If nothing else you can use it to help annoy the right people.
4 comments:
Sailorcurt
said...
Indian communities were essentially communes. They didn't believe in ownership of land other than their tribal claims...which were only valid as long as they could defend them against encroachment. Hunting and gathering and such were performed as a group for the use and benefit of the entire tribe. They did recognize individual ownership of possessions like horses, tools, household items, slaves, etc, but essentially, Indian tribes were communist in nature...which I believe is a large part of why the left elevates them to some sort of exalted status and ignore the ugly side of tribal life...the constant battling with other tribes over land and possessions and the utter brutality with which they conducted those battles. The slavery. The oppression of women. etc.
Not to mention the vision of them of "as one with nature" is utter bs. As with any nomadic people, they didn't have the technology to overcome nature so they were in constant battle with it. They'd create an encampment, hunt and gather everything they could from the local area until they'd basically stripped it of everything useable and edible, then they'd pack up and move to another area. The few tribes who engaged in agriculture used fire to clear fields for farming. Some tribes "hunted" bison by stampeding the entire herd off a cliff...then took what they could carry and left the rest to rot.
Were there things to admire about the various Indian cultures? Of course, just like there are things to admire about most cultures. Were they nothing more than noble and honorable people living peacefully and at one with nature until the horrible white people showed up? Absolutely not.
They're humans and, as such, were (and are) capable of devastating cruelty, unspeakable brutality, and terrible abuses...just like the rest of us.
4 comments:
Indian communities were essentially communes. They didn't believe in ownership of land other than their tribal claims...which were only valid as long as they could defend them against encroachment. Hunting and gathering and such were performed as a group for the use and benefit of the entire tribe. They did recognize individual ownership of possessions like horses, tools, household items, slaves, etc, but essentially, Indian tribes were communist in nature...which I believe is a large part of why the left elevates them to some sort of exalted status and ignore the ugly side of tribal life...the constant battling with other tribes over land and possessions and the utter brutality with which they conducted those battles. The slavery. The oppression of women. etc.
Not to mention the vision of them of "as one with nature" is utter bs. As with any nomadic people, they didn't have the technology to overcome nature so they were in constant battle with it. They'd create an encampment, hunt and gather everything they could from the local area until they'd basically stripped it of everything useable and edible, then they'd pack up and move to another area. The few tribes who engaged in agriculture used fire to clear fields for farming. Some tribes "hunted" bison by stampeding the entire herd off a cliff...then took what they could carry and left the rest to rot.
Were there things to admire about the various Indian cultures? Of course, just like there are things to admire about most cultures. Were they nothing more than noble and honorable people living peacefully and at one with nature until the horrible white people showed up? Absolutely not.
They're humans and, as such, were (and are) capable of devastating cruelty, unspeakable brutality, and terrible abuses...just like the rest of us.
Really enjoyed this article. Well put together.
Bookmarked and saved.
-lg
Most interesting. Thanks for the link.
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