InfoAnda - Last bid to save language of Kenyan ex-cave dwellers

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

N.Korea slams US nuclear policy | 9 April 2010
Myanmar accuses American of planning unrest | 24 September 2009
Iran revokes acclaimed director's filming permit | 27 September 2010

HK lawmakers slam HSBC role in Lehman bonds sale | 30 December 2008

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Last bid to save language of Kenyan ex-cave dwellers

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition World Last bid to save language of Kenyan ex-cave dwellers AFP - Friday, November 12 Send IM Story Print Last bid to save language of Kenyan ex-cave dwellers DOLDOL, Kenya (AFP) - – Half a dozen old men, draped in traditional blankets, are chatting under an acacia tree here in the foothills of Mount Kenya; when they die the Yaaku language will die with them. Its disappearance is unlikely to make headlines: over the past three generations more than 200 languages have disappeared and 2,500 others are in danger of disappearing, out of a total of 6,000 in existence, according to the Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger, published by UNESCO. Except that these elders -- many of whom are so old they no longer have teeth -- have decided to fight for the survival of Yaaku. "We are the last Yaaku speakers and before our generation disappears we need to pass our knowledge on to the children," 87-year-old Johana Saroney Ole Matunge told AFP. The Yaaku are a tribe of hunter-gatherers and beekeepers who lived in caves in their forest until the intermixing of different peoples in the 20th century changed their way of life. From the 1930s the Yaaku were assimilated into the culture of the Maasai, a warrior tribe with expansionist tendencies. They took to keeping cattle and to wearing the checked magenta and scarlet blankets sported by the Maasai. They neglected Yaaku, a tongue from a language group called Cushitic, in favour of the Maasai's language Maa, which is radically different with roots in another group called Nilotic. Behind this willingness to be assimilated was a profound feeling of inferiority. It is only recently that the Yaaku realised it was time they make their voices heard. "We are marginalised, seen by the Maasai as a people with no identity. So I said to myself if we are not Maasai, who are we? Can we re-discover our Yaaku culture?," explained Manasseh Matunge, a 48-year-old former primary school teacher who is the driving force behind the Yaaku cultural renewal. In the late 1960s, a German linguist Bernd Heine tried to revive the Yaaku language by convincing a tribesman by the name of Koisa ole Lengei to accompany him to Nairobi University and teach him the Yaaku language. Lengei, who had spent his childhood in a cave, disappeared after two weeks in the capital, thought to have fallen victim to criminals, and the language project fell through. In 2004 a team of Dutch linguists managed to put together a manual of the Yaaku language. Manasseh Matunge, despite not being a fluent Yaaku speaker himself, has been teaching weekly classes in the language at the local school but his classes are limited to basic vocabulary. A small museum built in 2009 houses, among other items, equipment for bee keeping, the speciality and pride of the Yaaku. "The Maasai are afraid of bees," Matunge says with a proud smile. Cultural museum notwithstanding, the last three real Yaaku speakers identified by the Dutch linguists six years ago are now dead. But an extinct language can reappear, UNESCO says, and this is what the Yaaku are trying to achieve. They have obtained funding from the French embassy in Kenya to build a classroom to house the language lessons the elders intend to give to schoolchildren. "I'm afraid we have too little data on Yaaku grammar to revive the original language. The furthest we could get is to use the material we have and somehow 'mix' it with Maasai, which all Yaaku speak fluently nowadays," said Hans Stoks, who has worked with the Maasai and Yaaku community since 1979 and who was part of the team of Dutch linguists. "As a matter of fact the past generation of Yaaku speakers in the past two or three decades were already doing that. There is nothing wrong with mixing languages. It is done almost everywhere." The resuscitation of their language would help the Yaaku regain a sense of identity and in turn re-take possession of "their" forest Mukogodo (35,000 hectares or 86,000 acres), currently managed by Kenya's forest authority. Kenya's new constitution, adopted in a referendum three months ago, recognizes indigenous peoples' rights to their ancestral lands. The Yaaku have learned that cultural identity is a weapon. Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary Reuters - 1 hour 50 minutes ago "Garfield" creator apologizes for Veterans Day strip Reuters - 1 hour 50 minutes ago "Deathly Hallows" conjures up holiday movie season Reuters - 1 hour 52 minutes ago Ministry control of film funding raises concerns in Korea ANN - Saturday, November 13 When Hainan Meets Teochew CinemaOnline - Saturday, November 13 News Search Top Stories Asian Games open with China set to dominate EU heavyweights move to calm bond markets German economy slows slightly after record bounce Boeing blames Dreamliner fire on faulty power panel DNA test raises doubts over Texas man's execution More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Most Recommended EU fines 11 airlines 800 million euros for air cargo cartel DNA test raises doubts over Texas man's execution Boeing blames Dreamliner fire on faulty power panel Acrimony as EU budget negotiations collapse Irish bond rates hit record highs, fanning debt crisis fears More Most Viewed » Alcohol more harmful than heroin, crack cocaine: study Toddler survives seven-floor fall in France Spectacular unknown species found in Amazon EU fines 11 airlines 800 million euros for air cargo cartel Be fit, have fewer colds: study More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo! Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Entertainment Photos Yahoo! News Network Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Friday, 12 November 2010
Sunni bloc walks out as Iraq power-sharing deal frays
Russian journalists march against attacks on media
Activision says Black Ops first-day sales a record
Greek police find 143 immigrants crammed into road tanker
TB levels off with progress in China, India: WHO
Seven Russian police killed in Dagestan: reports
News
Suicide car bomb kills at least 15 in Karachi |
Iraq's new government to include Sunni-backed bloc
Irish bond rates hit record highs, fanning debt crisis fears
Ground Broken on Earth's First Spaceship Factory
Six Russian police 'killed in Dagestan'
Pope calls for peace in letter to Ahmadinejad
Clinton, Netanyahu Dodge Questions Before Crucial Meeting
Kylie Minogue To Perform On Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Bomb explodes next to Yemen ruling party building |
Motorola fires back against Microsoft in patent dispute
Special report
"Barefoot Bandit" Indicted On Crime Spree Charges
NASA Discovers 2 New Cracks On Shuttle Exterior Fuel Tank
Analysts' view
New York Museum To Return Tut Relics To Egypt
Gaza aid workers en route for Greece after dispute |
Security increased in Kandahar before Eid
Senegal president's re-election bid is illegal: ally |
Iran 'adulteress' stoning case focuses on murder charge
Rihanna And Drake Hit #1 On Billboard Hot 100 With "What's My Name?"
Hezbollah vows to block arrests over Hariri killing |
Power-sharing deal clinched in Iraq: party officials
Middle Aged High Cholesterol Not Linked With Alzheimer's Risk
Haiti cholera toll at 800, worry for U.S.: CDC expert |
Taiwan's jailed ex-leader asks to be set free
Russian double agent helped US crack spy ring: lawmaker
S.Lanka floods force up to 300,000 from their homes
South Korea and U.S. fail to resolve trade deal row
Ancient Rome's biggest temple reopens
London exhibition charts global love of drugs
Indian drug firm Ranbaxy triples profits
Australia pick Moore for England rugby Test
'Call of Duty: Black Ops' blows away sales records
South Korea, U.S. fail to resolve trade deal row
US missile salvo kills six in Pakistan: officials
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Pakistan's forex reserves fall to $16.95 bln
Obama tells North Korea to end "belligerence"
Harry Potter fans brave wind and rain for premiere
Pakistani stocks end down; rupee firms; o/n rates flat
Serbs grumble at new smoking curbs
Twitter links users to Apple music social network |
Italian cinema legend De Laurentiis dies: family
Pakistan launches campaign to fight corruption
Indonesian president to be 'lead speaker' in G-20 development session
Microsoft's MSN in tie-up with China's Sina
Level 3 to be a primary Netflix CDN provider |
Malaysia Airlines says EC drops competition probe
Mitsubishi Motors to recall 250,000 vehicles in Japan
Conan plays safe, gives viewers trusted TV routine |
Prize-winning Canadian novel already a rare book |
US-TECH Summary
35 hours of video a minute uploaded to YouTube
NY Times to publish e-book best-seller lists
Motorola fires back against Microsoft in patent dispute
Hezbollah vows to block arrests over Hariri killing
Clinton offers Netanyahu security pledge on peace talks |
Yahoo says report of 20 percent in layoffs "misleading"
Boeing blames Dreamliner fire on faulty power panel
denies report it plans to slash 20 percent of staff
EU heavyweights say bond market jitters 'misplaced'
Taiwan ex-president gets 19 years in prison |
2014 is the new date to watch in Afghanistan
DNA test raises doubts over Texas man's execution
Viacom to sell Harmonix
Five years comatose, Israel's Sharon moves home |
News Corp. gadfly wins lunch with Rupert Murdoch
Haiti cholera toll at 800, U.S. risk seen low |
Russia, Japan leaders to meet amid islands spat |
Twitter links up with Apple's Ping
Inflation under-statement sparks row in China |
Activision says Black Ops first-day sales a record
Chavez promotes general U.S. calls drug kingpin |
Twitter links users to Apple music social network
Environmentalists urge action at tuna talks
Acrimony as EU budget negotiations collapse
Lengthy US-Israel talks fail to make Mideast headway
Yahoo says report of 20 percent in layoffs misleading |
Haiti cholera toll at 800, U.S. risk seen low
Top Russian spy defects after betraying ring in U.S.
Tributes pour in for late Italian cinema legend De Laurentiis
N.Zealand's first Asian-origin MP quits over scandal
StanChart eyes organic growth, non-banking business
Taiwan strips ex-leader Chen of perks after convictions
Arnie the Barbarian hails Italian mentor De Laurentiis
Strong quake hits Indonesia, no tsunami alert
India industrial output growth halves to 4.4 percent
S.Korea won posts biggest daily pct loss in 5 mth
Beijing to melt snow to address water shortage
News
Argentine chef turns home into intimate haute cuisine
Hunt for missing seamen after ship sinks off Japan
Seoul shares end flat amid China fall, Irish debt woes
Russian, Japanese leaders to meet amid islands row
Camila and Juan Luis Guerra are top Latin Grammy winners
Michael Jackson duet with Akon set for release |
Prize-winning Canadian novel already a rare book
N.Zealand man jailed over seal attack
Harry Potter fans brave wind and rain for premiere |
News
China issues tougher rare earth export rules
Chinese vase sells for record 43 mln pounds in London
China stands firm as G20 wrangling goes to wire
The Pee-wee Herman Show -- Theater Review |
'Wandering minds' make people unhappy: study
US 'very confident' of strong G20 deal
Arnie the Barbarian hails Italian mentor De Laurentiis
Camila and Juan Luis Guerra are top Latin Grammy winners |
Legendary movie producer Dino De Laurentiis dies at 91
Several Chinese banks face extra reserve requirement
TV's "Simpsons" renewed for 23rd season
TV's Simpsons renewed for 23rd season |
US 'encouraged' at rise of China's yuan
Prize-winning Canadian novel already a rare book |
Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley shine at the CMAs |
FACTBOX-S.Korean policymakers' remarks on capital controls
Disney Channel brings new star in to fold |
PAKISTAN
Consider smaller Afghan force: US panel
German economy slows slightly after record bounce
Russia's spies must learn from betrayal: Medvedev |
Nigeria will report Iran if arms broke U.N. sanctions
Special Report: The two lives of Angela Merkel |
EU's Ashton offers to meet Iran on December 5
Rumors swirl in Myanmar over Suu Kyi release |
Mecca goes upmarket but commercialism unnerves some
Taliban, military attacks in deadly lockstep |
Five years comatose, Israel's Sharon taken home
Will Japan be an upbeat end to Obama's Asia trip? |
Attacks strain trust between US, Afghan forces
Convoy attacked in Afghan capital: report |
Afghan officials: Kabul attack wounds 2 soldiers
Some 200,000 at risk of cholera in Haiti, U.N. says |
Afghan police: Suicide car bomber hits Kabul
Nuclear information safe with us, IAEA tells Iran |
NATO: 15 Afghan insurgents killed in the south
Tributes pour in for late cinema legend De Laurentiis
Iran FM holds talks in Nigeria after illegal arms shipment
China aims to put a stop to online smear campaigns
All quiet on the Thai-Burma border
Bomb kills girl as Laos hosts int'l meet on 'war bomb' clearance
Thailand's flood death toll reaches 206
In Japan's largest Chinatown, people avoid politics
Last bid to save language of Kenyan ex-cave dwellers
Trees mysteriously dying in Bangladesh capital
The Pee-wee Herman Show -- Theater Review
The games people play at Asian Games
James Murdoch says apps cannibalize newspapers |
Key hearing for suspected serial killer in Mich.
Malaysian court fails to rule on child conversions to Islam
Murkowski camp cries foul in ballot count
Bomb stokes fears Islamists expanding in Pakistan
Japan mobile phone app takes photos, counts calories |
Pakistani stocks, o/n rates end lower; rupee weakens
AP Exclusive: Suspect turns case against priest
Intel increases dividend by 15 percent |
Japanese banks Mizuho, SMFG see profit soar
Cruise passengers endured stench, cold food
Nobel Peace laureates meet in atomic-bombed Hiroshima
Michael Jackson duet with Akon set for release
Texas Man's Execution In Question With New DNA Findings
Toyota offers cautious outlook on electric cars
Officials use Steeler-styled van to serve warrants
3 Killed, 1 Injured in Florida Twin Engine Plane Crash
AMC Shuts Down "Rubicon"
Starbucks to develop coffee farm in China
Minn.'s Pawlenty ups challenge to fed health law
Clinton, Netanyahu Reiterate Commitment To Middle East Peace Talks
Taiwan regulator: hot money measures working
Disappearance Of 4 People Leads To Ohio College Lockdown
Effects Of Alcohol Go Far Beyond Liver Damage
Philippines seeks removal from aviation blacklists
Visiting Netanyahu Hold Middle East Talks With Clinton In New York
Sherri Shepherd, Melanie Griffith Among Guest Stars For “Hot In Cleveland”
China shares see biggest fall in 14 months
Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus Added To AMAs Line-Up
G20 leaders endorse sweeping reform of IMF
Robert De Niro To Receive Golden Globe Lifetime Achievement Honor
S.Korea MP puts in foreign tax bond revision bill
Deathly Hallows conjures up holiday movie season |
Garfield creator apologizes for Veterans Day strip |
Japan mobile phone app takes photos, counts calories
Obama administration to target Internet privacy: report
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01