EAGER: Documenting Gwich'in indigenous astronomy

在PI Gary Holton的指导下，这个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，但到目前为止，还没有系统的努力来记录阿拉斯加天空的土著知识。传统土地使用方式的迅速变化导致这种天文知识比土著语言本身更加濒危。在这个试点项目中，我们关注的是Gwich？阿拉斯加最有生机的地方？迪尼语（阿萨巴斯坎语）。在一年多的档案研究的基础上，该项目将与阿拉斯加州的文化承载者合作。在一个区域记录Gwich？星宿、星座和天文事件的术语。该项目将与加拿大格威奇？在格威奇的主持下进行的？社会文化研究所。最后，该项目将寻求证实几个主要的宇宙学主题的存在，这些主题渗透在北迪尼语中。主要的项目可交付成果将是一份描述Gwich？对天空的了解，以及格威治地区的星图？在地区。这些材料将通过阿拉斯加本土语言档案馆提供，供学者和教育工作者使用。除了语言学家霍尔顿，项目参与者还包括阿拉斯加费尔班克斯大学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.