Languages of water: Arapaho and Hawaiian

Abstract

What are the parallels between language and water? Both erode and deposit. They shape landscapes. Both have power and are shaped by power, positioned at the center of life. The bridges between internal and external landscapes of two Indigenous languages, Arapaho and Hawaiian, are examined by considering the ways in which language connects to water. How do the Hawaiian and Arapaho languages position water both linguistically and geographically? How have representations of water changed linguistically through colonization and water infrastructure shifts? How have past ideas, knowledge, and experiences associated with language and water been deployed in contemporary initiatives to build Indigenous communities? As centers of cultural vitality and source of life, water and language endure change because of their fluid nature; their essence is to transform. This paper presents observations about the ways in which water and language have been connected to resilience for both Hawaiian and Arapaho peoples.