How Can The Aymara 'See' The Past?

What if the future was behind you and the past was right in front of your eyes? For the Aymara people, an Indigenous group from the Andes, this is exactly how time works. Their word for "past," *nayra*, means "eye" or "sight," representing what is visible and known. The word for "future," *qhipa*, means "behind" or "unseen," symbolizing what hasn’t yet happened and is out of view.

This concept is embedded in both their language and gestures. When discussing the past, Aymara speakers often gesture in front of them, as though pointing to something they can see. For the future, they gesture behind themselves, emphasizing its unknown and hidden nature. Unlike the Western view of time as a straight, forward-moving line, the Aymara imagine life as walking backward into the future, with their eyes on the past to guide them.

This worldview emphasizes the value of experience and lessons learned, with caution toward the unpredictable future. Linguists like Rafael Núñez have studied this unique perspective, showing how it challenges the idea of time as universal. It also highlights how language shapes thought, supporting the theory of linguistic relativity.

The Aymara remind us that time isn’t just a fixed concept—it’s deeply cultural. By "walking backward into the future," they offer a profound way to rethink how we navigate the known and unknown in life.

#indigenouslanguages #indigenousheritage #timeisanillusion

[Music.cigars.]

This brings a whole new meaning to "back to the future"

[poplarboy]

I found this interesting at first. Then I kept thinking about it, now I can't stop and it is fascinating

[twopheat]

So they’re saying, all of the rest of us have been going through time facing an unknown unsealable future with our backs to our actual pasts. These people might have it figured out.

[tandrew]

Ancient Greeks viewed time that way, too.

[melvin]

Back to the future was probably not the most enticing movie name to them

[dougbillman]

Time only exists here, so they can keep track of your interest...

[LibertarianPunx]

Very interesting. I'd think most have heard the concept of nonlinear time as maybe, most famously described by writer Kurt Vonnegut but this view must be significantly more obscure. Maybe i am ignorant to this but to me it is an excellent representation of the human species keen ability to envision an intangible, untouchable and not seen aspect of our reality, give it a name and chose to understand it thru differing methods in effort to use, implement, solve, use & coexist with.

[el-sig]

The logic is so faulty I don't know where to start: not everything in the past is seen, and there are some future developments that are certain.

[ANONMD]

Its dumb that this is presented as such a fantastical thought experiment

[GrayTimeLord]

The shit your friend tries to tell you on acid

[robertcampomizzi]

So they aren't excpetional at planning stuff?

[oldogre]

The ONLY difference is they are using the words backwards but the results are exactly the same! Big Nothingburger!

[nomandoerr]

This type of perspective is actually correct as opposed to the prevailing, western philosophy, which vastly decreases mental capacity. We must relearn certain things that've been 'taught' out of us. 👁️

[cw]

Of course Hollywood did a movie about it.

[TrapperAaron]

My buddies sister was stolen from this tribe. Well bought technically. It was the 80s!

[faaancyful]

it truely is just a wibbily wobbily time

[JeremiahWdabullfrog]

Eh, it doesn't matter in the long run

[dustinyoung]

Like whats the new way of thinking besides backwards? Theres no substance to this thought pattern . Kornoic

[adrian_zombturtle]

Thsts a confusing way of explaining that

[chrisc]

they see the past like everyone else .. they’ve seen it … nothing burger here … click bait