The English language Wikipedia for the term `Abya Yala` is really poorly written in a way that feels quite diminishing.
Currently the opening sentence is:
"Abya Yala (from the Guna language: 'Abiayala', meaning 'mature land') is used by some Indigenous peoples of the Americas to refer to the Americas. The term is used by some indigenous organisations, institutions, and movements as a symbol of identity and respect for the land one inhabits."
Replying to @liaizon@wake.st
Something like "Abya Yala is an anti-colonial name for the colonized continents commonly referred to as The Americas" feels more appropriate as an opening sentence.
Replying to @liaizon@wake.st
Why the absolute fuck does The World Bank have a section in the definition for `Indigenous peoples`
en.wikipedia.orgIndigenous peoples - WikipediaReplying to @liaizon@wake.st
"People of American descent can be found internationally. As many as seven million Americans are estimated to be living abroad, and make up the American diaspora"
`American diaspora` was merged with `Emigration from the United States` which is entirely not the same fucking thing
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_diaspora&redirect=no
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emigration_from_the_United_States#Estimates_by_country
Replying to @liaizon@wake.st
Should I add a cartoonish image of White people or figure out how to remove this colonialist drawing of Brown people from the `Indigenous peoples of the Americas` page
Replying to @liaizon@wake.st
@liaizon You're comparing apples and oranges. Here's an example for a white indigenous people:
Replying to @raucao@kosmos.social
@raucao having a illustration of "Prominent indigenous ethnic groups in their traditional attire" on the page that was drawn by Gustav Mützel (1839 -1893) a German "famous for his mammal and bird paintings" is fucked up...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_M%C3%BCtzel
en.wikipedia.orgGustav Mützel - WikipediaReplying to @liaizon@wake.st
@liaizon Those are very nice paintings IMO. Not sure why you would consider them "fucked up".
Replying to @raucao@kosmos.social
@raucao If you don't see a huge issue in a German man from the 1800s whos most known for illustrations of birds being the one to illustrate the general description of indigenous peoples I fear there isn't much I can do to persuade you.
Replying to @liaizon@wake.st
@liaizon You could try with at least one actual point instead of nothing at all.
"After the Franco-German War Mützel started illustrating some of the more important encyclopedias of the time"
"Mützel's diverse interests also led to his membership of the German Society for Anthropology, Ethnology and Prehistory and the Association of Berlin Artists."
His resumé is pretty much perfect for illustrating peoples of his time period.
Replying to @raucao@kosmos.social
@raucao are you familiar with postcolonialism?
Replying to @liaizon@wake.st
@liaizon Look, if you have an actual point to make, I'm all ears. I'm really not a fan of insinuations and hand-waving. I always keep an open mind to everything, and I'll gladly consider any actual explanations for your distaste of his work.
So far your *only* point is that the illustration was made by a German (who was qualified to do so). So either you're saying all German artists from his time are somehow inherently unqualified to paint anyone not German (a rather racist view), or... ?
Replying to @raucao@kosmos.social
@raucao you are in my mentions demanding that I explain my post to you? yes I have an actual point to make, but I wasn't writing the post thinking I had to explain the basis of postcolonialism to people on the internet. 1800s encyclopedias are some of the most racist material on earth. And no the argument is not that Germans can't illustrate non Germans, thats absurd. And it has nothing to do with my dislike. I could personally think he is a great illustrator that wouldn't change my point
Replying to @liaizon@wake.st
@liaizon I'm replying to you insinuating that I don't understand something, which you refuse to explain.
If you take your insinuated argument to its logical conclusion, then there's not much left in historic documents to explain much of human history.
Are you saying the Romans' accounts about German tribes should be ignored, because the German regions were Roman colonies? Surely not.