Re: Once Were Warriors

Nils Zurawski (zurawsk@UNI-MUENSTER.DE)
Tue, 4 Apr 1995 08:49:38 +0100

>I was disappointed that discussion about this film ceased on the borders
>of archaeology. I think the film has enormous potential for anthropology.
>Particularly when it is placed in opposition to Forrest Gump. It would
>seem that 'reality' is placed in opposition to 'ideology'. Forrest Gump is
>not reality; but it does generate 'nice' warm feelings about society.
>Once Were Warriors is brutal and not a 'nice' film but depicts the social
>reality for many people.
>Anyone interested?
>
>john ford

1. That sounds like an interesting film. Could anybody send it to me if was
on television? I would come up for the expenses of course.

2. "Does culture belong to anyone? Does any of this matter?" Daniel A,.
Foss asked

Yes, but not only to the anthropolgist, but to all people. Lets have a look
around, Bosnia, Chechenia (is that spelled rightly?) Germany, the USA
wherever...

Everybody belongs to a differnt culture, some live with two or more, but
nobody owns a culture. As Rachel A. Bernhardt pointed out, you can't steal
from another culture. Culture is changing, that's one of its main
attributes. People that are trying to preserve it against change that is
coming along from inside the culutre itself are killing it, so are people
that are trying to change another culture against the will of its people.
The first case happens a lot to migrant cultures - becoming orthodox
because of the situation in the new culture for various reasons.
Genocide in its diffeernt forms would be an example for the latter.


Nils