Curtis Zuni Girls

The Curtis Zuni girls seem to be a sad photograph. Everything from the facial expressions, background, color and stances of the figures suggests this. My very first observation in this photograph was the girls. They are standing with depressing expressions on their faces, fully wrapped in blankets and wearing boots allowing only their faces to be shown. They appear to be laboring possibly fetching water for their families. And because of the clothing they are wearing it seems to be cold weather. Both girls have one arm crossed over the other as if to stay as warm as possible. But both girls are wearing boots, which suggests that they either have enough resources to make them.

The fact that their faces are the only skin showing suggests that they live in a culture where women are inferior to men, which could be why they are the ones shown laboring in the picture. Their faces seem dull, no hint of joy. The girl on the left of the image appears to be somewhat forcing a smile, but unsuccessfully convincing the audience that she is in fact happy. Both of their gazes are straight into the lens of the camera which emphasizes them as the main subjects of the photograph. The girl on the right looks relatively young. She appears to only be 17 or 18 years of age, while the girl on the left looks older possibly her mother.

The background of the photograph seems dry, deserted and destitute. The left of the picture seems to be a flat surface that goes on for miles and miles of nothing, while the right has a plateau looking figure. When first looking at the image you would think that there is some kind of drought in the area, but the girls are standing next to a body of water. Perhaps this is the last of the water that exists in the area and even it looks murky and unclean. If this were the case this could add to the reason the girls look so sad. The sepia tone of the photograph also seems to enhance this idea. The orange tone makes everything to appear even more arid. Where is the village they live in? You can’t see any sign of life, which could suggest the girls hiked a long way to fetch water to take back to the village. And the pots on their heads are rather small, so they could possibly have to make more than one trip in a day.

These bodies don’t seem privileged or of high status. They seem underprivileged and deprived of necessities in life. They seem to surrender to someone of a higher position or rank in their community. This figure could possibly be a husband or head of a household. They don’t appear to be powerful bodies, but rather powerless. Whether they are pure or impure isn’t really suggested in this photograph.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12295975@N05/2230297863/in/pool-487771@N21

Prompt 3

The two pictures appear to be mirror images of each other. But although they are mirror images, there are many differences among the two such as the the coloring , structural design, and several other aspects. One of the first major differences in the pictures is the focus. In the first painting the first thing that catches my eye is In Hicks version the Native Americans are on the left of the painting and the Colonial Americans on the right. Through this element the Native Americans seem restricted in their movements and almost forced to take part in this treaty. The Colonists are in close contact with them, huddled on one side. In West’s version the Colonial Americans and Native Americans are out in the open. The Native Americans are more dispersed about the land and the colonists don’t appear to be as forceful with the treaty. The colors of the photos are also very distinct in their differences. The first photo has very vivid colors, which makes it appear more realistic. The second photo has more pastel and dim colors that make it appear like an actual painting. In Hick’s picture the first thing to catch my eye is the Indian with his back to us, while in the West’s it is the mother holding her child. In Hick’s interpretation the mother with her child is in the shadows and hard to see as if unimportant.
In the first image the Native Americans also appear inferior to the colonists because of their postures. They seem to all be seated a few standing in the distance in the back. In the second there are some both seated and standing but those standing seem more involved in interacting with one another. To me this shows a higher status.

Prompt 2

The New World Body is one that European colonists found rather peculiar and unlike any group of individuals they had ever encountered. The “New World Body” was seen differently through each pair of eyes, but most of the observations made had a negative connotation.
In the beginning of the Travel Writings, the Native Americans were seen as lazy and disrespectful of their own bodies. The women were offering their bodies, something seen as pure and innocent by the Europeans, to the settlers as a mode of exchange. This was something new and unusual to the colonist that wasn’t seen as acceptable and therefore rejected.
Later on in Shelvoke’s writings, the “New World Body” was described as threatening, overwhelming, and almost presented as savages. “they even appeared so terrible to our Negroes, who had been born in Guienea (where they are not very polite) that one of them who was sent with the officer on shore, was afraid to stir from the boat, and all the while kept and axe in his hand to defend himself from any that might attack him” (Shelvocke 339-340). In the eyes of the settlers slaves were seen as the lowest level of the hierarchal pyramid, so for even the slaves to feel threatened of these new bodies goes to show that they were truly seen as wild creatures. The European bodies were seen as the powerful and superior race. To further support the idea of Native Americans being savage like, they are later compared to alligators by William Bartram.
The images on the map somewhat correspond to my translation of the “New World Body”.
I don’t feel that the images on the map accurately reflect my definition of the “New World Body”. In these images the Native Americans appear civilized. In my translation of the body from the Travel Writings, they seemed wild and barbaric. The explanation of this could simply be because of the eyes they were seen through. The map could have been designed by a more neutral party, opposed to the skewed vision of the settlers.

Atkinson Extra Credit

What point was the author trying to make with the discussion of plastination in the very beginning?

Prompt 1

Upon reading through the given prompts for this blog entry for the first time, I found myself confused as to what the questions were asking. How do bodies function in my environment? Does this question imply how they function physically or is it metaphorical for what groups of bodies I’m involved in and surrounded by?

If the first question is the correct interpretation then I would say the bodies in my environment are collectively functioning as individuals searching and prodding for answers. We are all seeking to discover meaning in our lives and what our role in this world may be. For some, education is the key that opens these doors to a greater meaning in life and for others it’s the day to day interactions and experiences that broaden our horizons. Whichever it may be, I feel that every body I encounter is searching for the same answers.

Now if the question should be interpreted the second way, there are several different general groups of bodies that function in my environment. There is my social network, which could overlap with all functioning bodies but would be interpreted to my body of friends. There is my church community, which could be seen as a Christian body. My family and relatives would create there own body and also the university student body. If I continued to break down my involvement in different communities I could come up with probably over 20 more bodies that both function in my environment and that I encounter most everyday.

These bodies differentiate their personal identities through the discoveries made in their search for answers. I think that each body makes different discoveries in life and has different experiences that help mold both unique thoughts and attitudes. This uniqueness then allows them to claim their personal identity.