23 min
It’s History that Makes us Human Accidentally Historic
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- History
Omaha’s Trans-Mississippi Exposition in 1898 hosted an “Indian Congress” made up of representatives from several Native American tribes brought in to show visitors a last look at a “dying nation” poised to yield to “the greatest civilization of the world’s history,” that being the American settlers that had taken over the West. Odds are the creators of the Exposition were every bit as intelligent as we are, so we’ll assume their assessment made sense to them at time, but 125 years later most folks are shocked at the disregard of the native cultures and some suggest “genocide” may be a more accurate term than “yield.” How could attitudes shift so markedly in such a short period of time? And will our thinking right now seem just as appalling in another 125 years? It’s complicated, but anthropologist/historians Kat Slaughter and Troy Stolp take on the question in this episode.
Omaha’s Trans-Mississippi Exposition in 1898 hosted an “Indian Congress” made up of representatives from several Native American tribes brought in to show visitors a last look at a “dying nation” poised to yield to “the greatest civilization of the world’s history,” that being the American settlers that had taken over the West. Odds are the creators of the Exposition were every bit as intelligent as we are, so we’ll assume their assessment made sense to them at time, but 125 years later most folks are shocked at the disregard of the native cultures and some suggest “genocide” may be a more accurate term than “yield.” How could attitudes shift so markedly in such a short period of time? And will our thinking right now seem just as appalling in another 125 years? It’s complicated, but anthropologist/historians Kat Slaughter and Troy Stolp take on the question in this episode.
23 min