey defended himself against said charges in a lengthy Facebook post yesterday. Part of it reads:

“EXHIBIT B is not primarily a work about colonial-era violence. Its main focus is current racist and xenophobic policies in the EU and how these have evolved from the scientifically legitimised and state-sanctioned racism of the late 19th century. These policies do not exist in historical isolation. They have been shaped over centuries. The dehumanizing stereotypes of Otherness instilled in the consciousness of our ancestors have been transmitted subconsciously and insidiously through the ages. EXHIBIT B demands that we interrogate representations that to so many people still appear innocent.”

Still, Bailey and the Barbican Centre resolved the best course of action was to discontinue the performance, due to the “extreme” nature of the protests and threats made against the performers and staff. The Centre’s statement ends: “We believe this piece should be shown in London and are disturbed at the potential implications this silencing of artists and performers has for freedom of expression.”

What do you think about this controversial exhibition’s unexpected end? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Winter is slowly drawing near, and if you live in the states, you’re likely prepping for the chance of another polar vortex hitting. Of course, the weather isn’t necessarily bad everywhere, but in some cases it can be dangerous just trying to get home. If your car gets stuck on the road for more than a few hours and/or you have to sleep in your car but don’t want the engine running all night, you’re going to have to have several different ways to keep warm.

If you’re in an area that gets to dangerously low temperatures, then you’re going to want to make sure you layer yourself in warm winter gear. Of course, you should start with something that will keep you warm, like FuelWear. This is a shirt made out of bamboo fabric that has smart temperature controls which will keep you at your preferred temperature. It has three active heating elements, two in the front and one in the small of the back, to make sure that your torso stays warm.

This is perfect for those who have to commute, work outdoors, or just love winter sports. This is machine washable, and is powered by a rechargeable battery that will work continuously for anywhere from 3-12 hours depending on how hard it has to run to keep you warm. For those who are wanting to use this for sports or exercise, don’t worry, you aren’t going to be electrocuted. The circuitry they used can withstand some sweat, and will shut off if it gets soaked. You do have the option to turn off the smart sense heat and choose the temperature manually. You can pick up your own shirt for around $150, but will likely want to get an extra battery pack as they last for about 500 cycles (and the shirt will be useless without it).

Available for crowdfunding on Indiegogo

 
[ FuelWear makes sure the weather won’t slow you down copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

If you’re not going to be living too long in a place, decking out your temporary abode in recyclable cardboard furniture actually makes a lot of sense. It’s cheaper than real furniture, you don’t have to bring it next time you move, and with these modular TapeFlips sets you can actually build exactly the pieces you need.

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