The article I chose this week sparked my interest because of how it relates language to science and technology. The article from NPR titled “Mapping Máaz: NASA Uses Navajo Language to Name Features on Mars” written by Catherine Whelan sounded interesting. I find the Mars rover Perseverance and the project to discover more about Mars through the rover to be super interesting. I like to tell my students that it is possible because of science, technology, engineering and (of course, my favorite) math.
The article explains how the team has a Navajo engineer, Aaron Yazzie, and how they worked together to use the Navajo language to unofficially name parts of Mars’ surface to help with the navigation of the rover. How cool does that sound! I might’ve “nerded” out a bit.
Of course the team had to get approval from the Navajo Nation Elders because it is their sacred language. The elders agreed (whew, I was worried).
Their process included comparing national parks in the United States and comparing features to the surface of Mars and using the Navajo language for the parks or their attributes to name places on Mars. For example, “Perseverance touched down in Tséyi, which corresponds to the Navajo word for the Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona, right in the heart of the Navajo Nation” (Whelan, 2021). Have I mentioned how cool that is?
The article goes on to mention the famous Navajo Code Talkers from World War II which is also a super interesting story. If you are not familiar with their story and their accomplishments, then you should definitely check that out!
The Navajo Nation President, Jonathan Nez, speaks about the use of the Navajo language as an inspiration for younger generations of the Navajo people. This could hopefully help younger Navajo people appreciate their native language and hopefully keep it going (because it is on the verge of dying out) for more generations to come; from helping to win WWII to the final frontier of space is pretty impressive. The Navajo word for “Mars” is “Máaz”. The scientists have named one of the larger rocks, that Perseverance is investigating, Máaz.
This story can be really impactful for all students, but especially students who are non-native English speakers because it shows how powerful language can be to the present but also the future. It also shows the beautiful connection between language and the STEM fields.
Whelan, C. (2021, March 12). Mapping máaz: Nasa Uses Navajo language to name features on Mars. Retrieved March 17, 2021, from https://www.kuow.org/stories/mapping-maaz-nasa-uses-navajo-language-to-name-features-on-mars