Olympic Ceremony - World Rite

Share thoughts and ideas regarding what can be done to meet contemporary humanity's need for rites of initiation and passage.

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JamesN.
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Olympic Ceremony - World Rite

Post by JamesN. »

Greetings fellow members. I just got through watching the stunning and absolutely breathtaking opening Vancouver Winter Olympic Games ceremony. The participation of native peoples for the first time was of particular interest and something that Joseph Campbell I think would have loved. And also I feel that the whole Rite was a glimpse of what a future global consciousness might be like that he refered to in Power of Myth. This was very different from the massive choreograghed display of the Bejing opening ceremony in that it was a more intimate experience and empathised the individual as a seperate entity and the many different cultures in Canada as opposed to the collective societal aspect of China. You also had a feeling of being connected and involved in a paticipatory way instead of being just a voyeuristic automaton. As overwhelming and dazzeling as the China Summer Games Ceremony was I thought Vancouver offered a lovely window of hope of what might be. Particularly moving was the tribute to the young athlete that was killed ealier in the day. One of the best mouments was at the end with the malfunction of the torch which I thought a great metaphor that you only can control so much and then life gives you a little surprise. It was just grand and I hope others saw it as well. My very best to all.
Last edited by JamesN. on Sun Feb 14, 2010 8:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

S_Watson
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Post by S_Watson »

Hm. You say the Canadian ceremony emphasised
the many different cultures in Canada as opposed to the collective societal aspect of China.
You might have overlooked or misunderstood some details of the Chinese Olympic ceremonies. They included many symbolic representation of China's "national minorities". Chinese propaganda always does this with great emphasis at every celebration of Chinese nationalism (eg, televised celebrations of "National Day", October 1) It has done so ever since the Communist revolution and consequent takeovers (aka "liberations") of Tibet and Xinjiang and part of Mongolia.

Chinese RMB/Yuan notes (currency) are written in five languages, to emphasise the "unity" of China's five main nationalities: Han (Chinese), Manchurian, Uighur (the Turkic Muslims of Xinjiang), Tibetan, and Mongolian.

The final scenes of the 1967 Cultural Revolution propaganda movie "The East Is Red" depict the Communist fantasy of the "liberation" of China's minorities and their gratitude for it. In this clip, if you scroll forward to 5:00, a "Mongolian" is singing "fraternal nationalities rejoice at our liberation!" But then at 6:00 it gets truly ridiculous; the singers and dancers are supposed to be Uighurs (Turkic Muslims), but they're all played by Han Chinese actors wearing make-up, analogous to old American "minstrel shows" where white people wore black-face and acted like caricatures of African-Americans. And that's followed by some "Tibetans" at 7:50, also played by Han Chinese in make-up.
Here's the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxLX-XtK5wQ

Now, the point of this kind of Chinese Communist propaganda was, and remains, to represent China's government as one fiercely dedicated to "multiculturalism", and to that end China's Communist Party represents itself as the natural leader of all "third world" nations and non-white races. This agenda has not changed to this day; today's China is trying to bring Africa under its imperial sway IN THE NAME OF "LIBERATION" and "MULTICULTURALISM"! Yet the majority of Han Chinese are immensely more racist toward Blacks than most White Americans or Europeans are, at least today. (They are swiftly making themselves hated by Africans, except for the handful of African despots who profit from China's exploitation of their natural resources and labour.)

In other words, propaganda promoting "multiculturalism" and "globalism" can be used for various purposes, including imperialistic ones. Hmmm....

PS, the majority of Chinese minorities are still waiting for their metaphorical "40 acres and a mule". And similarly, although Canada's Olympic ceremonies included some "Indigenous" Canadians aka Red Indians, the majority of them still aren't faring very well under their self-praising "multicultural" White overlords.

Clemsy
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Post by Clemsy »

PS, the majority of Chinese minorities are still waiting for their metaphorical "40 acres and a mule". And similarly, although Canada's Olympic ceremonies included some "Indigenous" Canadians aka Red Indians, the majority of them still aren't faring very well under their self-praising "multicultural" White overlords.
Quite true, Watson. But that being said, it would seem Canada is closer to working that out than the U.S. is. Has the U.S. issued such an apology? ...Maybe

Canada's acknowledgment of the First Nation people was thrilling. As someone who is closely involved with the local native community (Mohawk and Abenaki), it was very cool to watch the tribal leaders sitting with the political leaders, dancers on the floor and the strong theme that these are real people with a vibrant culture. Most of American society looks at Native People as history. The stereotype still rules.

The first part in healing is the apology. Your home country has done this and Canada has done this. Finding a way of improving the quality of life of indigenous people, while allowing their language and culture to thrive, will take time.

Highlighting them last night was important.

There has been a steady groundswell interest here in our native communities and traditions. Native authors have become mainstream in elementary and middle school anthologies. It's a slow process, but it is happening.

Good chance I met some of those dancers from the Eastern Nations.

Anecdote: While working the Festrival (see above link... I was the volunteer coordinator), one of the dancers, in full regalia, came up to me to complain about one of the vendors (selling mass produced crap in violation of the festival guidelines). Telling to get the word to the festival director, he reached into his pouch and removed a pinch of tobacco and put it in my hand. I asked what I was supposed to do with this. He said, "You have the tobacco. It's your responsibility now." I went to a vendor and bought a pouch. Found the director (an Abenaki Elder), gave him the tobacco and the message. Man he got pissed! Apparently the tobacco is a mandate, and he had to drop whatever he was doing and address the situation. It was odd being in the middle of it. I had to check later on if I had handled the situation correctly, being culturally in over my head.

I still have some of that tobacco

The festival, btw, was a huge success.
Give me stories before I go mad! ~Andreas

S_Watson
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Post by S_Watson »

Clemsy, as you "virtually" know me pretty well, you'll understand that my above comment was intended to provoke exactly the kind of comment you wrote in response!

:D 8)

I agree with your above comment 100 percent.

As for the sacralised tobacco in your possession, my suggestion (although I'm not a descendant of any Pre-Columbian American nation, but I AM a "Native American" who loves his native land - not "nation", but land), is for you to select a ritually significant time and place (a time and place of significance to the Pre-Columbian inhabitants of your particular part of America), and then smoke it.

Literally, "put it in your pipe and smoke it", and when you do so, do it with your own personal ritual of expression of love for the land that you live upon, and for all Humans who have ever inhabited it, and for all their posterity, and ALL of their lives and their stories past and future.

Good thing to smoke on, yeah?

JamesN.
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Post by JamesN. »

This truely globel stage, and it's powerful Rite for World in the name of Athletics has always been a tool throughout its' history. Whether it emphasizes the " Awakenening of the Sleeping Dragon of China "; the dawn of Canada; ( or any of the other political events or agendas during it's sweep over time such as Hitlers' Germany in the thirties; the slaughter of Israel's athletes in the villege compound or the Black Power fist on the podium of the seventies ). The point I was aiming at was not disrespect of the magnificent culture of China; but the beauty of a moment in Time where the world pauses and comes together; reflecting on many things on many different levels against the backdrop of athletic perfection in a kind of; ( as Joseph might have put it:" Mystic De Participacion " ). And the feeling I came away with from the opening ceremony was very moving and hopeful. Excellent points brought up.

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