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- ED11D-0474: Co-Creating a Navajo Language Lexicon of Heliophysics Concepts
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Board 0474‚ Hall EFG (Poster Hall)NOLA CC
Author(s):Generic 'disconnected' Message
Martin Storksdieck, Oregon State University (First Author, Presenting Author)
Nancy Maryboy, Indigenous Education Institute
David Begay, Indigenous Education Institute
Heather Fischer, Oregon State University
Michael Kirk, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Chris Teren, Indigenous Education Institute
Language helps us express ourselves and at he same time shapes our thoughts, including how we see the world and ourselves. Most of us learn science in our own language, be that Englush, Spanish, or Mandarin, which allows us to think scientifically without leaving behind our cultural identity. This becomes difficult when the language we are using for science is under threat, or associated with oppression. Native astronomy educators from the Indigenous Education Institute (IEI) are collaborating with Navajo language experts and Westen scientists to develop a Navajo language lexicon of heliophysics concepts to support science education for Navajo youth. Creating a Navajo lexicon of science terms related to the sun is not straightforward, though. We worked hard to align Western scientific concepts with Navajo understandings of the natural world—emphasizing relationships, fluidity, and interconnectedness. Translating resulting Navajo terms back into English ensured conceptual clarity and fidelity, and often required multiple rounds of translation to end up with Navajo terms that satisfied both worldviews. Our work resulted in a series of educational posters that illustrate and explain heliophysics concepts using Navajo and Western imagery and language.
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