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Date: | Tue, 29 Aug 2006 17:11:00 -0400 |
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Marty,
It is a pity I did not think of these things back 25+ years ago when Mary
Price brought me her medicine bag. I did not know chicken from hawk feet then
and probably would not know now. But I did recognize the historical importance
of the items and strove to make her feel comfortable with retaining the bag
and contents for historical and family values. Now that you mention it, I am
sure there are Cherokee historians who could provide answers to all her
questions. But, given her chain smoking back then, I would be surprised if she is
still alive.
Your experience with the Irish immigrants is interesting. Back around 2000,
when I delivered the paper to the SHA on concealments, I sat with a group of
archaeologists in a Greek restaurant. The waitress, who was a Hungarian
immigrant, explained how they ward her houses with items to prevent evil ghosts
from entering during the night. Another person told me Europeans carve
protective marks on the sills, lintels, and other obscure places for the same reason.
They rationalize these practices within variations on Judaeo-Christian
religions, but the root was probably pre-Christian. I am certain the concealed
boot/shoe tradition is non-Christian, as pagans who have been willing to talk
admit as much.
Ron
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