Microlecture pt 2
The notion of pictographs is so interesting because it is so similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics. And, the ancient Egyptians were thought to be extremely advanced, so why is there the stigma that Native Americans were underdeveloped compared to Egyptians. Maybe because the Egyptians did a better job at maintaining their translation properties. I am not sure. Another thing I thought was very interesting was the concept of medicine bundles. I am a little confused as to what they are, but to my understanding they are a collection of things that tell a story or portray a symbol of some sort. I wish I had a picture to better illustrate what they are. I understand that they are sacred, but there are so many sacred aspects of other cultures that are shared in order to educate the greater population. However, whatever actual Native Americans think is right is obviously the course that should be followed. I think these are a little different than the medicine boxes in There There because in the novel, the purpose of the medicine boxes seems to be to ward off some evil spirit or curse. Basically, to fix something. However, the medicine bundles seem more representative of something. Then again, I am not entirely sure what either of them are in their separate forms, so I am not the best person to speak on this. A similar thing to this is little silver boxes my Abuela gives me. She tells me to put lucky things in them, but I have not had the chance to use them yet. They might be similar to medicine boxes possibly.
I like your comparison between how Native American pictographs vs. Egyptian hieroglyphs are portrayed and taught in America.
ReplyDeleteYeah in my post i focused more in the quipus but now that you mention it, the pictographs are exactly like the hieroglyphics.
ReplyDeleteThe relative value given to these two cultural traditions that used pictorial forms of storytelling is revealing. Egypt has often been positioned as a forerunner to Western culture but indigenous history has often been assumed to not exist at all in any meaningful way, perhaps to justify the occupation of their lands?
ReplyDeleteI was fascinated by the concept of the medicine bags and bundles as well. After doing further research, I learned that while they do hold the same concept, they are created a bit differently. A medicine could be used to hold a medicine bag.
ReplyDelete