The missionary translations of the Muysca cosmogony in the New Kingdom of Granada during 16th and 17th centuries: How to say 'God' in Muysca language?
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Category
Social Sciences/Humanities
Abstract/Artist Statement
This presentation derives from my thesis for my B.A. in Anthropology about the Muysca people in contact with Christianity. Muysca, a chibchan language from the center of Colombia, ceased to be spoken during Spanish colonization more than two hundred years ago. Modern Muysca people and researchers are trying to learn Muysca as a second language to “revive it”, and one of the most frequently asked questions from beginner learners is “how do you say ‘God’ in Muysca?”. This single question requires us to look closely at the late 16th century, when the Spanish empire selected Muysca as the general language of evangelization for the New Kingdom of Granada (nowadays Colombia) and created dictionaries, catechisms and grammar books to teach Muysca to the clergy. Those linguistic documents are the most important source to study the language, but they lack a translation for “God” and use the Spanish word “Dios” instead. On the other hand, when the texts refer to the Muysca religious world, one can find native words in Muysca with apparently vague translations as “idol” and “sanctuary” and sometimes as “demon”.
During the years of evangelization, the Spanish authorities also carried out the “extirpation of idolatry”, consisting of several campaigns to prosecute perpetrators of idolatry, to destroy temples and religious objects and to convince people to embrace catholic doctrine. The historical records of this “extirpation” are the key to understanding the linguistic archive in its context and how the language underwent an “extirpation” as well as the territory and the people. The way we could say “God” in Muysca depends on how we understand the historical record. The case of Muysca is an example of how the Spanish empire used indigenous languages in a creative way to introduce Christianity and build the antagonism of the native religions against Christianity.
Mentor Name
Dr. Irene Appelbaum
Personal Statement
Since I can remember, my mom used to highlight that Spanish was not our original language and that we had a deeper history before Colombia existed. Our ancestral language, Muysca, appeared as a forever-lost knowledge to me until I had access to internet and during High School, around 2012, I found the Muysc Cubun research team, a group of students developing a Muysca-Spanish online dictionary and transcribing colonial manuscripts from the Colombia National Library and the Royal Palace Library in Madrid, Spain. I dedicated myself to the study of the manuscripts and the academic literature about them because there was no Muysca language teacher at that time. I decided to pursue my B.A. in Anthropology at the National University of Colombia, and as an undergraduate, I met Professor Diego Gómez, director of the Muysc Cubun research team, and discovered we were able to communicate in Muysca at a basic level. I joined the team in 2018 and focused on the relation between Muysca language and religious ideology for my thesis. This research is a step on the understanding of Muysca history and ideology together with a key aspect usually ignored or misunderstood in archaeological research about the Muysca people: the language. After graduating, I reviewed my original research and added new information as well as new questions about Muysca religion during the 16th and 17th centuries. Professor Gómez invited me to be his teaching assistant in a Muysca language course for the Caro and Cuervo Institute, the linguistic national authority in Colombia. I was subsequently entrusted by the Governing Councils of Suba and Chía to co-create and teach a Muysca language curriculum for the Suba and Chía communities. I taught two semesters in Suba and one in Chía, making the research I present a key aspect of every course.
The missionary translations of the Muysca cosmogony in the New Kingdom of Granada during 16th and 17th centuries: How to say 'God' in Muysca language?
UC 331
This presentation derives from my thesis for my B.A. in Anthropology about the Muysca people in contact with Christianity. Muysca, a chibchan language from the center of Colombia, ceased to be spoken during Spanish colonization more than two hundred years ago. Modern Muysca people and researchers are trying to learn Muysca as a second language to “revive it”, and one of the most frequently asked questions from beginner learners is “how do you say ‘God’ in Muysca?”. This single question requires us to look closely at the late 16th century, when the Spanish empire selected Muysca as the general language of evangelization for the New Kingdom of Granada (nowadays Colombia) and created dictionaries, catechisms and grammar books to teach Muysca to the clergy. Those linguistic documents are the most important source to study the language, but they lack a translation for “God” and use the Spanish word “Dios” instead. On the other hand, when the texts refer to the Muysca religious world, one can find native words in Muysca with apparently vague translations as “idol” and “sanctuary” and sometimes as “demon”.
During the years of evangelization, the Spanish authorities also carried out the “extirpation of idolatry”, consisting of several campaigns to prosecute perpetrators of idolatry, to destroy temples and religious objects and to convince people to embrace catholic doctrine. The historical records of this “extirpation” are the key to understanding the linguistic archive in its context and how the language underwent an “extirpation” as well as the territory and the people. The way we could say “God” in Muysca depends on how we understand the historical record. The case of Muysca is an example of how the Spanish empire used indigenous languages in a creative way to introduce Christianity and build the antagonism of the native religions against Christianity.