anthropology with no apology

[Richard Smith]

> 
> 
> 
> Kweh omateru,
> (greetings friends.)
> thanks for all these resources
> this is a language egroup with very great leads and info!
> but culture and language are really inseperatable so anthropology will wade in
> and sometimes set its OWN standards. As tribal members we need to be careful.
> Sometimes all this ³professional intelligence² creates its own language, laws
> and bi-laws.
> 
> Years ago visiting Chaco Canyon one weekend I was curious about the pottery
> found in the area.The
>  resource person I asked stated no one was certain if pottery was actually
> made in the canyon .
> Later that day, I scooped out a handful of clay out of a park rangers muddy
> tire track,
> sat on a boulder and made a pot...since its what I do anyway.Camping that
> evening I burnished it with
> a socket from my socket wrench set,and by morning it was dry ...hey, great
> clay!
> I went to the visitors center and looked for someone to talk to.
> I set it on the desk ...and for the next hour I was interogated with suspicion
> and rudeness.
> I had hoped to converse with an archaeologist, but he would not even show his
> face. 
> He only would send instructions to the desk as to what to do with this
> ³situation².
> Finally, I was told I would NOT be prosecuted if I returned to the place where
> I picked out the mud
> and place the little pot where it could erode back into the soil.
> I am a very patient person,even my wife will tell you! But I was burning up.
> So...i realized something that day
> Anthropology/Archeaology can create a culture of its own.
> It can set itself up to be only correct view to observe and learn and to even
> to teach.
> even set up its own ²police force² to deal with nonconformists
> 
> I¹m not against anthropology(some of my best friends are anthropologists!
> seriously!) 
> But as a science it tends to set up its own grids from which to pass OUR
> cultures through.
> Anthropology itself, as an alien science needs to be studied...evaluated...by
> native peoples
> ³what makes an anthropologist² might make a good study ..turn the tables a
> little. 
> what makes outsiders come study us?
> NOW, that would make an interesting thesis!
> 
> Oh ,I know,no need to remind me,
> I know why Chaco Canyon must be strict,its obvious,because of all the tourists
> coming through.
> ²if everyone came and took a piece of mud out of the tire track...²
> yeah...yeah... 
> 
> this is not meant to stir up arguments or justifications,
> paint one people good and another bad
> no , I just want to share a little
> from experiance and cautions gained
> richard
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I want to share something that happened to me that makes me worry sometimes
       











-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ilat/attachments/20060430/28576963/attachment.htm>