Exploring Indigenous and Local Animal Wildlife Names Around The World
Paulson-Frost Intern
There are several ways of labeling and identifying wildlife. The ones most commonly known and used are the wildlife names in the languages we speak such as English, and the scientific naming system, Binomial Nomenclature, which involves creating and using names for species of animals or plants in two parts, in Latin or Greek. The names of animals, especially in the sciences that involve interacting with animal wildlife, are often only known and referred to by their European names, many created during colonial times. On many occasions, people are not familiar with the animal names used in the regions and areas in which they naturally reside. This led to the research I did this summer as a Paulson-Frost Practitioner Fellow Intern.
I first located several regions and countries around the world and identified some of their most common wildlife. These regions currently include: North America (Canada British Columbia, United States-states such as Alaska, Oklahoma and New York, and Mexico), Africa (South Africa and Botswana) and South America (Guatemala, Belize, Venezuela, Brazil). Most of the animals I focused on were mammals such as lions, coyotes and bears, but reptiles such as snakes and birds such as eagles and toucans were included as well. After identifying native animals, I searched for the people and groups indigenous or local to each area and the language(s) that they spoke and looked for the native animals' names in those languages. The people and languages (in parentheses) included the Inuit in the Arctic-Canada and Greenland (Inuktitut), the Zulu in South Africa and Tswana people in Botswana (Zulu and Setswana), the Haida in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia and Alaska (Haida), Native American groups- Navajo (Navajo), Cherokee (Cherokee) and Iroquois (Mohawk) in the United States, the Yanomami in the Amazon (Yanomamo), the Aztec (Nahuatl) and Mayans (Q’eqchi’ and Yucateca Maya) in South America. Using the online resources available, from journals to wildlife related sites, I searched and recorded the names of animals, many which were not always readily available due to many of the languages being mainly oral or lack of research or attention for some animals in the context of other languages and cultures. After finding the names of the animals I would then search for related cultural or traditional stories, symbols and mythologies as well as translations, etymology and other relevant information if available. Examples of information recorded would look like: Guudagiigumhlgahl (bat) in Haida means “the animal that hangs upside down” or Thakadu (Aardvark) in Setswana, symbolizes god and ancestors in spiritual settings, or more in depth.
Researching and collecting information about these animals in their natural settings can show the relevancy and rich history and cultural stories tied to them. Hopefully making these animals in their local and indigenous context more widely known will help in decolonizing and making more inclusive science literature and research. The information collected from this research will be used in educational formats such as podcasts, videos and/or audio-visual formats to educate children and adults about common animal names and of some of the stories and histories connected to them.
Learn more about Nafisa's research in her storymap.