Friday, June 03, 2016

Comments about Native Amerian stonework - Camille Paglia

Via an old friend, see comments part way down about "megaliths".
http://www.salon.com/2016/06/02/zombie_time_at_campaign_hillary_camille_paglia_on_trumps_real_strength_and_clintons_fatal_sleepwalking/

3 comments :

Tim MacSweeney said...

I can't find the article that is referred to, but I did find this: “Right now, I’m working on something that no one has any interest in, whatever. I’ve been working for eight years on this, my Native American explorations. I’m very interested in Native American culture at the end of the ice age as the glacier withdrew.
I go around and I find little tiny artifacts. I read. Absolutely no one, especially anyone in Manhattan, has the slightest interest in what I’m doing. Everything has been prepared for in my life. I’ve always been interested in archeology. I feel like I make a contribution, even though no one’s interested at all. What I’m trying to do is show how the politicization of ethnic studies, of racial studies, and so on has actually been very limiting.
I find very objectionable this eternal projection of genocide and disaster and so on onto Native American studies. I’d like to show the actual vision of Native American culture which is a religious vision, a metaphysical vision... All I’m doing is exploring the Native American cultures of the northeast. Because when the settlers came from Europe, the Indians were pushed out, the hunting grounds were limited, then there was general destruction of Native American culture for many reasons during that period.
We know more actually about the Plains Indians and, obviously, Northwestern Indians, and the Navaho than we do about the Northeastern Indians. I believe that there are remnants everywhere — I stumbled on this. I’m very sorry I didn’t notice this when I was living all those years in Upstate New York, where the Onondagas still have their reservation. Probably the remnants of these glacial era cultures were still there as well.
But I find it’s absolutely staggering. It is staggering the actual signs and remnants that are everywhere in the Northeast. I could go out right now, find some dirt, and I’ll find you a broken tool. It’s absolutely incredible. I feel that’s what I should be doing something like this, which no one is interested in. But I feel it’s substantive, and I hope can help to show what was here before...”
https://medium.com/conversations-with-tyler/a-conversation-with-camille-paglia-a842db2f3c6#.35u7h0yvh

Tim MacSweeney said...

http://portablerockart.blogspot.com/p/paglia-right-now-im-working-on.html

pwax said...

thanks