Larry Kimura facts for kids
Larry Lindsey Kimura (born June 29, 1946) is a special kind of scientist called a linguist from Hawaii. He teaches the Hawaiian language and Hawaiian studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. He works at a special college there called Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani, College of Hawaiian Language, which focuses on the Hawaiian language.
About Larry Lindsey Kimura
Larry was born in Waimea, Hawaii County, Hawaii, in the U.S. His father, Hisao Kimura, came from Hiroshima, Japan. His mother, Elizabeth Lindsey, was Hawaiian. She grew up in a family where people mostly spoke Hawaiian.
Larry Kimura has worked very hard to bring back the Hawaiian language. It was once very popular but became almost lost. He helped start an important group called ʻAha Pūnana Leo. This group helps teach Hawaiian to young children.
Naming Things in Space
Scientists who study stars and planets often ask Larry Kimura for help. They want to give Hawaiian names to important objects found in space. These objects are often discovered or seen from telescopes in Hawaii.
He was part of the first group that named a special space rock. This rock traveled between stars and was named ʻOumuamua.
The Black Hole Pōwehi (M87*)
In April 2019, astronomers found a picture of a black hole! This black hole is in a galaxy called Messier 87. The telescopes that took the picture are on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. So, the astronomers asked Larry Kimura to give the black hole a Hawaiian name.
Larry came up with the name "Pōwehi". This name comes from two Hawaiian words. Pō means 'darkness' or 'night'. Wehi means 'darkness' or 'adornment'. So, Pōwehi suggests "the adorned fathomless dark creation." It can also mean "embellished dark source of unending creation."
This name comes from an old Hawaiian creation chant called the Kumulipo. In the chant, the word pōwehiwehi means 'darkness with glimmers of light'. It talks about how life on Earth slowly moved from darkness towards light.
The governor of Hawaii even said that April 10, 2019, was "Pōwehi Day." However, the name Pōwehi has not been officially accepted by the IAU. The IAU is the group that names things in space. They don't have a way to accept names for galaxies or black holes yet.
See also
- Language revival
- Linguistic rights
