> "Robert J. Chassell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Deborah Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> said >> Animals suitable to be domesticated must, in >> general, have a native hierarchy ... > That is extemely interesting. For whatever reason, > I never thought of it.
Well, it's not exactly my original thinking; 'be the leader' is the big theme in current horsemanship training, and has been important in dog training for a while. I'm fairly sure I read it during the past ten years, in books on animal behavior; IIRC, it was articulated at least partially in _Guns, Germs And Steel_ also. >> In one sentence: domesticated animals were bred from >> those with a strong social hierarchy or family >> structure which humans could usurp, with an emphasis >> on juvenile (and therefore dependent) as well as >> territorial behaviors, in breeding programs, in >> addition to the desired characteristics of milk/meat >> production, strength, swiftness etc. > That whole posting helps make sense of the > pre-industrial, agricultural world -- it is terrific (and > terrifying). With attacks this week by a bear (Tenn., fatal outcome) and a cougar (here, child survived), we are reminded of why our far ancestors were so afraid of and awed by Nature, and the creatures therein. That first alliance with social wolves must have had a tremendous impact on hunter-gatherers: here were allies who could see in the dark, smell from afar, and race to attack, while puny humans had to cower near a fire or risk being carried off by equally 'magic' predators. So too, the reverence for Cow by the ancients: provider of milk, meat, and covering, and able to pull far heavier loads (plow) than humans alone; and to the needs of humans these large creatures *submitted* (more or less quietly). "Familiarity breeds contempt" -- in myth, the Hound is a near-sacred partner of the Hunter, and the Bull sacrifices his great strength to humanity's survival. Now, 'cur,' 'cow,' 'bitch,' and 'bullshit' are terms of scorn; our foreparents would find our use of them blasphemous. I think one of the reasons some people have gotten on a Native American kick (or DownUnder, an aboriginal kick) is to recapture that sense of wonder at the creatures that, at one time, meant Life or Death. I can see why a God or Goddess would appear as Cow or Wolf or Ram... Debbi Equus Of The Shining Mane! Maru __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
