Dear Jean, and list


Anecdote or not, the message still holds. Indeed, Indians have been there
during several centuries in the past. Doubtful though if they will still be
there in coming years, to warn their off-springs of potential dangers
threatening their survival. As you raised this point, I was drafting the
following contribution to the list.

Yes, before there was paper, clay and monuments to carry messages forward to
descendants. And of course there also is always the word of mouth. But all
these aren't the only kinds of artifacts that carry messages through
generations. Many other daily use cultural artifacts, both material and
immaterial, are loaded with messages to those who share the same culture and
can thus easily decipher the meaning embedded into those artifacts.

Those Indians may have been referring to their perenniality through their
cultural artifacts, handed over from generation to generation of their
kins..

This is my first interpretation of the 'anecdote'. Another possible
interpretation is that of just a political bravado. Or, more profoundly as
you say, perhaps a cry out in distress and at the same time a teaching to us
all.

Distress caused by the fact that, nowadays, traditional distinct homogeneous
world cultures are slowly being extinct. An unprecedented phenomenon has
arisen since the 15th-16th centuries, the Euro-American 'global village' has
gradually become a reality now lived by many all over the earth. And that in
spite of some of us being engaged in an already lost battle, that of
advocating, as those Indians did in their manner, for specific cultures
preservation as a way to mankind survival on earth. The entire humanity is
now sharing the same meaning through similar vehicular artifacts, "consumer
products" and "commercial" services massively provided by one single new
world culture. Diversity of century old, context specific and survival
promoting cultures have given way to a new world mono-culture.

Together with all 'down to earth people' the world over, Indians in the
anecdote are quite aware of this new phenomenon and know very well the
dangers of 'mono-culture' in the animal and plant realms. And yet they
affirm that they (through their artifacts) will still be there for their
off-springs! Many cultures allow and cultivate expressions in paradoxes as a
way to make a statement or a warning, and this is one such a case. I am sure
the thought-provoking statement was thus meant to strike a debate on whether
or not, unlike in the plant and animal realms, the human mono-culture would
perhaps ensure better perenniality of the mankind species. This latter
eventuality remains to be proven. That much on the teaching.

On distress again, the statement was made after having realized that one of
the fundamental characteristics of those so-called 'modern' artifacts is
that they are fast made, with relatively less meaning content compared to
traditional 'art (-i-san)' made artifacts. Old generations of both humans
and their artifacts no longer prevail. They are fast replaced with totally
new types of individuals, 'humans' as well as artifacts ('avatars', robots,
etc.). Youth, novelty, innovation and growth by all means are dominant
values. Knowledge and warnings transmitted to younger human generations are
almost exclusively those related not to perenniality of anybody or anything.
Rather, emphasis is on acquisition of skills immediately useful to perform
at the market place, in the role either of a fast producer or of a fast
consumer. And whatever is produced or consumed fast is fast discarded as
well.

Indians, like many other human groupings at the brink of extinction, all
know they will no longer be there for their children and grand-children,
change is so fast within their respective communities. They - together with
their cultural paraphernalia - are literally being 'thrown aside' * as they
no longer speak the same language and use the same artifacts as the new
generations. Hence the striking statement, as a last defiance to the
imminent extinction.

You close your post with an optimistic interpretation! I would like to know
which insight that inspires such an optimism. I personally do not know how
"these people will survive" the actual tsunami of mono-culture, and still
'be there' (through their artifacts) in centuries to come warning their
successive off-springs of the dangers of mono-culture.

Francois
Montreal

* A couple of years ago, a TV add was launched here in Québec, depicting
young car drivers racing in their brand new models of a motor car. And the
caption read: "Tasse-toi, mon oncle !" An inter-generation debate on the
meaning and the pertinence of such an add ensued...


On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 10:04 AM, Jean Schneider <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> I have been told —but this remains to be confirmed— that regarding the
> disposal of this long term hazardous (lethal nuclear waste), there was
> indeed some meeting of graphic designers / semioticians etc. to discuss
> which signs could convey the point unambiguously. It seems that there were
> some representatives of the Indians as well, as the land was somehow
> connected to them. And that these people said that all this was irrelevant,
> as they would still be there for warning people. After all, they had already
> been there for centuries !
>
> If it is not an anecdote, then it says something really profound about
> communication. And one understands better why these people will survive: the
> question of them disappearing is meaningless.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Jean
>