there's an equally annoying chap on ABC-TV at the moment doing the
world in 80 treasure as only a pom can...
On 03/04/2007, at 8:41, Stephen Vincent wrote:
>> Ahhh Kasper - the word songline refers to a White understanding of a
>> complex Indigenous (Australian Aboriginal) system of communications,
>> kinship rules and beliefs - a 'system' insofar as that is the only
>> word
>> we have in English to try and grasp another culture's world. It
>> was used
>> by Bruce Chatwin in the novel "The Songlines", a book that was
>> popular
>> for a time among people here and overseas who had obviously never
>> been
>> near Indigenous culture in this country, and were clinging to a
>> sickening amalgam of hand-picked slices of Rousseau and ideas of a
>> Gaia.
>>
>> caleb
>
> Thanks, Caleb for this! Against much educated 'White' praise, I
> tried to
> read the Chatwin and found myself repelled. Without putting a
> finger on why.
> You do it, well.
>
> Stephen V
> http://stephenvincent.net/blog/
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