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--- Begin Message ---> >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Source: University Of Wisconsin-Madison >Date: 2004-06-16 >URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/06/040616062606.htm >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >Ancient Maps And Corn Help Track The Migrations Of Indigenous People > >MADISON- Maps are tools to show you where you >are going, but they can also show you where you >came from. That principle drives the work of >Roberto Rodríguez and Patrisia Gonzales, who >study ancient maps, oral traditions and the >movement of domesticated crops to learn more >about the origins of native people in the >Americas. > >"How do you bring memory back to a people that >were told not to remember?" asks Rodríguez. As >longtime scholars and syndicated columnists, >Gonzales and Rodríguez explore this issue and >others related to native people in the Americas. >They recently entered the College of >Agricultural and Life Sciences as graduate >students in the life sciences communication >department, and are teaching a class this summer >that shows how the stories of Wisconsin's native >people fit into the larger history of the >continent. > >European efforts to homogenize indigenous people >in the Americas destroyed much knowledge of the >origins, migrations and history of different >peoples, explains Rodríguez. However, some >migration stories persist in oral traditions, >including a central story - told in Mexico and >depicted on the Mexican flag - of native people >moving south from a place called Aztlán. The >location of that place and the paths of movement >are unclear, says Rodríguez, because people were >moving around in all directions for thousands of >years. > >He's trying to untangle the different paths, and >trace them back to their root. > >"I'm not looking for an individual answer to the >question 'where did I come from,'" he adds. >"Patrisia and I want to know where we as a >people came from." > >Rodríguez and Gonzales have pursued this >question as authors, teachers, distinguished >community scholars at the University of >California-Los Angeles, and now as CALS graduate >students. One line of inquiry has led them to >study dozens of maps of what is now Central >America, Mexico and the United States, created >by cartographers from around the world and >dating as far back as the 1500s. > >"Europeans back then were fascinated with newly >discovered lands and people," Rodríguez >explains. Mapmakers often added notes and >comments to their drawings, including references >to the homelands of indigenous groups on some of >the maps. One notation from the1768 Alzate map >reads, "The Mexican Indians are said to have >departed from the shores of this lake to found >their empire," in reference to what is now the >Great Salt Lake in Utah. Another shows an >ancient city near the Colorado and Green rivers, >also in Utah. > >Rodríguez says that the maps represent a >previously untapped source of information. >"These maps were all in public archives," >including the Wisconsin State Historical >Society, says Rodríguez. "However, we could find >only one other researcher that had used them, >and he dealt with the topic much differently >than we have. What we are pursing is not in the >realm of legend or myth, but as historical fact >and narrative." > >Besides maps, Rodríguez and Gonzales have >researched ancient chronicles, pictographs, and >oral traditions. They are also studying the >spread of plants-including corn and herbs-to >track migration. > >"I was taught to follow corn-that is who we, as >a people, are," explains Rodríguez. "Looking at >the story of this continent, civilization has to >do with food, in this case, corn." Corn was >first domesticated in southern Mexico at least >5,000 years ago, and was moved by humans across >the continent, he says. > >"I was drawn to Madison for grad school in part >because of the name of the department, which >used to be called agricultural journalism," he >recalls. "The word 'agriculture' with the >journalism was a perfect fit with our ideas >about corn." > >Rodríguez and Gonzales have visited some of the >sites indicated on the maps and have found >intriguing possibilities, but no firm evidence >of a single migration point, though many of the >maps allude to the Salt Lake region. "What is >clear," says Rodríguez, "is that the people of >this region, from the Utes, Paiutes, Shoshones, >Hopis and Yaquis, on south to Mexico and Central >America, spoke a common language and were >related. But many other people were also related >via maize and trade." > >### > >Rodríguez and Gonzales recently organized a UCLA >symposium >(http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/chavez/Aztlanahuac/index.htm) >examining the migrations and origins of native >people, and displayed 40 of the ancient maps >they have studied. They also spoke at a >UW-Madison conference called "Who Owns America," >sponsored by the Land Tenure Center. >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >This story has been adapted from a news release >issued by University Of Wisconsin-Madison.–IWP-cYIASvaaQug1sMiP1KK-E7bWAic56XXQqce
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<tt>
><BR>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>
>Source: University Of Wisconsin-Madison<BR>
>Date: 2004-06-16<BR>
>URL: <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/06/040616062606.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/06/040616062606.htm</a><BR>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>
><BR>
>Ancient Maps And Corn Help Track The Migrations Of Indigenous People<BR>
><BR>
>MADISON- Maps are tools to show you where you <BR>
>are going, but they can also show you where you <BR>
>came from. That principle drives the work of <BR>
>Roberto Rodríguez and Patrisia Gonzales, who <BR>
>study ancient maps, oral traditions and the <BR>
>movement of domesticated crops to learn more <BR>
>about the origins of native people in the <BR>
>Americas.<BR>
><BR>
>"How do you bring memory back to a people that <BR>
>were told not to remember?" asks Rodríguez. As <BR>
>longtime scholars and syndicated columnists, <BR>
>Gonzales and Rodríguez explore this issue and <BR>
>others related to native people in the Americas. <BR>
>They recently entered the College of <BR>
>Agricultural and Life Sciences as graduate <BR>
>students in the life sciences communication <BR>
>department, and are teaching a class this summer <BR>
>that shows how the stories of Wisconsin’s native <BR>
>people fit into the larger history of the <BR>
>continent.<BR>
><BR>
>European efforts to homogenize indigenous people <BR>
>in the Americas destroyed much knowledge of the <BR>
>origins, migrations and history of different <BR>
>peoples, explains Rodríguez. However, some <BR>
>migration stories persist in oral traditions, <BR>
>including a central story - told in Mexico and <BR>
>depicted on the Mexican flag - of native people <BR>
>moving south from a place called Aztlán. The <BR>
>location of that place and the paths of movement <BR>
>are unclear, says Rodríguez, because people were <BR>
>moving around in all directions for thousands of <BR>
>years.<BR>
><BR>
>He’s trying to untangle the different paths, and <BR>
>trace them back to their root.<BR>
><BR>
>"I’m not looking for an individual answer to the <BR>
>question ‘where did I come from,’" he adds. <BR>
>"Patrisia and I want to know where we as a <BR>
>people came from."<BR>
><BR>
>Rodríguez and Gonzales have pursued this <BR>
>question as authors, teachers, distinguished <BR>
>community scholars at the University of <BR>
>California-Los Angeles, and now as CALS graduate <BR>
>students. One line of inquiry has led them to <BR>
>study dozens of maps of what is now Central <BR>
>America, Mexico and the United States, created <BR>
>by cartographers from around the world and <BR>
>dating as far back as the 1500s.<BR>
><BR>
>"Europeans back then were fascinated with newly <BR>
>discovered lands and people," Rodríguez <BR>
>explains. Mapmakers often added notes and <BR>
>comments to their drawings, including references <BR>
>to the homelands of indigenous groups on some of <BR>
>the maps. One notation from the1768 Alzate map <BR>
>reads, "The Mexican Indians are said to have <BR>
>departed from the shores of this lake to found <BR>
>their empire," in reference to what is now the <BR>
>Great Salt Lake in Utah. Another shows an <BR>
>ancient city near the Colorado and Green rivers, <BR>
>also in Utah.<BR>
><BR>
>Rodríguez says that the maps represent a <BR>
>previously untapped source of information. <BR>
>"These maps were all in public archives," <BR>
>including the Wisconsin State Historical <BR>
>Society, says Rodríguez. "However, we could find <BR>
>only one other researcher that had used them, <BR>
>and he dealt with the topic much differently <BR>
>than we have. What we are pursing is not in the <BR>
>realm of legend or myth, but as historical fact <BR>
>and narrative."<BR>
><BR>
>Besides maps, Rodríguez and Gonzales have <BR>
>researched ancient chronicles, pictographs, and <BR>
>oral traditions. They are also studying the <BR>
>spread of plants-including corn and herbs-to <BR>
>track migration.<BR>
><BR>
>"I was taught to follow corn-that is who we, as <BR>
>a people, are," explains Rodríguez. "Looking at <BR>
>the story of this continent, civilization has to <BR>
>do with food, in this case, corn." Corn was <BR>
>first domesticated in southern Mexico at least <BR>
>5,000 years ago, and was moved by humans across <BR>
>the continent, he says.<BR>
><BR>
>"I was drawn to Madison for grad school in part <BR>
>because of the name of the department, which <BR>
>used to be called agricultural journalism," he <BR>
>recalls. "The word ‘agriculture’ with the <BR>
>journalism was a perfect fit with our ideas <BR>
>about corn."<BR>
><BR>
>Rodríguez and Gonzales have visited some of the <BR>
>sites indicated on the maps and have found <BR>
>intriguing possibilities, but no firm evidence <BR>
>of a single migration point, though many of the <BR>
>maps allude to the Salt Lake region. "What is <BR>
>clear," says Rodríguez, "is that the people of <BR>
>this region, from the Utes, Paiutes, Shoshones, <BR>
>Hopis and Yaquis, on south to Mexico and Central <BR>
>America, spoke a common language and were <BR>
>related. But many other people were also related <BR>
>via maize and trade."<BR>
><BR>
>###<BR>
><BR>
>Rodríguez and Gonzales recently organized a UCLA <BR>
>symposium <BR>
>(<a href="http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/chavez/Aztlanahuac/index.htm)">http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/chavez/Aztlanahuac/index.htm)</a> <BR>
>examining the migrations and origins of native <BR>
>people, and displayed 40 of the ancient maps <BR>
>they have studied. They also spoke at a <BR>
>UW-Madison conference called "Who Owns America," <BR>
>sponsored by the Land Tenure Center.<BR>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>
>This story has been adapted from a news release <BR>
>issued by University Of Wisconsin-Madison.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</tt><br><br>
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