The bodies of the Native Americans as described in “Travel Writings”, vary from person to person and the unique experiences and interactions they have had with these peoples. However, nearly all seem to share many common themes, from which one can define the “New World body”-the bodies of these natives in the perspective of these early explorers of America.
The uncivilized nature of the natives is mentioned throughout the texts. John Lawson refers to them as ‘heathens’ on page 335 of the text, even when describing their beauty and comeliness. It is almost as if he thinks it strange for people of such uncivilized nature to be comely or beautiful, which may be why he writes about it in his accounts of his travels. Lawson is not the only one; George Shelvocke also notes the ‘savage appearance’ (339) of the Native Americans he encountered. William Bartram goes as far as to compare the natives to alligators. Through the descriptions of uncivilized nature of these people, the explorers also establish their bodies as threatening ones; George Shelvocke mention his Negros’ fear of the these people, and Samuel Hearne recounts an experience with these people that paints them as downright barbarous.
Another way the New World body is defined by the explorers is an uncovered body. The explorers mention the nudity of these people as well in their writings, because it is strange to them. As Europeans, they find it normal to have one’s bodies covered, as it is private. Thus they mention the stark contrast to their own norms that is expressed in the natives’ lack of clothing. I believe that in these writings, both genders are mentioned about the same, so these bodies are not gendered.
As for the 17th century map, I believe there are a few differences in the definition of the New World body as compared to the one portrayed by the maker of the map. These bodies seem markedly more civilized, while the body was described as much more savage in the travel writings. While some of these people have weapons in the illustrations, they are not wielding them in a threatening manner, and they seem much more like accessories than anything else. Also, most of these bodies are clothed, while the natives in the text were described as naked. This emphasizes the point that definitions are not universal and vary greatly depending on the perspective of the person making the definition.
1 comment:
I agree with Julia's thoughts on the Travel Writings in that many of the Europeans seemed to contradict themselves often. They would speak of the Native American's as being peaceful and friendly, and yet they would still refer to them as wild and uncivilized. The account in which Lawson refers the them as heathens shows how even when the writers are being complimentary and reasonable in their judgements of the Natives, they still view them as being of a lower status. They see their lack of civilization and class as a proof that they are lower human beings than the Europeans themselves.
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