Illustrations
What would the language families do in their daily lives? What are some of the old images they left in history? Find out in the illustration section!
10
Yoruba Creation Mythology
Thus, the great work was done. The earth rẹ́sted únder the sky, and the first húmans walked upón it. A lásting ọ́rder was estáblished: Ọ̀runmìlà, the kéeper of wísdom; Odùduwà, the fóunder of kíngdoms; Ọbàtálá, the ṣhaper of lives and heart; and Olódùmarè, the sílent sọurce of all ọ́rder. The world had emẹ́rged from chaás ínto pẹ́rfèct hármony. Creátion was compléte.
09
Yoruba Creation Mythology
Whẹn Ọbàtálá reached the wátery súrface, they did just as instrúcted. First, they sprẹad the béautiful clọth upón the wáter. The clọth flóated, creáting a pérfèct mat fọr the earth to rẹst on. Thẹn, from the snail ṣhẹll, they pọured out the sácred earth ónto the clọth. The black cat stẹpped ónto the néwbọrn earth. It placed its paws upón the damp sọil, tẹ́sting its fírmness. The ground hẹld. Nẹxt, Ọbàtálá sẹt the white hẹn free. With búsy claws, the hẹn scáttered the earth, sprẹ́ading it wíder and wíder. Slówly, the vẹ́ry first dry land begán to appear. Fínally, to make the land strọng and sólid, Ọbàtálá cast down the great búrning fírebàll. The heat dried the wẹt earth, steam rose, and the land grew firm.
08
Yoruba Creation Mythology
Ọbàtálá lówered the gólden chain from hẹ́aven and begán to climb down. They descẹ́nded towárd the ẹ́ndless wáters belów. On the way, they heard Ọ̀runmìlà’s vọice gúiding thẹm on the corrẹ́ct way to perfọ́rm creátion.
07
Yoruba Creation Mythology
Olódùmarè told Ọ̀runmìlà to give Ọbàtálá some sácred tools: a gólden chain, a piece of béautiful clọth, a snail ṣhẹll, a black cat, a white hẹn, and a huge, búrning fírebàll.
06
Yoruba Creation Mythology
One day, Olódùmarè dècided that land must be fọrmed so that life could exíst. They called a great méeting of all the déities. They asked Ọ̀runmìlà, the wísest of all, to guide thẹm on how to begín. Áfter lístening to the wísdom, Olódùmarè and Ọ̀runmìlà looked aróund the gáthering, and their gazes fẹll upón Ọbàtálá. It was Ọbàtálá who was chósen to cárry out the sácred task.
05
Yoruba Creation Mythology
In the vẹ́ry bigínning, thẹre was nóthing but ẹ́ndless sky abóve and ẹ́ndless wáters belów. High in the sky lived Olódùmarè, the great sọurce of all ẹxístence, who rárely stẹpped ínto the world belów. Béneath that sky, thẹre was ónly the gẹ́ntle wáters rẹ́sting in sílence.
04
Dahomey warrior
This is an old image of Atlantic-Congo as a Dahomey warrior back in 1892 in the Second Franco-Dahomean War, very brave, right?
03
Scythian Warrior
This is an old image of Indo-European as a Scythian warrior back in 650 BCE…wait, did she have red hair back then? How was that even possible?
02
The Disappearing Languages
We commemorate these eighteen lost language families with the flowers that best represent their homeland.
01
The Thriving Languages
The eleven most spoken language families in the world gathered together for a lively party!
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Indo-European: 3,400,000,000 current speakers
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Sino-Tibetan: 1,400,000,000 current speakers
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Afro-Asiatic: 630,000,000 current speakers
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Atlantic-Congo: 500,000,000 current speakers
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Austronesian: 386,000,000 current speakers
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Dravidian: 250,000,000 current speakers
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Turkic: 200,000,000 current speakers
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Japonic: 129,000,000 current speakers
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Austroasiatic: 117,000,000 current speakers
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Tai-Kadai: 93,000,000 current speakers
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Uralic: 20,700,000 current speakers
