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First Overseas Adoption of Hangeul By Indonesian Tribe Draws Attention
It has been two months since the Cia-Cia Tribe of Indonesia's Buton Island chose Hangeul as the official script to transcribe the aboriginal language, the first application of Korean script for another language in its 566-year history.
The international press paid attention. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported the endeavor takes the Korean alphabet "to places where native peoples lack indigenous written systems to record their languages" and that Hangeul is Korea's "latest export." The Jakarta correspondent of Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun made the trip to Buton Island, while broadcaster NHK contacted the Korean government with plans to film a documentary. North Korea, too, is keeping an eye on Hangeul exports. The Choson Sinbo, a North Korean mouthpiece in Japan, featured a rare story lauding South Korea, saying the selection of Hangeul by the Indonesian tribe was "drawing the attention of the world" and the feat was the result of tireless efforts by South Korean officials.
The Cia-Cia Tribe is receiving a steady stream of interest and support. The Hunminjeongeum Research Institute, which prepared the Hangeul text used by the tribe, is also providing support for the project. Seoul National University Professor Lee Ho-young, who compiled the text, said the mayor of Bau-Bau on the island will visit Korea on Dec. 20 to sign a pact, and a Hangeul center will be built on the Indonesian island.
If the project proves a success, the Korean alphabet may spread to other aboriginal tribes in Indonesia. There are some 737 indigenous languages spoken in Indonesia, most of them without their own writing system. But approval by the Indonesian government is crucial. Kim Ju-won, a linguist at Seoul National University and president of the Hunminjeongeum Research Institute, said, "The Indonesian government is worried that such efforts could hinder national integration. If many different groups go to Indonesia and hold various events and promotional activities, Jakarta may clamp down."
The Korean government is cautious. State support for the Hangeul project could stoke diplomatic problems. Shin Eun-hyang, an official at the Korean language division of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "The selection of Hangeul by the Cia-Cia Tribe is a pilot project involving only around 40 elementary schoolchildren. We need to pursue the project discreetly if we want to increase demand and prepare textbooks for older students as well."
Academics, too, are wary of the charge of cultural imperialism. "A written language is not something that is deliberately supplied by the side that owns it, but borrowed by the side that needs it," said Kang Chang-seok, a professor of Korean language and literature at Chungbuk National University. "It's problematic to use words such as 'supply' or 'export' that can lead to negative perceptions."
It has been two months since the Cia-Cia Tribe of Indonesia's Buton Island chose Hangeul as the official script to transcribe the aboriginal language, the first application of Korean script for another language in its 566-year history.
The international press paid attention. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported the endeavor takes the Korean alphabet "to places where native peoples lack indigenous written systems to record their languages" and that Hangeul is Korea's "latest export." The Jakarta correspondent of Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun made the trip to Buton Island, while broadcaster NHK contacted the Korean government with plans to film a documentary. North Korea, too, is keeping an eye on Hangeul exports. The Choson Sinbo, a North Korean mouthpiece in Japan, featured a rare story lauding South Korea, saying the selection of Hangeul by the Indonesian tribe was "drawing the attention of the world" and the feat was the result of tireless efforts by South Korean officials.
The Cia-Cia Tribe is receiving a steady stream of interest and support. The Hunminjeongeum Research Institute, which prepared the Hangeul text used by the tribe, is also providing support for the project. Seoul National University Professor Lee Ho-young, who compiled the text, said the mayor of Bau-Bau on the island will visit Korea on Dec. 20 to sign a pact, and a Hangeul center will be built on the Indonesian island.
If the project proves a success, the Korean alphabet may spread to other aboriginal tribes in Indonesia. There are some 737 indigenous languages spoken in Indonesia, most of them without their own writing system. But approval by the Indonesian government is crucial. Kim Ju-won, a linguist at Seoul National University and president of the Hunminjeongeum Research Institute, said, "The Indonesian government is worried that such efforts could hinder national integration. If many different groups go to Indonesia and hold various events and promotional activities, Jakarta may clamp down."
The Korean government is cautious. State support for the Hangeul project could stoke diplomatic problems. Shin Eun-hyang, an official at the Korean language division of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "The selection of Hangeul by the Cia-Cia Tribe is a pilot project involving only around 40 elementary schoolchildren. We need to pursue the project discreetly if we want to increase demand and prepare textbooks for older students as well."
Academics, too, are wary of the charge of cultural imperialism. "A written language is not something that is deliberately supplied by the side that owns it, but borrowed by the side that needs it," said Kang Chang-seok, a professor of Korean language and literature at Chungbuk National University. "It's problematic to use words such as 'supply' or 'export' that can lead to negative perceptions."