Thread by @ShawnLarkinBlue

🐬Comparing the Larkin Dolphin Protocol and Indigenous Universal Language Hand Talk

Interactions safe, productive, and clear—whether across tribes on the North American plains or among pods and species in the open ocean. /

#LarkinDolphinProtocol

Universal Communication: Human and Cetacean Contexts

Both the Larkin Dolphin Protocol and Indigenous North American sign languages exemplify how intelligent societies create, adopt, or reveal “universal languages” that enable clear communication across diverse groups—even when /

spoken languages, species, or cultures differ dramatically.

Universal Communication: Human and Cetacean Contexts

Indigenous North American Sign Language: The Human Model

Plains Indian Sign Language PISL, or “Hand Talk,” acted as a pan-tribal communication system for dozens of/

Indigenous nations, each with distinct spoken languages.

Multimodality: Communication in these contexts went beyond hand gestures—incorporating facial expressions, body postures, spatial orientation, and symbolic motion, creating an expressive and accessible lingua franca. /

Purposes: Used for diplomacy, trade, stories, and ceremonies, Hand Talk bridged linguistic divides, enabling peaceful exchange, alliance-building, and the sharing of knowledge and culture.

The Larkin Dolphin Protocol: Revealing Cetacean Universality

Protocol Approach: /

The Larkin Dolphin Protocol centers on voluntary, respectful, and natural multimodal communication—visual, acoustic, chemical, and kinesthetic—mirroring the actual ways dolphins and other cetaceans interact both within and across species.

Tapping into the Universal Language: /

Visual Cues: Belly flashes, leaps, bubble streams, synchronous swimming, and bioluminescent trails are recognized and understood by multiple cetacean species as greeting, excitement, or invitation signals.

Acoustic Signals: /

Dolphins and other cetaceans exchange signature whistles, clicks, burst pulses, and other vocalizations that serve as “names,” emotional tones, and negotiation tools, often adapting them for cross-species understanding.

Kinesthetic Rituals: /

Synchronous swimming, mirrored movements, and ritualized turns serve as nonverbal agreement—much like gesture-based negotiation in Hand Talk.

Voluntary Engagement: Just as Hand Talk required mutual intent and participation, protocol allows any party (dolphin, human, or other /

cetacean) to initiate, pause, or end interaction, enhancing clarity and trust.

The Larkin Dolphin Protocolʼs emphasis on universal, multimodal, respectful communication mirrors the powerful social technology embodied by Indigenous Hand Talk.

Both allow participants—regardless /

of background or species—to engage in nuanced, peaceful, and creative interaction within a true universal language.

Deep Parallels in Universal Language

Key Insights

Both systems unlock a shared social and cognitive “platform”—a language that transcends barriers, enabling /

meaningful cooperation, learning, and alliance even without common speech or close kinship.

Ritualized, multimodal greetings and flexible communication styles make complex interactions safe, productive, and clear—whether across tribes on the North American plains or among pods /

and species in the open ocean.

The Larkin Dolphin Protocol does not invent a new language; it reveals, respects, and taps into the existing, evolutionarily honed universal modes dolphins and their relatives use, /

making it possible for humans to authentically participate on their terms—much as Hand Talk allowed outsiders or neighboring tribes to peacefully collaborate.🐬

#LarkinDolphinProtocol

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