3 ms·

Saw some little youtube documentary about a group in mexico trying to resurrect the ball game. I have a feeling it would be tough to weigh where to keep things

by dmn322 3y ago

Saw some little youtube documentary about a group in mexico trying to resurrect the ball game. I have a feeling it would be tough to weigh where to keep things to 100% to what we know vs. filling in the blanks to make it more entertaining. Seems to have been going on during the olmec period too which would indicate at least around 3000 years of play... lots of different variations over that time. Tough to decide which one to pick.

b112 3y ago
Tough to decide which one to pick. This is what makes me very sad, for those trying to recover their culture. For example, there are many Native Canadians trying to recover their culture and language, their history. And I wish them all success! But at the same time, I often see such discussions talking as if that culture was static. Unchangeable. "This is how we did it", from elders, which barely remember anything other than the fading memories of ther great grandparents. Instead, I hope that such culture can be brought back, but with an understanding of "what if such culture was not wiped out, but instead, stayed alive and existed through change to modern times". An example would be food, and dance, and music, and stories. All of these would transition to modern mediums, and tools, and yet, still stem from the past, while simultaneously being influenced by the widening world, and expanded trade, and so on. I think the greatest loss is not the way things were, past culture, because everyone loses that, humans always change, regardless of technology. Instead, the greatest loss is what could have been today. And I would love to see what could have been.
- dmn322 3y ago
  I agree but unfortunately those things are lost and such a revival is impossible. The best we can do is try to deeply understand what was lost and why they were lost and how to prevent similar loss in the future. Unfortunately we just repeat the same patterns because it's logically impossible for it to ever be a pressing problem for those with power and representation, so they're never motivated to solve it.

by dmn322 3y ago

b112 3y ago

Tough to decide which one to pick. This is what makes me very sad, for those trying to recover their culture. For example, there are many Native Canadians trying to recover their culture and language, their history. And I wish them all success! But at the same time, I often see such discussions talking as if that culture was static. Unchangeable. "This is how we did it", from elders, which barely remember anything other than the fading memories of ther great grandparents. Instead, I hope that such culture can be brought back, but with an understanding of "what if such culture was not wiped out, but instead, stayed alive and existed through change to modern times". An example would be food, and dance, and music, and stories. All of these would transition to modern mediums, and tools, and yet, still stem from the past, while simultaneously being influenced by the widening world, and expanded trade, and so on. I think the greatest loss is not the way things were, past culture, because everyone loses that, humans always change, regardless of technology. Instead, the greatest loss is what could have been today. And I would love to see what could have been.

dmn322 3y ago
I agree but unfortunately those things are lost and such a revival is impossible. The best we can do is try to deeply understand what was lost and why they were lost and how to prevent similar loss in the future. Unfortunately we just repeat the same patterns because it's logically impossible for it to ever be a pressing problem for those with power and representation, so they're never motivated to solve it.