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 myndreach
philosopher
 
Registered: 08/07/04
Posts: 2,368
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 Discoveries in the persuit of my PhD in Literature...Mayan 
#4085827 - 04/22/05 05:15 PM (18 years, 11 months ago) |
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I'm persuing a PhD in literature. I recently came upon this old Mayan chant translated to mean "The Beginning of Sickness". It is a sort of longing for the time before the Europeans came, when things were better for the Mayan people.
Then they adhered to their reason.
There was no sin;
in the holy faith their lives were passed.
There was then no sickness;
they had then no aching bones;
they had then no high fever;
they had then no smallpox;
they had then no burning chest;
they had then no abdominal pains;
they had then no consumption;
they had then no headache.
At that time the course of humanity was
orderly.
The foreigners made it otherwise when
they arrived here.
They brought shameful things when
they came [...]
this was the cause of our sickness also.
There were no more lucky days for us;
we had no sound judgment.
At the end of our loss of vision,
and of our shame,
everything shall be revealed.
Here is another one from The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel entitled The Europeans Arrive
They came from the East when they
arrived.
Then Christianity also began.
The fulfillment of its prophecy is
ascribed to the east [...]
Then with the true God, the true DIOS,
came the beginning of our misery.
It was the beginning of tribute,
the beginning of church dues,
the beginning of strife with purse-
snatching,
the beginning of strife with blow-guns;
the beginning of strife by trampling on
people,
teh beginning of robbery with violence,
the beginning of forced debts,
the beginning of debts enforced by false
testimony,
the beginning of individual strife,
a beginning of vexation.
That one is interesting in its use of certain words. It is readily apparent in this chant how the Europeans influenced the Mayan language. Before their arrival, there were no such words as "Christianity", or the "...many other elements associated with a money-based economy (eg., "purse"). With the onslaught of the Christianizing Spanish, the Mayas adapted to and adopted the language-and thus the culture-of their invaders." (Lauter, 4th ed., p.5)
Sad stuff...but beautiful nonetheless. I really enjoy the Mayan chants and writings. You can almost hear the chanting, as a prime characteristic of the Mayan's stories and chants was repetition.
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buckwheat
Cynically Insane
Registered: 12/09/02
Posts: 11,179
Loc: Not Enough Characters to ...
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 Re: Discoveries in the persuit of my PhD in Literature...Mayan [Re: myndreach]
#4086047 - 04/22/05 06:39 PM (18 years, 11 months ago) |
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I've always thought the reason South Americans are the most devout hardcore cristians/catholics is because of they're Mayan,Incan, Aztec ancestry. they are such spiritually strong people to just believe something so much an being so intuitive about it . its a shame that it was replaced with catholisism really makes me sick and even more sickening that this westernization is still going on in places like South America and Africa. 
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In(di)go
People of the sun.
Registered: 10/29/00
Posts: 8,157
Loc: Cologne, Germany
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Re: Discoveries in the persuit of my PhD in Literature...Mayan [Re: buckwheat]
#4086256 - 04/22/05 07:56 PM (18 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
mindcandy said:
I've always thought the reason South Americans are the most devout hardcore cristians/catholics is because of they're Mayan,Incan, Aztec ancestry. they are such spiritually strong people to just believe something so much an being so intuitive about it . its a shame that it was replaced with catholisism really makes me sick and even more sickening that this westernization is still going on in places like South America and Africa.
i completely agree, man!
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myndreach
philosopher
Registered: 08/07/04
Posts: 2,368
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Re: Discoveries in the persuit of my PhD in Literature...Mayan [Re: In(di)go]
#4086317 - 04/22/05 08:13 PM (18 years, 11 months ago) |
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Yeah...it's horrendously sad how they have been changed by religion.
"This is for the people of the Sun..."
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idiotek
Registered: 02/06/04
Posts: 40,728
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Re: Discoveries in the persuit of my PhD in Literature...Mayan [Re: myndreach]
#4086474 - 04/22/05 08:58 PM (18 years, 11 months ago) |
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i love that song, man..
that whole situation reminds me of the south park episode with starvin' marvin, and the missionaries basically trade food for religion.
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myndreach
philosopher
Registered: 08/07/04
Posts: 2,368
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Re: Discoveries in the persuit of my PhD in Literature...Mayan [Re: idiotek]
#4086549 - 04/22/05 09:21 PM (18 years, 11 months ago) |
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Great song, yeah. To me, it is talking about how the great Mextica peoples have been basically destroyed and led to think that they are conquered. It's a mentality...that song is saying, "Stop this mentality...rise up and reclaim your heritage!"
"Since 1516 minds attacked and overseen
Now crawl amidst the ruins of this empty dream...
...Yeah, never forget that the wip snapped your back
Your spine cracked for tobacco, oh I'm the Marlboro man...
...The fifth sun sets, get back reclaim
The spirit of Cuahtemoc alive and untamed
Now face the funk now blastin' out your speaker, on the one Maya, Mexica
That vulture came to try and steal your name
But now you got a gun, yeah this is for the people of the sun...
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In(di)go
People of the sun.
Registered: 10/29/00
Posts: 8,157
Loc: Cologne, Germany
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Re: Discoveries in the persuit of my PhD in Literature...Mayan [Re: myndreach]
#4088657 - 04/23/05 01:56 PM (18 years, 11 months ago) |
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the people of the sun...
i actually grew up in ecuador... and i miss it so much... it is true, that most people are totally screwed over by religion, but the ones that free their mind from church end up in a seriously evolved spiritual path... they are so deeply devolved and in tuch with god it makes me awe to even think about it... luckily tomorrow i am going down there to visit the family i still have and a lot of friends... 4 weeks of ecuador, nothing better to cleanse my soul...
let the sun come back...
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