1st period:
You all did a nice job in the discussion today. It was clear that, as a group, you read and really thought. It was a good start to the year. If you would like to add to what you said in class, please post your comments here.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
well this isn't adding to what i said but i was curious- when i read taylor there was a part about ritual cannibalism. i can't remember the page and i left my book in my locker but doesn't anyone know anything about this? if not i'll probably just look it up later.
Cait: I think you are talking about the part on page 103. It describes the the Iroqouis's tradition of mourning:
"To appease grief...Iroqoius warriors conducted "mourning wars" in whihc they sought prisoners from their enemies...After the victim died [from torture] the women butchered his remains, cast them into cooking kettles, and served the stew to the entire village, so that all could be bound together in absorbing the captive's power."
Yum.
opps i deleted the above comment i forgot to say "you" in thank you kelly in my first comment.
Alright, so the Spanish did bring disease, wiping out the native Mexican population from 20 million to 2 million in half a century, but we weren't around then. We didn't witness that drastic change. I kinda wanted to mention some ways the Europeans effected the natives in ways that we could see today. They might not be huge, but I just wanted to add that in the discussion today.
The Navajo people took sheep that were brought to them by the Spanish, and used them to make intricate traditional weaves on looms that were also introduced by the Spanish. The Navajos are now associated with the weaves.
Also, Europeans brought over alcohol, which Taylor touched on in Chapter 5 (I don't have the book with me, so I can't give you the pg. #). I'm not directly quoting him, but he said that "the indians would lash out and become extremely aggressive, and it was alright, thinking it was not the fault of the natives, but the alcohol." It's actually a fact that native americans have a genetic disposition for alcoholism, which is why you will find that most indian nations (reservations) today are dry, and do not serve or sell liquor at any restaurants or stores.
I didn't mean for that to be so long.
The cannibalism wasn't just about mourning, but about their beliefs about the source of their power. They believed that their power came from the souls of the people of their community. Therefore, when they lost someone, they had to replenish that loss of power by taking in, or literally ingesting, the soul of another. To them, it only seemed fair that it should be someone from the enemy group.
If you would like to read more about Native Americans and cannibalism, check out this article:
http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/encyclopedia/cannibalism.htm
The discussion of Native American cannibalism reminds me of the rituals that the Aztecs performed and the bloody sacrifice that it involved. The Spanish were scared but they still accomplished their conquest.
This isn't actually related to this post, I just don't know where else to put it. I have a few questions...
For the unit summary we have to find 13 items but the chapter in Bailey is so short???
Also when is this due? I don't think it's on the calendar.
the only thing i really wanted to say was that in the text book or at least the portion that we read said virtually nothing about the fur trade and the relatonship between the french, dutch and the indians, by taylor including this indians are ivewed more as equals, its intrestng how the way history is portrayed by the source compleatly changes what we gather about history which is saposed to be fact. It s the same for missionaries who are portrayed as important aggressors by taylor but hardy spoken about at all by baileys
i find it fascinating that the colonization of America happened largely by accident.
1) Columbus's discovery of the islands
2) I really don't know what page its on but somewhere in Taylor's book he talks about how the Spanish moved out of the Chesapeake or New England because of the Spanish Gold rush (conquistadors trying to accomplish what cortes did-no-one came close by the way-and the Spanish and Natives always saying that there was more gold west but there was none and so natives were killed because of Spanish frustration). And because they moved out of the Chesapeake Colonies/NE and because the English got word of all this, over come the pilgrims and land in Plymouth...and as the Spanish try and hold their land, the English resistance grows stronger (Introduction page xi Taylor) and out of the Pilgrims spring the first Americans. Correct me if I'm wrong-but I think that's all bloody amazing!
Also: key pages for looking at the thesis: America was shaped by transatlantic flow of stuff and by interactions between Africans/Europeans/Natives
All in Taylor
Pg XI of the Introduction
Pg. 72
Pg. 46-47
There are several sections in here that are really quite eye-opening.
Simeon,
You are not wrong: It is all pretty dang cool when you realize how seemingly small decisions and mistakes can alter the course of history.
Post a Comment