Author: Nurul Fatini Jaafar
Affiliation: Academy of Malay Studies, Universiti Malaya
Country: Malaysia
Co-Author(s) :
Ahmad Hakimi Khairuddin
Affiliation: Academy of Malay Studies, Universiti Malaya
Hon Yew Chong
Affiliation: Astronomical Society of Penang
Country: Malaysia
Title: Beyond Ethno-astronomy: What Fieldwork Has Taught Me on Women’s Anticipation
More than a hundred native languages (Austronesia and Austroasiatic language families) that are commonly spoken in Malaysia [1] promise a wealth of knowledge of indigenous astronomy. A series of in-depth anthropological field studies have been carried out thus far to understand, document, and interpolate/extrapolate astronomical ideas of two cultural groups inhabiting differing local ecological systems—the coastal Northern Malay Kedahans (wet-rice agriculture) and inland Aslian Semelais (Swidden farming) [2, 3]. It is noticed that in both communities, both men and women play crucial roles in the field, and the women are also actively involved in child-rearing and housework. It is also discovered that women have an astounding aptitude in encoding memories and traditional skills related to stellar positioning, moon phases, celestial forecasts, and identifying seasons. Regrettably, women’s capacity in inspiring kids to develop an interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) based on their traditional ecological (i.e. astronomy) knowledge is not mutually bridged. The emergence of modernity and free education has allowed children to be enrolled in schools and thus exposing them to technology, however, the kids in these traditional rural communities face additional barriers to STEM learning. We are delivering an EPO (educational and public outreach) pilot project in two villages to expand women’s anticipation beyond domestic chores by teaching them how to use astronomical software to align with their inherited cultural knowledge. This is to empower women especially those without formal education in order to influence and stimulate children’s curiosity in science especially on astronomical topics.
References:
[1]: Eberhard, D. M., Gary, F. S., & Charles, D. F. (2019). Ethnologue: Languages of the world (Malaysia) (22nd ed.) Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved from: https://www.ethnologue.com/country/MY.
[2]: Nurul Fatini Jaafar, & Ahmad Hakimi Khairuddin. (2019). Folk astronomy on the northern west coast of the Peninsula Malaysia. Manuscript submitted for publication.
[3]: Nurul Fatini Jaafar, & Ahmad Hakimi Khairuddin (2018). Ilmu bintang Orang Asli Semelai. Manuscript submitted for publication.