An open letter from kelutral.org

Started by Toruk Makto, December 27, 2020, 06:04:19 PM

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Toruk Makto

Ma soaia,

  As some of you may be aware, a few months ago, a disagreement arose in the Discord server based on unpleasant and sometimes hurtful exchanges between a few of the moderation and admin staff and some of the members.  This resulted in some folks leaving to create a new community called kelutral.org. Although some of the individual differences and hard feelings remain, efforts are being made to minimize the negativity and divisiveness this could cause the community as a whole.  To this end, a document has been created to state the position and intentions of the folks at kelutral.org. I have endorsed this document on behalf of LearnNavi.org in the interests of creating a more positive working relationship moving forward. It should be noted that this endorsement does not mean that I, or by referral Learnavi.org, endorses the actions, activities or philosophy of kelutral.org. My intention is simply to acknowledge the effort to heal the rift that has occurred and move on.  The document in its entirety, is below.   -M.


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Kaltxì ma frapo,

The Na'vi language community has been thriving for over a decade, thanks to the unique efforts of countless individuals. The Na'vi language community is diverse, with the strengths, viewpoints and capabilities of the many contributing to the whole. Each part of the community represents aspects, skills, tools and resources to the growth and health of the community, and when one part of the community suffers, the whole community can suffer.

Long has the Na'vi language community been centered around collaboration, inclusiveness, acceptance, and friendship. Unfortunately, a recent rift at the administrative level of one of the LearnNa'vi resources has created an atmosphere of competition and division among some, where none needs to exist. To remedy this, the administrations of LearnNa'vi.org and Kelutral.org are taking steps to address this rift and at an organizational level, to return to a spirit of cooperation for the success of the Na'vi language.

In order to ease the recent stresses in the community, LearnNa'vi.org is rebranding the LearnNa'vi.org Discord to a semi-autonomous form with a new name and clearly identified operational plans and goals. The administration of the Discord server will be cooperative with LearnNavi.org, but the server will exist as its own entity. For the most part, no noticeable change in day-to-day operation will occur, however there are a few changes of note:

•   The LearnNa'vi.org Discord will be rebranded with a new name, logo and presence to be announced soon. The newly branded Discord server will be linked from the LearnNavi.org landing page in a section to be crafted especially for partner and cooperative resources. This will allow visitors to find resources and additional aspects of the Na'vi language community and will create a scalable platform as the community begins to be energized and expanded as we get closer to the Avatar sequels.

To adequately address the concerns of Paul Frommer and others, Kelutral.org is taking the following steps to make sure that we are in line with the standards being set by all interested parties:

•   Kelutral.org will lift all existing bans or biases toward the conduct of the LearnNa'vi.org Discord members, allowing an opportunity for a fresh start.
•   Kelutral.org will be added to a new section on the LearnNa'vi.org homepage featuring offshoot/partnered communities.
•   Kelutral.org will be actively working with LearnNa'vi.org to promote the growth and health of the overall community, as well as preparing it for the next generation of fans and activity.

We are excited about the prospects this partnership creates, and the community will be stronger for our efforts.

As always, 'ivong Na'vi - May Na'vi bloom!


Signed,

Seth "Mako" Wright,
Andy "Alìm Tsamsiyu / Alìmtsi" Smith,
Jacob "Txawey" Williamson,
The Kelutral.org Administrative Team


Mark Miller, LearnNavi.org Administrator,

Lì'fyari leNa'vi 'Rrtamì, vay set 'almong a fra'u zera'u ta ngrrpongu
Na'vi Dictionary: http://files.learnnavi.org/dicts/NaviDictionary.pdf

Toruk Makto

The following was received from Dr. Paul Frommer in regard to the above:

Teri lì'fyaolo' awngeyä About our language community

Ma oeyä eylan ayawne,

Now that December is here and the end of this unfortunate year is finally in sight, I'm thinking
about our lì'fyaolo', our language community, as I look backward and forward.

Looking backward, I think about that astonishing email, written entirely in Na'vi, that I received
in December of 2009, days before Avatar opened here in the U.S. It was my first indication that
a community of Na'vi language enthusiasts had formed, which delighted me no end. But at that
time, I couldn't anticipate what that community would grow into: an extraordinary group of
people who embraced Na'vi to the point they made it their own, using it for genuine
communication, creating beautiful stories and essays and poems in it, teaching it to others, and
offering input that has helped me expand the language and clarify aspects of its structure.
Through this community I've made friends for life. And whenever I speak about Na'vi, I always
talk about our lì'fyalo' with great pride, emphasizing what a warm, welcoming, and supportive
place it is for anyone interested in the language of Pandora.

All of that being said, I feel I need to address the 'angtsìk a tok mot letrrtrr, as the Na'vi might
adapt the odd expression they heard from the Skypeople—the elephant in the room. The
community is no longer as united as it once was. There are now two separate online
communities, with different participants, structures, and philosophies. Sadly, the fracture
seems to have come with hurt feelings, ill will, and rivalry. The community today does not seem
to be the happy place it used to be.

From the beginning, I've avoided direct involvement in the online forums and discussions, not
wanting people to think I was looking over their shoulders, not wanting to hamper free and
open expression. I've kept that distance ever since. Although I'm aware of the rift and some of
the personalities involved, I haven't gotten into the nitty-gritty of what caused it—the details of
who said what to whom are not things I know or want to know. I've spoken to people on both
sides, but it's not appropriate for me to take sides. I need to remain neutral and treat both
subcommunities equally.

So where do we go from here?

It seems clear we now have two well-established groups, neither of which is going away. The
question then becomes, how do we move forward with that reality and regain the universal
goodwill that's been lost? It's not my role to be peacemaker; the healing of the community
needs to come from the community itself. But although I can't dictate behavior, I can tell you
what I hope for, and also what I think I can do that might help.

1. I hope all members of the Na'vi community will treat each other with respect and
understanding. People are coming from different places; people have different
sensitivities. When differences arise, they may find resolution through mutual
understanding, through persuasion, perhaps through compromise—but always, I hope,
without personal attacks. Respect and empathy are qualities of the Na'vi themselves
that Na'vi learners here on Earth should emulate.

2. I hope everyone will be welcome both on LN and on Kelutral.

3. I hope information and resources will be shared equally, without silo-ing or hoarding. To
that end, I'm going to adopt a new policy towards the queries I receive. I'll continue to
welcome private questions from individuals, but I'll do my best to answer them on the
Na'viteri blog, so everyone has easy and equal access to the information.

4. I hope the rivalry will end, along with the promotion of one subcommunity over the
other. Each of them has something to offer; each of them is a part of the whole. They
can move forward in parallel streams while acknowledging each other with good will.
One of the things I've enjoyed most about my Na'vi experience is attending the Avatar
meetups, which until recently were held yearly, both in North America and in Europe. Seeing
community members in person, teaching a Na'vi class, hanging out and talking and having
meals together—it was all wonderful, and I look forward to future meetups once the world has
returned to normal. But the reason the meetups have come to my mind right now is that in
addition to the happy memories, we attendees received tangible mementos as well: the official
meetup t-shirts! I still have all of mine, and they're all creative and artistic. My favorite, though,
remains this one: [see image attached to this post]

Na'vi can cram a lot of meaning into one word: 'Awstengyäpoleiem. '[We] have happily united
ourselves.'

Would I like to see that message become a reality in our community? Yes, I would. I would love
to see us united once again as one big happy family. I don't know how likely that will be in the
foreseeable future, but whatever happens, we can still move ahead with mutual respect and
support as the community continues to thrive and grow.

Because grow it will! As the first Avatar sequel gets closer to release, we're going to have more
and more newcomers wanting to investigate Na'vi, looking for resources, discovering our
communities. Whichever direction they go, let's make sure they find a warm, welcoming,
supportive and cooperative environment we can all feel proud of.

Awnga siva ko!

Paul

Lì'fyari leNa'vi 'Rrtamì, vay set 'almong a fra'u zera'u ta ngrrpongu
Na'vi Dictionary: http://files.learnnavi.org/dicts/NaviDictionary.pdf