WeSearch - Words in Motion

Sign language and craftsmanship in the Himalayas

Karte von Südasien mit dem Himalaya Hochgebirge

People do not speak through words alone – facial expressions, posture, gestures and signs are also part of language. In communities where there are many deaf people or people with limited hearing, these physical movements have developed into fully-fledged languages. One example is Tibetan Sign Language, which developed in Lhasa 25 years ago in the context of urban-rural migration and modernization.

Hands are also used for manual processes. In many Indigenous communities such as the Lhop and Monpa in Bhutan, whose languages and cultural practices are under threat, a rich vocabulary describes local traditions and subtle distinctions, for example in the production of textiles. Language and hand movements form a unity through which we can understand the production of material culture.

Anthropologists Theresia Hofer and Mareike Wulff explain why Tibetan sign language is appreciated in the urban environment of the city of Lhasa, and how Bhutanese craftspeople speak with their hands.

Meeting point: Ground Floor, Hall 3

Price: €5.00

Reduced price: €2.50

Next date:

• Date Thursday, 30/January/2025 19:00 bis 20:30
• Venue Humboldt Forum
• Address Schloßplatz, 10178 Berlin-Mitte