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One of the purposes of this exhibit was to provide a graphic element for the international symposium on Athabascan languages and cultures held in conjunction with the exhibit. As part of this effort, posters for the talks of each of the presenters in the international conference
were created and displayed as panels in the exhibit. The panel above is the poster for Martha Austin’s presentation on the linguistic aspects of the codetalking system based on the Navajo language that was employed by the US Army during WWII. |
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In order to revitalize Athabascan languages in the contemporary dailylife and in an increasingly globablized world it is necessary to create new words and expressions that accommodate new communicative needs. This panel,
which includes symbols for X-ray, biological hazard, recycling, family console game, ATM, and skateboarding, was made to see how Athabascan languages actively deal with the changing conditions of the time. We asked the participants in the international symposium toprovide expressions appropriate for each concept/object represented by the symbols. The panel with Navajo expressions is on display in thelounge room of the exhibition.
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This panel is inspired by the unique use of color and geographical motifs seen in Navajo loom weaving. Patterns spun from Navajo looms that resemble a digital design were used as the design motif. It is designed so that when you stand in front of and gaze at this panel, the black and white characters rise three dimensionally from the background
pattern. The vivid mix of red and blue is often used in the clothing and buildings of the Athabascan peoples.
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This panel shows graphic representations of sound bites of Athabascanwords. These pictures were obtained by putting the digitized sound through a voice analyzer. The phrases represented from left to right are ‘fishing spear,’ ‘finch,’ ‘you tell me story for old-timer,’ ‘is that for real’, ‘you will see the northern lights’ and ‘raven.’ When you press on the icons below, you can listen to the original sound files.
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fishing spear
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finch
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you tell me
story for
old-timer |
is that for
real |
you will see
the northern
lights |
raven
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