there are many instances of women who sailed (trnas-ocean as well as
inland/coastal navigators) under the guise of being men. At least three
of these are black.
There are at least three well know female pirates - all white.
Angela
On 25 Jun 2009, at 12:47, Herman Ross wrote:
> The two instances of your saying Man in place of human are a point but
> the other concept of mariners, which you used quite a few
> times, hopefully is not the reason for the criticism because mariners
> is generic, meaning a person who sails (or, even though I don't like
> to mention it much, ,motors) aboard vessels on, and these days, in the
> mar, sea.
>
> The reason I bring this point up is that when I first went to the
> Cayman Islands, some thirty years or so ago, to do the research for a
> book on the Caymanian mariner and their vessels, one of the first
> questions I asked was, "Can you direct me to a woman sailor?' and the
> response I continually received was that there were no women sailors
> in the Cayman Islands. On returning a few years later to the Caymans I
> happened to catch a few words in an interview with a Cayman Catboat
> builder and I asked him to claify what he had just said, which was
> that he had been taught to sail by Valma Hew. Some Caymanian names are
> what we usually consider a woman's name so I asked if she was a woman
> and he thought I was stupid for not knowing of Valma..
>
> Valma turned out to be in her seventies and sailed on the first
> Catboat in our first Catboat race, and won. But, the main point was
> that she referred me to a lot of other women who were sailors, but did
> not talk about it because of a lesbian stigma attached to women who
> sailed.
>
> I went for almost nine years not knowing how at ask the question about
> women who sailed in the Caribbean but I never stopped looking for
> them. In our sailing programmes girls and women were the first to jump
> aboard. The men thought it wasn't cool when you coulld be pressing a
> button and shooting off to the roar and rattle of an engine.
>
> Unfortnuately, many historians have left off women in the art, sport
> and occupation of sailing and sometimes their is the assumption that
> because there is no word such as mariness or seafaress or the like
> that one might not be referring to women in the term mariner. The
> fastest single-handed sail around the world is presently held by a
> woman, as is the more recent Race Around Britain, by an all female
> crew, and I would call them mariners.
>
> While we are on the subject and whoever is still reading this is still
> reading this- if you know of any women who sail, either during this
> time or times past please send me a reference. We are trying to start
> up a research programme and women under sail throughout history might
> be a category for the youth we hope to mentor.
>
> Ross
>
> --- On Thu, 25/6/09, Cliff Pereira <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> From: Cliff Pereira <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: New Exhibit at Smithsonian
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Thursday, 25 June, 2009, 10:54 AM
>
>
> Yes Martin,
>
> You are absolutely correct. I feel that the exclusions I mentioned are
> part of the resaon of the exclusion of women - after all how could
> Pacifiic Islanders - for example, populate those islands. And the role
> fo women on board vessels - an area that we are still uncovering in
> the UK.
>
> Thanks for pointing out my ommision.
>
> Cliff
>
> > Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:40:21 -0700
> > From: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: New Exhibit at Smithsonian
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> >
> > In your response there seems to be an absence of women!
> > Surely we talk of human beings or men and women these days.
> > Martin
> >
> > --- On Wed, 24/6/09, Cliff Pereira <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> > > From: Cliff Pereira <[log in to unmask]>
> > > Subject: Re: New Exhibit at Smithsonian
> > > To: [log in to unmask]
> > > Date: Wednesday, 24 June, 2009, 1:18 PM
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > #yiv1536184217 .hmmessage P
> > > {
> > > margin:0px;padding:0px;}
> > > #yiv1536184217 {
> > > font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;}
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Hi Ross,
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I have had a good look at the site and these are some of my
> > > overall opinions/criticisms:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > 1) I think with regards to the Smithsonian - I would have
> > > expected a more worldly introduction viewpoint so I
> > > would have mentioned;
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > * Mans emergence from Africa and his migration across the
> > > globe that HAD TO involve at some point travel over bodies
> > > of water.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > * The arrival of man into North America could have been by
> > > a coastal route (during the Ice Ages) as well as a land
> > > route (The Bering Crossing).
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > * There is no mention of the
> > > Malayo-Polynesian mariners who covered the
> > > earth from Madagascar to Hawaii and New Zealand. (guess
> > > Hawaii is not part of the US)
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > * There is no mention of the Caribs
> > > who voyaged up from South America through
> > > the Antilles. (guess Puerto Rico is not part of the
> > > US Commonwealth and the US Virgin islands don't
> > > exist)
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > 2) I think it is odd that the time-line starts at
> > > 1450.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > * There is no mention of the maritime traditions of the
> > > Inuit/Eskimo/Aleutian peoples (guess Alaska
> > > is not part of the US)
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > * There is no mention here of the Viking, Basque
> > > and Galician arrivals at Newfoundland and Labrador,
> > > and the "Cod Banks"
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > * There is a big jump from the Santa Maria (1492) to the
> > > Susan Constant (1607). (I guess the Spanish
> > > were not in Florida and the French
> > > had not setteled Fort Tadoussac in Quebec)
> > >
> > >
> > > 3) Sailors of the Atlantic World.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > * I also find the absence of any reference to the
> > > Kru of West Africa astonishing - The
> > > Portuguese and British (and probably the Danes and Dutch
> > > too) used them. They were probably among the first of the
> > > free Africans in US port cities
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > * what I also find strange is that sailors fo the Atlantic
> > > World makes no mention of the Indian, Malay and
> > > Chinese Lascars who were clearly on board
> > > Portuguese, British, Dutch and French east India Company
> > > vessels.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > 4) 1800-1850 Defending Independence.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > * No mention of the free and enslaved
> > > Africans that served on both sides and built and
> > > repaired ships at the naval yards for both sides.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > * No mention that the "The Defence" - better
> > > known as the "Star Sprangled Banner" was written
> > > on board the HMS Minden at Chesapeake Bay in 1812. the
> > > Minden was a British Royal Navy vessel built by the
> > > Wadia's at Bombay!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > * No mention of the Sultan of Zanzibar's ship - the
> > > Sultannah that was the first "Arab" vessle to
> > > arrive in North Atlantic waters. She came to London and went
> > > on to New York and Canton.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > 5) 1850-1920 Fishing for a Living
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > * Though the Azores and Cape Verde islands are mentioned
> > > there is no refernece to the whaling industry as the origin
> > > of the Cape Verdean diaspora in Boston.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > 6) Inland Waterways 1820-1940
> > >
> > > * This really puzzles me - did the First Nations not
> > > originally use the great rivers? Also no mention of the
> > > First Nations, the Metis and the French in
> > > the mapping and development of the major waterways of North
> > > America.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Overall I think the site is well designed. But it considers
> > > the Atlantic as an isolated body of water - which it
> > > isn't from any perspective. It also fails to cover the
> > > maritime contribution of First Nations, Inuit,
> > > Aleutians and Pacific Islanders.. Additionally it is
> > > extremely Eurocentric - if not Anglocentric in terms of its
> > > timeline and content. It also gives the impression that the
> > > African contribution was minimal and in some areas
> > > non-existant. The focus on the Atlantic has resulted in the
> > > exclusion of the Pacific and the Spanish narrative in the
> > > Southwest. I am no specialist on American history - but I
> > > can back all of the socio-historical points I make.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Cliff
> > >
> > > BASA Chair
> > >
> > >
> > > Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:11:35 -0700
> > > From: [log in to unmask]
> > > Subject: New Exhibit at Smithsonian
> > > To: [log in to unmask]
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I would appreciate your input on this exhibit that is
> > > at the Smithsonian National Museum of American
> > > History.
> > > http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater/
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > H.E. Ross
> > >
> > > View your Twitter and Flickr updates from one
> > > place - Learn
> > > more!
> > >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> View your Twitter and Flickr updates from one place – Learn more!
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