Amazonian hunter gatherers

What needs do mythology and religion serve in today's world and in ancient times? Here we discuss the relationship between mythology, religion and science from mythological, religious and philosophical viewpoints.

Moderators: Clemsy, Martin_Weyers, Cindy B.

Locked
jim baird
Associate
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Aug 22, 2006 1:37 pm

Amazonian hunter gatherers

Post by jim baird »

A few weeks ago the New Yorker ran a lengthy piece on an American linguist's work with a primitive tribe that lives in the Amazon. Their name is Piraha, I think.

After approx thirty years of periodic visits and much study, linguists have trouble understanding the basis of this tribe's language.

They are said to have no creation myth, no "memory" of past generations beyond two or three, no number system, no written language, no art, etc., etc.

Some linguists say their language disproves Noam Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar, which to me sounds a lot like Dr. Campbell's "monomyth."

I have yet to read any mention by Campbell of "cultures" that have no creation myth at all. I had come to think that such a myth was universal.

Have any of the members here heard of any "mythless" peoples?

Clemsy
Working Associate
Posts: 10645
Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2002 6:00 am
Location: The forest... somewhere north of Albany
Contact:

Post by Clemsy »

Interesting, Jim. I haven't the time to read this myself at the moment, but others may find this article of interest on the topic.
Give me stories before I go mad! ~Andreas

Aireal
Associate
Posts: 156
Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2006 5:58 pm
Location: Mayfield, Ky.

Post by Aireal »

Jim

I have not read about it, but there are some clues in the info you gave.

No number or written language.
So no recorded knowledge or history.

No memory of past generations beyond 2 or 3.
In other words, only those relatives alive in ones own lifetime.
Thus no verbal passing on of knowledge seem to be present.

Linguists have trouble understanding the basics of the language.
This ties in with the other reasons. Their language is prone to change over time from lack of written or oral traditions.

Any culture that lives as much in the "present moment" as these people seems to do, are not likely to have any myths, creation or otherwise for very long.

Just my thoughts.

Little Feather

jim baird
Associate
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Aug 22, 2006 1:37 pm

Post by jim baird »

Aireal,

Precisely. I can't remember the professor's name. Apologies.

The point of my post was to ask how could there be a "culture" that doesn't fit, as I had come to think, into Dr. Campbell's notion of the "monomyth", being based in the universal unconscious a la Carl Jung and others.

The professor had been a Christian missionary who had begun linguistic studies as a way to keep his fieldwork funded.

Subsequently he became so accomplished as a linguist that his work was wholly funded by academia, and he became an atheist as well as a devoted Chomskyite.

In later years, however, he decided that these people disproved the notion of Universal Grammar, and he became a leading Chomsky critic.

The Piraha exhibit such "living in the present" that they appear to be relatively free of typical man's "mad monkey" mind. Some think that they may exhibit an earlier evolutionary step in cognition itself.

Maybe I can track down the story and post a link or something to it here.

Thanks for the reply.

jim baird
Associate
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Aug 22, 2006 1:37 pm

Post by jim baird »

I went to the New Yorker archive and copied a shortcut to the story.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007 ... _colapinto

The professor's name is Everett.

Clemsy
Working Associate
Posts: 10645
Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2002 6:00 am
Location: The forest... somewhere north of Albany
Contact:

Post by Clemsy »

I also posted a link to a story above...
Give me stories before I go mad! ~Andreas

Locked