EAGER: Documenting Gwich'in indigenous astronomy

PI加里霍尔顿指导下的EAGER项目利用了一个独特的机会来评估记录阿拉斯加和加拿大土著天文学的可行性。虽然天文学是所有阿拉斯加土著文化的基本组成部分，但迄今为止还没有系统的努力来记录阿拉斯加天空的土著知识。传统土地使用的迅速变化导致这种天文知识比土著语言本身更濒危。在这个试点项目中，我们专注于Gwich？最有活力的阿拉斯加吗s Dene（Athabaskan）languages.根据一年多的档案研究推断，该项目将与阿拉斯加Gwich的文化承载者合作？来记录格维奇吗恒星星座和天文事件的术语。该项目将与加拿大Gwich公司正在进行的工作密切协调。在格威治的赞助下进行在社会和文化研究所。最后，该项目将寻求证实几个主要宇宙学主题的存在，这些主题渗透到北方德内语中。主要的项目交付将是一份报告，描述Gwich？在天空的知识，沿着与星星图表本地化的Gwich？在区域内。这些材料将通过阿拉斯加土著语言档案提供，供学者和教育工作者使用。除了语言学家霍尔顿外，项目参与者还包括阿拉斯加大学费尔班克斯口述历史馆长莱斯利·麦卡锡和研究生兼天文学教育家克里斯·坎农。

This EAGER project under the direction of PI Gary Holton takes advantage of a unique opportunity to assess the feasibility of documenting indigenous astronomy in Alaska and Canada. Although astronomy is a fundamental component of all Alaska Native cultures, there has so far been no systematic effort to document indigenous knowledge of the Alaskan sky. Rapid change in traditional land use has led to this astronomical knowledge being even more endangered than the indigenous languages themselves. In this pilot project we focus on Gwich?in, the most viable of Alaska?s Dene (Athabaskan) languages. Extrapolating on more than a year of archival research, the project will work with culture bearers in the Alaska Gwich?in region to document Gwich?in terminology for starts, constellations, and astronomical events. The project will coordinate closely with work in progress with Canadian Gwich?in being conducted under the auspices of the Gwich?in Social and Cultural Institute. Finally, the project will seek to corroborate the existence of several major cosmological themes, which permeate Northern Dene languages. The primary project deliverable will be a report describing Gwich?in knowledge of the sky, along with star charts localized to the Gwich?in region. These materials will be made available through the Alaska Native Language Archive to be used by both scholars and educators. In addition to linguist Holton, project participants include Leslie McCarthy, Curator of Oral History at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Chris Cannon, graduate student and astronomy educator.