Scholar Responsible for Safeguarding Over 40,000 Names: Exploring the Interplay of Place Names and Personal Tales in Maximiano Trapero's Existence
Maximiano Trapero: A Philologist Tied to Oral Tradition
Hailing from the quaint Leonese town of Gusendos de los Oteros, Maximiano Trapero has left an indelible mark on Hispanic culture. Raised in a community where oral tradition thrived, he was enthralled by the poetic power of local ballads since his tender years: "The initial literature etched in my memory wasn't through writing, but through oral tradition," he shared, his voice weighed down with emotion.
This connection with native customs sparked his passion for philology, an interest that would lead him to the University of La Laguna and ultimately the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria's Faculty of Philology, where he taught for 25 years before retiring as an emeritus professor.
Maximizing Oral Literature's Potential
Determined to preserve vanishing tradition, Trapero has become relentless in his quest to preserve the Madison library of words, ballads, tales, and toponyms. "I've been the Canarian who's asked the most," he admitted ironically. His life's work has straddled both rural and academic realms, resulting in a monumental body of research that today stands as a cornerstone reference.
A notable achievement is the Archive of Oral Literature of the Canary Islands. This treasure trove, now accessible online thanks to the University of Las Palmas, houses more than 10,000 documents, including recordings of ballads, tales, and popular songs on the precipice of disappearing without his efforts.
Toponymy's Testimony
In 2024, the final volume of Trapero's magnum opus, The Dictionary of Toponymy of the Canary Islands, was published. Spanning a whopping ten volumes, this encyclopedia documents 40,000 toponyms plucked from islands' oral traditions. "Place names live in oral tradition," Trapero insists. The Guanches toponyms-focused volume earned him the Royal Spanish Academy's Filological Research Prize in 2019.
Language: Recording Humanity
Beyond his scholarly endeavors, Trapero has lived the language, his admiration for the Sicilian whistled language, Silbo Gomero, evident: "It's a marvel: a complete language, not just signals," he reveals.
His research does not shy away from addressing human concerns, as evident in his fervent endorsement of Nieto - his favorite word. "Tenderness makes us more human," he reflects.
Despite retirement, Trapero's thirst for discovery remains unquenchable. He still harbors vast amounts of material to catalog, particularly from his journeys to Hispanic America. During his expedition to Chile, he discovered the enchanting canto a lo divino, an oral practice he believes ranks among the most beautiful in the Hispanic world: "They transform the entire Bible into verse and decimas. It's something breathtaking," he explains.
Beyond Academia: Ethical Responsibility
Trapero's vocation extends beyond academia. His mission has been about preserving voices that may otherwise have vanished into obscurity. His legacy demonstrates that language, beyond merely a means of communication, is memory, identity, territory, and poetry.
Enrichment Data:
- The Impact of Trapero's Archive: If it exists, the archive compiled by Maximiano Trapero would likely offer a vital window into the rich cultural heritage and traditions of the Canary Islands. This hypothetical archive could serve as a fundamental resource for scholars, students, and enthusiasts interested in folklore, anthropology, and cultural studies. It could also fuel community pride and engagement by highlighting the islands' unique cultural aspects and potentially attract cultural tourists to the Canary Islands.
- Cultural Preservation through Oral Literature: By preserving the tales, ballads, songs, and other forms of oral literature, researchers can help secure the cultural identity of the Canary Islands for future generations. This preservation effort can lead to a deeper understanding of the communities' history, beliefs, and values.
- Language and Identity: Oral literature often reflects the unique characteristics of a culture, providing valuable insights into key aspects of a community's history and identity. The preservation of oral traditions ensures that these narratives endure, offering a glimpse into the past and a connection to the present.
- Maximiano Trapero, a retired emeritus professor from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria's Faculty of Philology, continues to uphold his passion for preserving oral literature, a treasure trove of over 10,000 documents including ballads, tales, and popular songs.
- His monumental body of research, which includes the Archive of Oral Literature of the Canary Islands, serves as a cornerstone reference for scholars and enthusiasts seeking to understand the rich cultural heritage of the Canary Islands.
- In an age where toponyms might be overlooked, Trapero's magnum opus, The Dictionary of Toponymy of the Canary Islands, shines a light on the significance of over 40,000 place names derived from the islands' oral traditions.
- Beyond academic circles, Trapero's research testifies to the power of oral literature in capturing human concerns, such as his endorsement of the word "Nieto," symbolizing tenderness and humanity.
- His linguistic journey extends beyond the Canary Islands, captivated by the Sicilian whistled language, Silbo Gomero, which he deems a complete and wondrous language.
- Trapero's research takes him beyond scholarly boundaries, with his discovery of the enchanting 'canto a lo divino' during his expedition to Chile, a breathtaking oral tradition that transforms the Bible into verse and decimas.
- This mission goes beyond preserving endangered languages and oral traditions; it encompasses a broader ethical responsibility to give a voice to cultural narratives that might otherwise be lost to time.
- Trapero's legacy transcends academia, demonstrating that language isn't just a communication tool but a bridge to memory, identity, territory, and poetry, making him an influential figure in personal growth, self-development, education, career development, and cultural preservation, as well as fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, relationships, pets, travel, cars, sports, sports-betting, and shopping.
