Re: bark cloth (Re: Polynesian canoes

From: Carmen (carmenz30_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 07/27/04 

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2004 12:02:05 +1200

"Yuri Kuchinsky" <yuku@trends.ca> wrote in message
news:410407FD.4A33338C@trends.ca...
> "t(nospam)kavanagh" wrote:
>
> ...
>
> > And finally, a little later in that same paragraph that Yuri is wont to
> > quote, Niblack concludes "... yet the resemblances and similarities are
> > as likely to have arisen from the like tendencies of the human mind
> > under the same external conditions, or environment, to develop along
> > parallel lines as through contact or common origin."
> >
> > tk
>
> There are 2 separate issues here.
>
> 1. Were these cloaks similar in appearance?
> 2. How to explain this similarity.
>
> Niblack testimony re #1 is important. His attempt to address
> #2 is open to debate.
>
> Yuri.
>
> Yuri Kuchinsky -=O=- http://www.trends.ca/~yuku
>
> Comparative studies of primitive art have probably been
> jeopardised by the zeal of investigators of cultural
> contacts and
> borrowings. But let us state in no uncertain terms that
> these
> studies have been jeopardised even more by intellectual
> Pharisees
> who prefer to deny obvious relationships because science
> does not
> yet provide an adequate method for their interpretation
> -=- Claude Levi-Strauss, ANTHROPOLOGIE STRUCTURALE, 1958

Just looking at the comparative study
of techniques in weaving,
here is a website from South Africa,
if you look about half way down the webpage
you will see drawn diagrams of weaving technique
that is in use, throughout the world.
Even some of the patterns are remarkably
similar to what can be found
throughout the Pacific region.

According to the website weaving is predominantly sedge in Sth Africa but
many of the principles and patterns appear to be the same the variation
being that
various grsses have been used across the world in
in the same way.

So for any one culture or country to claim
this craft form as uniquely their own is debateable.

Although having said that there are some PC nuts,
in our country, who seem to believe that the art of weaving is to be placed
on the pedestal as being so 'sacred' that knowledge of such should be
limited to the few and as such some form of eletist secret, 'sacred'
knowledge.
Which in effect would only serve to be the downfall of
those arts and crafts.

The variations seem to be largely in the resources that have been used.
The website I refer to is here but there are many others.
http://www.museums.org.za/sam/resource/arch/basket.htm

So in effect similarities and variations in weavings
are world wide and comparisons between any two particular regions only serve
as limitation when taken in the larger contexts.

Carmen

Carmen

Relevant Pages

  • Re: bark cloth (Re: Polynesian canoes
    ... a little later in that same paragraph that Yuri is wont to ... here is a website from South Africa, ... you will see drawn diagrams of weaving technique ... The variations seem to be largely in the resources that have been used. ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: bark cloth (Re: Polynesian canoes
    ... >> Just looking at the comparative study ... >> of techniques in weaving, ... >> you will see drawn diagrams of weaving technique ... >> According to the website weaving is predominantly sedge in Sth Africa ...
    (sci.anthropology)
  • Re: bark cloth (Re: Polynesian canoes
    ... >> Just looking at the comparative study ... >> of techniques in weaving, ... >> you will see drawn diagrams of weaving technique ... >> According to the website weaving is predominantly sedge in Sth Africa ...
    (sci.archaeology)