perhaps we should all learn a little Tuvan

In the July issue of National Geographic there was a piece on vanishing languages.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/07/vanishing-languages/rymer-text

For me, some of the most fascinating words came from the Tuvan language, which is spoken by just 235,000 people in the Republic of Tuva within the Russian Federation.

      

khoj  özeeri - refers to the slaughtering of animals as a part of humans' closeness to animals. This may seem contrary to many of us, but I must say that my experiences on a local organic farm have taught me much about the existence of this. With the Tuvan people, the slaughter of a sheep is done through a small incision in the sheep's hide through which the person doing the task cradles the animal and reaches in and severs a vital artery with his/her fingers. This method allows the sheep to quickly and peacefully slip away without triggering any fear. This thoughtful practice is how khoj  özeeri can mean not only slaughter, but also kindness and humaneness and is also considered a measure of one's character.

And how about songgaar, which means to go back and the future and burungaar, which means to go forward and the past. "Tuvans believe the past is ahead of them while the future lies behind. The children...look to the future, but it's behind them, not yet seen." I have found that whenever I look at the concept of time in a slightly different way my view of the whole world shifts slightly. I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on these two words. "The past is ahead of them while the future lies behind" is very powerful...yes the future is set by what has happened.

Of course I love the word artystaar, which refers to the ancient practice of burning juniper to cleanse a space. This tradition has occurred on this continent as well for thousands of years within Native American cultures with the burning of  juniper and sage. The smoke produced from the burning is thought to drive away darkness and to help in asking the spirits of hearth and home to protect the people living in the space. 

Yes, I think we should all learn and practice a bit more Tuvan.