Selchie Productions

It's not like indigenous languages are real or anything.

Small blessings, this is a self-published book, so it’s not going to be out there as a real language resource. From the scarily out-there quotes from this lady, I suspect there are deeper problems involved in spending this much time and effort on a language she does not seem to know much about. Why are these ‘spiritual’ people drawn to native culture like this? Creepy.

This might be one of the most baffling things I’ve read in a while; to try to compile a dictionary without speaking the language is just silly but the rationale behind it ‘a spiritual’ connection is a clear example of the way in which indigenous peoples across the globe are perceived by the West.

In short, to the western mind anyway, we’re little more than mythical but ultimately now non-existing cultures to use as inspiration for faux-religious practices, wannabe-linguistics and cultural appropriation fashion and this despite the fact that we actually still exist and thrive as peoples today.

What upsets me is the fact that her book could have been a welcome contribution to the study of a critically endangered language, but instead it does the opposite by making a complete and utter mockery of the struggle to keep the very source of Tlingit culture alive.

People like her are the reason why native learners of endangered languages don’t bother; when our languages are turned into something little more than an exotic ‘authentic’ alternative to Quënya or something equally constructed, there’s just nothing left that could convince people that they should learn the languages of their ancestors.

If she’d done this with South Saami I would have been outraged and having briefly studied Tlingit I cannot imagine what went through her head - we’re talking about a tonal, agglutinative highly complex language that she, in the name of ‘spiritual peace’ is butchering half to death.

Let me just say that the Tlingit scholars I know who have seen this book are far from happy about it.

To say the least.

As a speaker of Gaelic, I can only await her next book on ‘Celtic’ with horror and as a student of Mäori I wonder how completely useless her Mäori dictionary is.

Anyway, here are some quotes from her homepage;

For the Hlingit language learner, the book offers a much easier way to learn the grammar. Observe the grammar in the story, see the breakdown of complex word parts made clear and sensible according to a native perspective. I am an outsider, but I have the wisdom to know this. Partly because I’m coming at it from a more ancient viewpoint than anyone else. That’s my mode of operation.

In short, what she’s saying is, because she’s white, she’s naturally more qualified teaching this language than actual native speakers of Tlingit.

Take the Native American people to your heart, and move forward into the new millennium! They are your people. People of differing Native American nations will find it much easier to connect with one another through this knowledge, like a kind of spirit medicine.

I am not even going to comment on the fucked-up-ness of this.

You can learn how Hlingit relates to different Native American languages. On a chart of the words for ‘water’ in many different Native American languages (of North, South and Central America), you can see how, although they are different from one another, they all hold some similarity to various Scottish Gàidhlig words for ‘water’. Scottish Gàidhlig must be very ancient, holding the key to linguistics for some language famlies.

What the fuck was this woman smoking while writing this book? For starters, the comment is ridiculous as it has no foundation in real linguistics whatsoever, but do tell how the Scottish Gaelic uisge is any-fucking-where near e.g. the Tlingit héen or the Lakota mní or the Cherokee ᎠᎹor the Cree nîpîy to name but some Native languages from the Americas.

Not to mention that Scottish Gaelic is the descendant of Old Irish and only roughly 1000 years old.

If you’re Hlingit, it’s your language, you can save it by understanding it well. Let it heal your heart. Lighten the heart of some dear elders with the sweet sound of their spoken language.

The nerve of this white fucking woman. This book needs to be destroyed and she needs to take an entire intergalactic football stadium full of seats. We left the Celtic Twilight a century ago, now really.

As a medicine woman, I intuited the spiritual gifts of the different Native American nations. I wanted to bring these together.

I discovered that although I had a special insight into the origin of Native American language, I still had to go through the whole learning process for each language.

I repeat, sit the fuck down, get your New Age ignorance away from real scholars and get a fucking life.

(via adailyriot)

According to the Swedish Tax Agency, I earned too much money last year and consequently owe them £510.

(Forgive me for the moany, ranty post that is to follow, I am pretty pissed off with certain members of my so-called family)

In short, no, I didn’t, I was a student last year and earned, in total, £2200 throughout the year.

Now, my stepsister and stepdad who never speak to me apparently got a letter stating this way back and rather than passing this letter on to me they opened it, read it and forgot it because the two of them in all honesty couldn’t care less about whether or not I get to pay a fine which I am not actually liable to pay , but now have to pay anyway because my stepdad and stepsister ‘forgot’ to pass on this information to me, meaning that I now, once my stepsister finally opens her mouth, won’t even be able to appeal the case because it’s too fucking late.

I hate, hate, hate my stepdad. And my stepsister. Whoever said you had to love your family, adoptive parents or blood relations doesn’t matter - kindly fuck off.

Anyway, my life is consequently somewhat of a tango, one step forward and two steps back. Getting a job was a nice thing, now here you go, pay this fine or else.

There’s no way I could pay £520 anyway, even with the money I get from the job I am starting next week I will earn only the bare minimum I need to be able to pay my rent, council tax and electricity bills - once I have paid everything I need to pay every month I have roughly £35 left every week, which pays for food and that’s about it.

And getting to know that I could have cleared up this mistake (which it is, the Tax Agency claims I received a means tested form of rent benefit every Swede under the age of 26 is entitled to while in uni, but I never applied for it on account of not living in the fucking country and never received it so I don’t know why they’re pestering me) and thereby not end up in the Crown’s Bailiff Authority’s register - read not being able to rent a flat in Sweden, open up a bank account, and so on and so forth - is incredibly frustrating.

Anyway, it seems like I have until the end of February to somehow raise this money and, sure, I do have a donate button at the top of my page which I don’t normally mention (well, I obviously just did, but you know), but I honestly don’t see how I will manage to fix this.

Good thing is I’m living in the UK so if I never return again in my entire life I could possibly evade paying something I technically don’t owe the Tax Agency in the first place.

Sorry for the rant.

Free Labour and the UK’s Youth

artkeepsusgoing:

This is a shameless plug for another site I blog on, which belongs to Scottish Socialist Youth. The top article is currently mine, it is called ‘Free Labour and the UK’s Youth’ and can be found here: http://ssy.org.uk/

Scottish Socialist Youth are a young activist group open to anyone living in Scotland under the age of 27. We are loosely affiliated to the Scottish Socialist Party. Stuff posted on the blog is the IP of the respective posters but is licensed under Creative Commons and therefore can be used by anyone with a linkback to the original article.

My grandparents, back in the 50’s as well as less than a month ago.

Guess what.

I have a formal interview on Thursday to sign a job contract in Edinburgh and it’s for a job I really want and everything is wonderful and I love everyone.

From a German newspaper - a comment on the fact that people with a computer - regardless of whether they have an Internet connection or not - need to pay for a TV license, even if they don’t have a TV as they have the equipment to potentially watch TV over the Internet at some point in the future.

‘So I am apparently expected to pay [a TV license] as I am the owner of a tool that would allow me to get online, even when I do not in fact have any Internet connection at all. Well, I guess I’d better apply for child benefit as well then. Sure, I might not have any children yet, but I do possess the tool necessary to create one.’

kitsunebellproductions:

Just felt it was time to share this one again. It is awesome. ‘Nuff said.

Always reblog. Yu Ming is ainm dom! Gaeilge abú!

And in other news

This book, i.e. a third edition 1927 copy of Winnie the Pooh, normally going for between £35 and £60 became mine today for a mere £0.99.

I know my old, collectable books when I see them.

And apparently Oxfam doesn’t.

sliddersladder asked: Quick question about South Saami, if you don't mind? Is daaroestidh used to refer to speaking ANY language outside of South Saami, or does it refer to anything outside of the Saami family?

Not at all! Questions about Åarjelsaemiengïele are always welcome.

Daaroestidh is traditionally used to refer to the act of speaking Swedish and Norwegian, i.e. settler languages, whereas saemiestidh is used when you’re talking about the act of speaking a Saami language.

Over time, daaroe, from which the verb daaroestidh is made, has gone from merely denoting non-Saami Swedes and Norwegians to include all non-Saami people.

Also, interestingly, some apparently use daaroestidh as a verb meaning ‘to speak Saami with loads of Scandinavian words’.

Mayans Demand Voice in “Doomsday Tourism” Boom

© IPS

MEXICO CITY - The indigenous people of southeast Mexico are demanding to be included in the official programmes planned for 2012 to take advantage of the world’s interest in the “Mayan prophecy”, while at the same time fearing a “doomsday tourism” that could damage and contaminate their sacred sites.

Indigenous organisations told IPS that they resented being excluded from the design process of the Maya World promotion plan launched by the government on Monday, Jan. 16 with the aim of luring domestic and foreign visitors to the indigenous regions of the five southeast states that hold the ruins of dozens of ancient Mayan cities.

Please urge the Bangladesh government to ratify ILO 169

© Survival International

Please send a letter to the Bangladeshi government, urging it to ratify ILO 169 as a matter of urgency. In 2008, Bangladesh said it would consider ratifying ILO169, but it has still not done so.

In the meantime, the rights of the country’s Jumma tribes continue to be cast aside as they suffer displacement by settlers and violent repression by the Bangladesh military. Ratifying ILO 169 would protect the rights of the Jummas and help stop abuses against them.

Sheikh Hasina
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
Old Sangshad Bhaban
Dhaka – 1215
Bangladesh

January 30, 2012

Dear Prime Minister,

I am writing to urge you to ratify International Labour Organization Convention 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples as a matter of urgency.

ILO 169 is the only international law that recognizes and protects tribal peoples’ land rights, and sets a series of standards regarding consultation and consent. The Convention recognizes tribal peoples’ rights to equality and freedom from discrimination, and their right to determine their own futures.

I note the government’s commitment to consider ratifying the Convention, made in October 2008 as part of the National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction II. This commitment should be acted upon immediately. Several states ratified the Convention recently, bringing the total to 22. This figure, alongside the recent adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by Australia, New Zealand and the United States, indicates the increasingly universal acceptance of tribal peoples’ rights.

By ratifying ILO 169, Bangladesh would bring its stance on tribal peoples’ rights in line with international standards and show the international community that it is committed to the protection of its tribal people.

I urge your government to ratify ILO Convention 169 without delay.

Yours sincerely,

_________________________

Will my letter make a difference?
Yes. Time and again, letters from Survival supporters have called governments and organisations to account. Policies have changed and lives have been saved.

Should I post, fax or e-mail?
The most powerful way is to print and post your letter. We will e-mail you a ready-to-print PDF of your letter, together with postage information.

We sometimes also publish e-mail addresses or fax numbers where there is a realistic chance of these being read. However, e-mail addresses change and fax machines get unplugged. If you can, please post your letter.

The International Law for Tribal People

Across the world, tribal peoples’ lands are being stolen and their communities devastated. ILO Convention 169 is the only international law designed to protect tribal peoples’ rights.

Most governments refuse to ratify it.

The second picture shows Raya, a Nahua elder. More than half of his people were wiped out after their land was opened up for oil exploration, Peru.

UNCONTACTED INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN PERU

Survival estimates there are 15 uncontacted tribes in Peru. All of them live in the most remote, isolated regions of the Amazon rainforest.

They include the Cacataibo, Isconahua, Matsigenka, Mashco-Piro, Mastanahua, Murunahua (or Chitonahua), Nanti and Yora.

All of these peoples face terrible threats – to their land, livelihoods and, ultimately, their lives. If nothing is done, they are likely to disappear entirely.

Uncontacted tribes are extremely vulnerable to any form of contact with outsiders because they do not have immunity to Western diseases.

International law recognises the Indians’ land as theirs, just as it recognises their right to live on it as they want to.

That law is not being respected by the Peruvian government or the companies who are invading tribal land.

Uncontacted for good reason

Everything we know about these isolated Indians makes it clear they seek to maintain their isolation.

On the very rare occasions when they are seen or encountered, they make it clear they want to be left alone.

Sometimes they react aggressively, as a way of defending their territory, or leave signs in the forest warning outsiders away.

The Indians have suffered horrific violence and diseases brought by outsiders in the past. For many this suffering continues today. They clearly have very good reason not to want contact.

What can we do about it?

Survival is urging the Peruvian government to protect these isolated Indians by not allowing any oil exploration, logging or other form of natural resource extraction on their land.

The government must recognise the Indians as the owners of their land.

After a Survival campaign in the 1990s, in collaboration with local indigenous organisation FENAMAD, the oil company Mobil pulled out of an area inhabited by uncontacted tribes in south-east Peru.

Please help us fight for the rights of the world’s most vulnerable peoples.

Act now to help the Uncontacted Indians of Peru

Your efforts are crucial in defending the Uncontacted Tribes. Get involved in this urgent effort in the following ways.

Writing a letter to the Peruvian government can make a real difference.
Donate to the Uncontacted Indians campaign (and other Survival campaigns).
Write to your MP or MEP (UK) or Senators and members of Congress(US).
Write to your local Peruvian embassy
If you want to get more involved, contact Survival…

A’ MHAIGHDEANN-MHARA AGUS FEAR A’ BHATA

Latha brèagha air choireigin, sheòl fear-bàta à Leòdhas faisg air cladach Uig latha a-mhàin, nuair a chunnaic e gu h-obann boireannach òg bòidheach air an tràigh. Bha i a’ seinn dhan chuan, ach cha b’e bhoireannach àbhaisteach a bha innte, ach ban-ròn, neo maighdeann-mhara.

One day a sailor from Lewis was sailing close to the coastline of Uig, when he suddenly saw a young beautiful woman on the beach, singing as she was to the sea, but this was not an ordinary woman, but a Selkie or a Mermaid.

Cha chuala a’ mhaighdeann-chuain fear a’ bhàta na shuidhe anns a’ bhàta bheag, agus chan fhaca i e nas motha nuair a bha i a’ seinn, agus gu h-obann chunnaic am fear craiceann ròin faisg air an neach-ròn, agus thuig e nach b’ urrainn dhi dol ar ais dhan chuan as aonais a craiceann, is mar sin ghoid e.

The mermaid neither heard nor saw the sailor in his little boat as she was singing, and then suddenly the man saw the skin of a seal by the Selkie and he knew – selkies cannot return to the sea without their skins, and so he stole it.

Nuair a chunnaic am boireannach gun do ghoid am fear a craiceann, thòisich i a chaoineadh: “Obh! obh! Carson an do ghoid thu m’ anam agus mo thaigh? Thoir dhomh mo chraiceann agus bheir mi dhut na bhios tu ag iarraidh!” Ach dh’fhreagair am fear “Cha toir mi do chraiceann dhut, o chionn’s nach eil mi ag iarraidh dad ach do ghaol - agus ma bheir mi do chraiceann dhut, tha fhios agam gum falbh thu gu bràth. Chùm i oirre caoineadh (literally, she kept on crying), ach cha do dh’atharraich sin dad - bha gaol aig an fhear air a’ mhaighdinn-mhara, agus mar sin phòs i e.

When the woman saw that the man had stolen her skin, she began to cry; ‘Oh why! Oh why! Why do you steal my soul and my home? Give me my skin and I will give you whatever you desire!’ but the man answered ‘I will not give you your skin, because I desire nothing but your love – and if I give you your skin, I know that you will leave forever’. The Selkie cried but without result – the man was in love with the mermaid, and so she married him.

Chaidh tòrr bhliadhnaichean seachad agus rugadh seachdnar phàistean iongantach dhan fhear agus dhan mhaighdinn-mhara; bha falt cho dubh ri feamainn no ri falt each-uisge orra, agus as-dèidh bliadhna, dh’ fhàs gaol mòr eadar am fear agus a bhean, ach rinn am fear air dìochuimhneachadh. Càite an do chuir e an craiceann air falach, mar sin bha feagal air gum faigheadh a’ mhaighdeann-mhara e latha air choireigin agus gun tilleadh i dhan dùthaich aice fon chuan.

Many years passed and the sea man and his Mermaid got seven wonderful children, all with eyes as greenish blue as the sea, and hair as black as the sea weed, or that of a Kelpie, and over the year a great affection had grown between the man and his wife, but the man had forgotten where he had hid the skin so he feared one day the Selkie would find it and return to her native home.

Cha b’ fhada gus an tàinig an latha sin nuair a bha a’ chlann a’ cluich fhuair fear aca lorg craiceann ròin, agus ruith e, cho luath ‘s a ghabhas, gus a shealltainn dhan mhàthair, oir bha e cho pròiseil às.

The day was not far away, one day as the children were playing, one of them found a sealskin and proudly ran with it to his mother.

Thòisich i a sheinn òrain aoibhnich, ach bha deuran a’ ruith sìos bho a sùilean fhathast, bhon a bha aice ri falbh agus gaol cho mòr aice air a pàistean. “A phàistean, is e creutair na mara a tha annam agus is e an rud ceudna a tha annaibh-se, agus a-nis feumaidh mir ur fàgail, agus bidh mi a’ snàmh còmhla ri mo mhuinntir a-rithist. Bithidh mi gur n-ionndrainn agus ag ionndrainn ur n-athar, ach bha fhios aige gun tigeadh an latha seo. Mo shunnd leibh a leanabhan, mo shunnd leibh”, agus ged a bha deuran na sùilean fhathast thug i leum mar ròn sìos dhan chuan mhòr.

She began to sing a joyous song, but tears were running from her eyes because now she had to leave and she loved her children so much. ‘My children, I am a creature of the Sea and so are you as well, and now I have to leave you to swim with my family … I will miss you and your father, but he knew this day would come. Farewell my beloved ones, farewell’, and with tears still running from her eyes she lept as a seal into the ocean.

Chuala am fear òran a mhnatha bho chèin agus thòisich a ruith, ach bha e ro anmoch. Chunnaic e agus a phàistean a’ mhaighdeann-mhara, agus an dòigh a ghabh i a beannachadh ri ròin eile anns a’ bhàgh, agus ged a chaoin iad, bha fhios aige nach robh deireadh sam bith eile leis an sgial ach am fear seo.

The man had heard his wife‘s song from a distance and started to run, but it was too late. He and his children saw the Selkie and how she was being greeted by other seals out in the bay, and although he cried he knew this was the only possible ending.

Thigeadh a’ mhaighdeann-mhara a dhèanamh cèilidh air a pàistean agus air a fear gach oidhche agus bhon àm sin thathar a’ toirt Bàgh nam Maighdeann-Mara air a’ chuid sin dha dh’ Uig. Ach chan fhuiricheadh i air talamh a thuilleadh agus cha tug am fear gaol dha mhnaoi sam bith eile.

The Selkie would come and visit her children and human husband every night and so this part of Uig became the Beach of the Selkies – but she would never reside on land again and the man never found a new love.

image: Bo, the last member of the Bo tribe and simultaneously the last speaker of the Bo language died two years ago.

Two years after the last member of the Bo tribe died, another Andaman tribe faces extinction
© Survival International

Two years after India’s Andaman Islands lost the last speaker of ‘Bo’, a leading linguist has warned the Jarawa could face a similar fate unless the road running through their reserve is closed.

Professor Anvita Abbi specializes in endangered languages, and has recently published a dictionary documenting four of the oldest ones in the world.

She said, ‘unless we develop alternative sea routes, we cannot safeguard the life, culture, language and identity of one of the oldest civilizations on earth.’

Her stark prediction comes exactly two years after the death of Boa Sr, which led to the extinction of ‘Bo’, one of ten Great Andamanese languages.

The Great Andamanese were neighbours of the Jarawa, until the Indian government forcibly resettled them to Strait Island in 1970.

They once numbered 5,000. There are now 56.

Before her death, Boa Sr lamented the loss of her language to Anvita Abbi. She confided, ‘the Jarawa are lucky as they shun contact with city dwellers. It is so nice to see they’re not dependent on outsiders for food and shelter. Our boys know nothing about hunting and cannot feed themselves.’

To mark the two-year anniversary of her death, Survival has released unique video of Boa Sr talking about the importance of holding on to a language which you can see here

She said, ‘If they don’t speak to me now, what will they do once I’ve passed away? Don’t forget our language, grab hold of it.’

Anvita Abbi said to Survival that Boa Sr, ‘had no idea the Jarawa would soon face the same fate as the Great Andamanese.’

Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said today, ‘At a time whenevidence of human safaris has prompted global outrage, it’s vital the Indian government closes the Andaman Trunk Road. Whilst Minister Chidambaram’s public statement not to ‘thrust or impose anything on the tribe’ is deeply encouraging, the only way to truly guarantee this is by closing the road. The legacy of Boa Sr’s death should be enough of a warning.’

Act now to help the Jarawa

Survival’s Andamans campaign focuses on the Jarawa, because their situation is the most precarious of the four tribes. Your support is vital for the Jarawa’s survival. There are lots of ways you can help.

Donate to Survival’s campaign for the Jarawa and other threatened tribal peoples
Write to the Indian government using Survival’s online letter-writing tool
Write to your MP or MEP (UK) or Senators and members of Congress (US).
Write to your local Indian high commission or embassy
If you want to get more involved, contact Survival