Re: Amerindian navigators and Eurocentrism in scholarship

[yuku@mail.trends.ca (Yuri Kuchinsky)]

Bill Perez (p_covalent@xnet.com) wrote:
: Yuri Kuchinsky 17784 wrote:
: > Bill Perez (p_covalent@xnet.com) wrote:

: > : That it is "Eurocentric" to believe that only Polynesians travelled long
: > : distances in the Pacific prior to the sixteenth century?
: > 
: > Yes, in so far as Amerindians are not given the recognition for doing the
: > same.
: 
: Please explain. I do not see the European connection here.

Is it possible that you really don't understand this, Bill? Or are you
just trying to obfuscate? Do I have to explain to you that the mainstream
scholarship in this area was strongly influenced by Europeans and their
descendants?

	...

: > : And why would dyed-in-the-wool "Eurocentrists" be so ready to dispense
: > : "credit" to Polynesians,
: > 
: > Because no bigot however misguided can deny the reality that the
: > Polynesians were there for ages.
: 
: Why not? Because of the sheer volume and quality of the evidence? Why
: wouldn't it be suppressed or ignored? You seem to be admitting that the
: evidence for long-distance Polynesian voyages is of a much different
: order than that for long-distance Amerindian Pacific voyages.

And why not? Nobody in their right mind will deny that Polynesians were
settled on Polynesian islands from ancient times. And yet most mainstream
scholars do deny that Amerindians had a capability to sail far into the
Pacific. All this is common knowledge. Does any of this come as a surprise
to you? So why all these questions (of course assuming this is not all
about obfuscation plain and simple)?

	...

: So are you implying that the Spanish are behind the current "bigotry"
: and "recognition" thievery? Or are you saying that the "Eurocentrism" of
: the distant past has led to the current confusion and ignorance?

Both.

Regards,

Yuri.

Yuri Kuchinsky in Toronto -=O=- http://www.io.org/~yuku

You never need think you can turn over any old falsehoods 
without a terrible squirming of the horrid little population
that dwells under it -=O=- Oliver Wendell Holmes