I wish I did.
I dream of having more time!
Angela
On 25 Jun 2009, at 14:06, SEAN CREIGHTON wrote:
> This topic has been fascinating. There have been so many contributions
> that there is danger of losing track of all the points that have been
> made. Has anyone got the time to put together a note pulling all the
> contributions together.
>
> Sean
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Angela Allison" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 1:35 PM
> Subject: Re: New Exhibit at Smithsonian
>
>
> 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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