Saturday, January 23, 2010
Survivance in Sculpted Stones
When I initially read this poem I didn't think much about the significance of 'glyph' in Victor Montejo's poem. I knew that glyphs were the Maya form of writing but it wasn't until learning more about glyphs in my NAS class on ethnohistory of native peoples of Mexico that I realize their significance to the Maya culture and I can now connect glyphs to survivance. The glyphs are a vital aspect of Maya culture as they document historical facts such as the rulers or b'akab' of the cities and the time in which they ruled. This is a form of survivance in Sculpted Stones and in Maya culture becasue it is an enscribed document of Maya civilization. This brings up the question of why we may value written documentation higher than oral documentation of history? A reason we may value written more than oral documentation is for example if an entire civilization were to become extinct then we are still left with written documentation such as glyphs that can document history. Hopefully we will have a chance to further discuss this topic in class next week.
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This is a good point. Are you taking Ethnohistory 130A? Or Ethnohistory of Meso-america? The question of writing versus orality is a long debate. While writing can give us a lasting record, it can also prevent us from feeling a certain way about the story. This will be a question that we come back to again and again.
ReplyDelete133A on Ethnohistory of Native Peoples of Mexico and Central America. Yes, I also agree that written documentation does not have the same capability of giving off the effect of intensity than an oral documentation does.
ReplyDeleteIs Professor Macri teaching that?
ReplyDeleteyes she is!
ReplyDelete