How to communicate in an island if there is no mobile phone or sat-phone or internet ?
How to communicate and call someone for help in case of an emergency ?
Here is whistle language ‘Silbo Gomero’ used by islanders of La Gomera in Canary Islands to communicate.
Some interesting features of whistle language Silbo Gomero are:
- was used as a language to communicate with fellow islanders easily across the island’s valleys who are two to three kilometres away.
- was used as communication medium from 15th century.
- now with the availability of electronic communication networks, the whistle language is losing its significance.
- to revive the whistle language, the local government in La Gomera has made it compulsory for all the children on the island to study it, in elementary schools.
- the government has also applied to UNESCO to have the tradition protected.
- islanders who know the whistle language are called Silbador.
View some interesting video clips:
- Canary islanders seek to revive art of whistling
- Busuu.com to the rescue of….the Silbo Gomero
- Gomera Whistling
If you are interested to learn the whistle language, log on to: Learn Silbo Gomero
Read more from BBC News: Canary Island whistles again
Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:
Mother’s Day: Mother of Three Saves a Stranger from Shark Attack
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