Munthu Woyamba Kujambula Mapu a Dziko Lonse

YOLEMBEDWA KU BELGIUM

Chakumayambiriro kwa chaka cha 1544, katswiri wojambula mapu dzina lake Gerardus Mercator anamangidwa ndipo anaikidwa m’ndende yamdima ndiponso yozizira kwambiri. Iye ankangoona ngati afera momwemo basi. N’chifukwa chiyani katswiri wa m’zaka za m’ma 1500 ameneyu anapezeka m’ndende? Kuti tidziwe chifukwa chake, tiyeni tione kaye za moyo wake ndiponso zochitika m’nthawi yake.

MERCATOR anabadwa mu 1512 ku Rupelmonde, pafupi ndi mzinda wa Antwerp, ku Belgium. Iye anaphunzira payunivesite ya Louvain ku Belgium komweko. Atamaliza maphunziro ake, anayamba kuphunzira mabuku a Aristotle, ndipo pasanapite nthawi iye anaona kuti zimene Aristotle ankaphunzitsa n’zosiyana ndi Baibulo. Mercator analemba kuti: “Nditaona kuti zimene Mose analemba za chiyambi cha dziko zikusiyana kwambiri ndi zimene Aristotle ndi akatswiri ena ankaphunzitsa, ndinayamba kukayikira akatswiri onse ndiponso ndinayamba kufufuza za chilengedwe.”

Mercator sankafuna kutsatira mfundo za akatswiri amenewa, choncho sanafunenso kuwonjezera maphunziro a kuyunivesite. Komabe iye anapitiriza kuphunzira Baibulo kwa moyo wake wonse chifukwa ankafuna kudziwa zambiri zokhudza chilengedwe.

Anayamba Kuphunzira Sayansi ya Dziko Lapansi

Mu 1534, Gemma Frisius anayamba kuphunzitsa Mercator masamu, sayansi ya zakuthambo komanso sayansi yokhudza dziko lapansi. Ndiponso Mercator ayenera kuti anaphunzira luso la zozokotazokota kuchokera kwa Gaspar Van der Heyden. Chakumayambiriro kwa zaka za m’ma 1500, akatswiri ojambula mapu ankagwiritsa ntchito zilembo zazikulu kwambiri zomwe zinkatha malo pamapupo. Koma Mercator anayamba kugwiritsa ntchito mtundu wina wa kalembedwe wa ku Italy, umene sunkatha malo pojambula mapu.

Mu 1536, Mercator anagwira ntchito limodzi ndi Frisius komanso Van der Heyden popanga mapu a dziko lapansi. Luso la kalembedwe la Mercator linathandiza kwambiri kuti ntchito imeneyi iyende bwino. Munthu wina wolemba mbiri ya Mercator, dzina lake Nicholas Crane, analemba kuti katswiri wina “anangokwanitsa kujambula malo 50 okha a ku America pamapu aatali ngati msinkhu wa munthu, pamene Mercator anajambula malo 60 pamapu ongokwana m’manja.”

Anali Munthu Woyamba Kujambula Mapu a Dziko Lonse

Pofika m’chaka cha 1537, Mercator anajambula mapu a malo otchulidwa m’Baibulo, popanda kuthandizidwa ndi wina aliyense.  Cholinga cha mapuwa chinali kuthandiza anthu “kumvetsa Chipangano Chakale ndi Chatsopano.” M’zaka za m’ma 1500, mapu ambiri otere anali osalondola. Ena anali ndi mayina a malo osakwana 30 ndipo ambiri analembedwa pamalo olakwika. Koma mapu a Mercator ankatchula malo oposa 400. Ndiponso ankasonyeza njira imene Aisiraeli anadutsa paulendo wawo wochoka ku Iguputo kudzera m’Chipululu. Chifukwa chakuti mapuwa anali olondola, anthu ambiri ankawakonda.

Poona kuti anthu ambiri ankakonda mapu ake, Mercator anatulutsa buku la mapu a dziko lonse mu 1538. Poyamba anthu sankadziwa zambiri za North America ndipo ankakutchula kuti Dziko Lakutali Losadziwika. Ngakhale kuti dzina la “America” linalipo kale, Mercator anali woyamba kugwiritsa ntchito dzinali potchula North America ndi South America.

Mercator anakhala ndi moyo panthawi yomwe anthu anali ndi chidwi chofufuza nyanja zikuluzikulu komanso malo atsopano. Anthu ofufuza malowa ankanena zinthu zotsutsana, ndipo zimenezi zinkasokoneza kwambiri anthu ojambula mapu. Ngakhale zinali choncho, mu 1541, Mercator anakwaniritsa cholinga chake cholemba “mapu oyamba a dziko lonse.”

Anaimbidwa Mlandu Wotsutsa Chipembedzo

Ku Louvain, komwe Mercator ankakhala, kunali anthu ambiri achipembedzo cha Lutheran. Cha mu 1536, Mercator anayamba kugwirizana ndi anthu achipembedzochi, ndipo zikuoneka kuti kenako mkazi wake anayamba chipembedzo chimenechi. Mu February 1544, Mercator ndi anthu ena 42 a ku Louvain anamangidwa chifukwa cholemba “makalata okayikitsa.” Komabe, mwina chimene chinachititsa kuti amangidwe n’chakuti anthu awiri ophunzira zachipembedzo  apayunivesite ya Louvain, Tapper ndi Latomus, ankakayikira cholinga cha mapu ake onena za malo a m’Baibulo. Anthu awiriwa ndiwo anatsogoleranso pa mlandu wa womasulira Baibulo wina dzina lake William Tyndale, yemwe anaphedwa ku Antwerp mu 1536. Mwina anthu amenewa ankaopa kuti mapu a Mercator amenewa, mofanana ndi Baibulo la Tyndale, azichititsa anthu kuwerenga Baibulo. Mulimonse mmene zinalili, Mercator anamangidwa n’kuikidwa m’ndende ya kwawo ku Rupelmonde.

Mayi wina dzina lake Antoinette Van Roesmaels, yemwe ankaimbidwanso mlandu panthawiyi chifukwa chophunzira Baibulo ndi anthu ogalukira chipembedzo cha Katolika, anakwiriridwa wamoyo. Koma mayiyu asanafe ananena kuti Mercator sanaphunzirepo Baibulo ndi anthu amenewa. Choncho Mercator anatulutsidwa m’ndende atakhalamo miyezi 7 koma analandidwa katundu wake yense. Mu 1552, Mercator anathawira ku Duisburg, m’dziko la Germany, ndipo kumeneko kunali ufulu wachipembedzo.

Buku Loyamba la Mapu

Mercator anapitirizabe kunena kuti nkhani ya m’Baibulo ya chilengedwe ndi yolondola. Nthawi yochuluka ya moyo wake inathera pa kulemba mabuku onena kulengedwa kwa zinthu zakumwamba ndi za padziko lapansi kuyambira pachiyambi. Mabuku amenewa amafotokoza sayansi yokhudza dziko lapansi ndiponso nthawi imene zinthu zosiyanasiyana zinachitika.

Buku limodzi lotere analitulutsa mu 1569, ndipo limatchedwa kuti Chronologia. Cholinga chake potulutsa bukuli chinali kuthandiza anthu kumvetsa zimene zakhala zikuchitika kuyambira pachiyambi. Koma tchalitchi cha Katolika chinaika bukuli m’gulu la mabuku oletsedwa chifukwa chakuti m’bukuli Mercator anaikamonso mfundo zotsutsana ndi tchalitchi  cha Katolika, zimene Martin Luther analemba mu 1517.

Kenako Mercator anathera nthawi yake yochuluka akugwira ntchito yolemba ndi kuzokota mapu. Mu 1590, Mercator anadwala matenda ofa ziwalo ndipo mbali ya kumanzere ya thupi lake inaferatu komanso sankatha kulankhula. Komabe sanasiye kulemba mapu ake mpaka pamene anafa mu 1594, ali ndi zaka 82. Mwana wa Mercator, dzina lake Rumold, ndiye anamalizitsa mapu asanu amene bambo ake anasiya. Mapu onse a Mercator anaikidwa pamodzi n’kupanga buku la mapu limene linatulutsidwa mu 1595.

M’buku la mapu la Mercator munalembedwa chaputala choyamba cha Genesis. M’bukuli iye anafotokoza kuti Mawu a Mulungu ndi oona. Izi zinali zosiyana ndi zimene akatswiri ambiri ankaphunzitsa. Pofotokoza za bukuli, Mercator anati zimenezi ndi “cholinga cha ntchito yanga yonse.”

“Iye ndi Katswiri Zedi pa Sayansi ya Dziko”

Buku lokhala ndi mapu aakulu a Mercator, lomwe linatulutsidwa ndi Jodocus Hondius mu 1606, linasindikizidwa mu zinenero zambiri ndipo linagulitsidwa kwambiri. Abraham Ortelius, yemwe anali wojambula mapu wa m’zaka za m’ma 1500, anayamikira Mercator ndipo anati “iye ndi katswiri zedi pa sayansi ya dziko.” Posachedwapa, munthu wolemba mabuku dzina lake Nicholas Crane ananena kuti Mercator anali “munthu woyamba kujambula mapu a dziko lonse.”

Ntchito imene Mercator anagwira imatithandizabe mpaka pano. Mwachitsanzo, tikamagwiritsa ntchito buku la mapu kapena chipangizo chotisonyeza malo, timakhala tikupindula ndi ntchito yaikulu imene Mercator anagwira. Iye anali munthu wapadera amene nthawi yonse ya moyo wake ankafunitsitsa kudziwa zochitika zosiyanasiyana kuchokera panthawi imene Mulungu analenga zinthu mpaka mu nthawi yake.

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ANALI WOPHUNZIRA BAIBULO WAKHAMA

Mercator ankakhulupirira kuti padziko lapansi padzakhala chilungamo, mtendere, ndiponso ulemerero. Mercator analemba buku lofotokoza mwatsatanetsatane machaputala 11 oyambirira a buku la Aroma. Koma iye anafa bukuli lisanasindikizidwe. M’bukuli iye anatsutsa mfundo za John Calvin zakuti zonse zimene zimachitika zinalembedweratu. N’zochititsanso chidwi kuti sanagwirizane ndi mfundo zina za Martin Luther ndipo ananena kuti kuwonjezera pa chikhulupiriro, ntchito za munthu n’zofunika kuti apulumuke. Mercator analemba kalata imene inanena kuti “munthu amachimwa mwa kufuna kwake osati chifukwa cha zinthu zakuthambo kapena chifukwa cha chibadwa chake.” M’kalata yakeyi, iye anatsutsa chiphunzitso cha tchalitchi cha Katolika chakuti mkate ndi vinyo za pamwambo wa mgonero wa Ambuye zimasanduka n’kukhaladi thupi lenileni komanso magazi enieni a Yesu. M’malomwake, iye anati mawu a Yesu akuti “ili ndi thupi langa” ndi ophiphiritsa chabe.

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NJIRA YOJAMBULIRA MAPU YA MERCATOR

Akatswiri ojambula mapu sankadziwa kuti angajambule bwanji mapu a dziko lonse lapansi papepala, chifukwa dzikoli ndi lozungulira ngati lalanje. Mercator ndiye anatulukira njira yothetsera vutoli. Iye anajambula mizere yochokera kum’mawa kupita kumadzulo kwa dziko lapansi yotalikirana mofanana. Ngakhale kuti njira imeneyi sisonyeza bwino kukula ndi kutalikirana kwa malo (makamaka malo akumpoto ndi kum’mwera kwa dziko), inathandiza kwambiri pantchito yojambula mapu. Mapu adziko lonse amene Mercator anajambula mu 1569, anali abwino kwambiri moti ndiwo anachititsa kuti iye atchuke kwambiri. Ndipo njirayi imagwiritsidwabe ntchito masiku ano pojambula mapu a nyanja zikuluzikulu ndiponso popanga zipangizo zosonyeza malo.

[Chithunzi]

Njira ya Mercator yojambulira mapu tingaiyerekeze chonchi

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Mapu a Mercator a mu 1537 omwe amasonyeza malo oposa 400 otchulidwa m’Baibulo

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Mapu a Mercator adziko lonse a mu 1538

Onani mawu akuti “AMERI CAE” ku North America ndi South America komwe

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Antwerpen, Stedelijk Prentekabinet

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Mapu onse achokera ku American Geographical Society Library, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries