The bowhunting is a form of archaic venation that is spreading a bit 'all over the world. Certainly not a practice simple, on the contrary requires a lot of specialization. But what really exercise stimulus in humans "modern"? A path to the romance of the past of our culture ideographic hunting or something much deeper, to the archetypal roots of our evolution?
America counts millions of bow hunters, with specific rules and timetables that start early with respect to a firearm. It is a country with a culture different from our hunting, in many respects, as well as habitats and wildlife, which are much closer to the philosophy of the wilderness that we read books on Conrad and Thoreau. Only one hundred and fifty years ago on the plains bison are hunted with a bow, and a hundred years ago in the forests of the west the natives still hunt white-tailed deer, done at twenty yards with his bow and arrows hidden by vegetation. The trapper who explored the frontier had more in common with the Indians than with the inhabitants of old Europe, originally came from where, through a mechanism of forced integration, imitation and adaptation of the immanence of the wild environment in which they moved . It is natural that after all this heritage has recently taken hold, with the pressure of a romantic and functional natural world on a scale of 3 to 1 compared to the old continent. In the 30's already U.S. states legalized hunting with a bow.
In our part of spoken language Hunting result of a different culture and complex, partly made of ancient traditions where hunting is an ancient privilege of the rich and noble, in the modern part of evolved out of necessity after the war impoverishment, and partly vitiated by the contemporary political compromise economic equation-sport-hunting business. From the eighties was the terminus also an alternative vision, first result of the progressive dissolution of the environment and the subsequent peasant pastoral ecosystem change itself, which has allowed the wildlife to regain some of its spaces, and second thanks to the spread of a particular community: the adolescent dreams of the generation that grew and fed by symbols, movies, books, magazines and outdoor adventure overseas did sprout like concrete "wild" our ", which forms between the metaphorical well identify the bow and arrow hunting in a pseudo-archaic.
Since '76 Italian law has understood the arc between the means used without, indeed, to outline the details. Regions and Provinces restricting or even banning then this possibility, and in general is still much to do, but today many young hunters are turning ideally bow and arrows, as well as many fans arc, driven by curiosity (sometimes deep drive) looking for substantive responses to the relationship with nature to its own nature, to the mysterious conflict between his instinct and reason: responses difficult, perhaps impossible, but very intriguing. Questions really old.
The bow and arrows in hunting can be seen as a metaphor for a cultural transitions of the most devastating in our evolution. I refer to the "Neolithic Revolution" in which a man from hunter-gatherer-farmer becomes pastor. At that time clouded by centuries, the arch itself as the revolutionary "strike at a distance," the medium improved and more selective to optimize hunting instrumental point of view. Leaves behind him the spear, the engine (other clouded "innovation" brilliant) and the other hunters who need a larger energy expenditure.
Ortega said that the increased efficiency of weapons has nothing to do with hunting [1] , and it is certainly so from a philosophical point of view (now), but in the Upper Paleolithic, in the face of the devastating ice age its peak, the necessity of an adaptive sampling system selectively and effectively becomes really strong, and comes from far away in time. The fact that in most parts of the prehistoric world, around twenty thousand years ago (witness the many arrowheads found) has now established the creation of a new ballistic system, provides a stimulating starting point for getting into this metaphor. To understand it better, it is useful paleoanthropology [2] .
Bowhunting admirably symbolizes the act of striking at a distance that is probably in the development of human consciousness, characterizing activity stronger. I'll try to explain why.
The ability of active offense is definitely very early in dell'ominazione, and our species is the only one to strike effectively at a distance thus assuming the characteristics of the predator par excellence (The super-predator predator or better overall). Limit and avoid physical contact with the threat or prey is an innovative modification of the behavior of sequential and at the same time disruptive psychic, having a direct bearing on natural selection. In addition to this acquired capacity design of sequential actions, spread deception planning, referring to the control of emotions during the different phases of the action (research, stalking, throwing, injury, tracking, retrieval and consumption of the carcass). This whole set of attitudes neo-, peri our ancestors, can be summarized in the concept of strategy of 'waiting. Deceit is to predict what you see at a distance, throwing something (rock, two-faced, spear, arrow, bullet, etc.). [3] .
strategy of waiting and complexity of the deception are closely related to the development and implementation of a deliberate project in constant change, this results in accordance with a sequence of actions that have resulted in the delay of the possibility of feeding quickly. In summary: the silence, movement, wind direction and the simulation in order to allow the approach, tracking, launch, wounding, pursuit, capture, possession, handling, removal, consumption of prey.
The inability to sustain a physical confrontation, especially with carnivores, has led to our ancestors, the development of strategies to bring to quickly secure the animal carcass or parts of it. This timeline describes
promotes visual and sensory images and events in a chronological and spatial cognitive development by stimulating the human mind and in particular the development of articulate speech as a result of experience, and assimilation of 'adaptation. The sequence becomes a visual reminder, a symbol and the event is recounted, and the time sequence of actions is never repetitive but not, on the contrary changes continuously and constantly, thus they experience constantly tested and refined and however, led to the development of different strategies depending on the circumstances, fine-tuning the memory, memory and creativity at the same time. It is the exaltation of the process defined by Bateson [4] "calibration" and is probably in this context that the arrangements for recovery of the food may have played an important role in this evolutionary mechanism, not indifferent to the sourcing strategies.
For men it is often a long wait at the end of the beginning of predation, of hopes, fears, strong emotion, however, always violently suppressed to avoid the risk of attracting the attention of deception already prepared or committed, to achieve the goal represented by the capture of prey. This behavior can be divided into five phases: The first phase is represented by the approach to the furtive prey carefully, including with regard to camouflage the smell, slower and more circumspect in their movements, cancellation of any noise. This phase is basically the same for all predators, including man who wants to throw his projectile primitive. The second phase is the active one, concerning the possible injury of prey: Man, unlike all the other predators, striking from a distance. An arrow that flies subrogation the leap of leopards. That 's what we have defined the term deception. In this stage the difference is remarkable compared to carnivores, especially the behavioral and psychological. The carnivore attacks with great force and violence, safe speed, claws and fangs, his discharge in the adrenaline puissance muscle in disruptive action.
The man, however, in silence and the most physical of its cancellation, but with great speed, striking the prey with something that starts from his hands, sometimes not even realizing what is happening. He does not move and can not cheer for the target-centered and can only continue to think, observe whether what he has just turned achieved its purpose, can not imagine changing it in the future and change it in the future, but is obliged to contain the possible joy of hitting. The prey does not run away, should not become easy targets of other carnivores and can not be lost. We must wait, wait for the thrown object is doing its job. And 'this attitude among the people known hunters and gatherers after the wounding of the animal is important to recover as soon as possible, preferably as close as possible. In Savannah everyone sees everything, especially an animal in distress becomes easy prey for other carnivores, and so could jeopardize the job done. You must recover, rapidity, and it is always a problem to carry. Better to cut quickly, before they get depezzare other predators attracted by the flight of vultures. It 's a work by surgeons, she did prehistoric times with sharp shards. At this point you back to base camp, where he eventually quit the camouflage and silence. The air of deception fades and finally becomes reality: the impromptu. Everything becomes common and project more or less complex (with its phases, its objects, its rhythms) becomes a symbol, both in a functional society, possibly to imitate and then to play, even with the development of variants .
imitate and reproduce are the consequences of a real celebration of the hunting that takes place in their community. Celebration means that in the beginning probably a hunter's elevation to a higher rank, with what it could achieve. Not for the actual intake of proteins or fats that provides the hunter (as is common ground the meat obtained from a report venation has edible protein-risk and high consumption), other proteins and fats can easily be the result of a collection system highly specialized (small animals that crawl and wag their tails, easier and less dangerous to be caught), but the wild game is valuable for what it represents. Among the apes hunting is the social mechanism, and is proven as the prey may represent, for the male, traded with attentions of females.
activity Hunting requires that hunters communicate with each other and act in a coordinated manner, which gave a valuable adaptive intelligence and communication skills to hunt and chase prey potentially dangerous. In addition, based on recent studies in neurophysiology [5] , the areas responsible for acquiring data for calculating the trajectory and the pre-programming of the movement of "launching" (in any expression of projecting something into the biomechanics target) can be identified with the well-known areas of Broca and Wernicke, who just happened are the same involved in the process of articulate speech. As the ear hears and the brain prepares a response, the mouth and lips produce phonemes. In the launch, the target perceives the stereoscopic vision, the brain appreciates distance, speed, performs automatic processing and the response occurs simultaneously with the launch, with no objective biomechanical awareness of the infinite chain of actions that must be fulfilled. On reflection, the best hunters that "hit at a distance" thus become "breeding" more areas, and consequently winning the propagators of genes also in communication.
comes natural, then, to renew the act of primordial venation of its symbolic importance that transcends the quantitative aspect of the resource Elementary, fading in the act itself, which sees the hunter as a prominent member of his community, where its share in the eternal act of the mystery of the natural loss with the unexpected self-consciousness.
The bow and arrows reflect an extreme evolution of technological tools to strike at a distance in this strategy of deception and waiting, and brilliant improved dramatically but still connected with the "launch" primordial. From the Neolithic revolution (which in our country has made its appearance eight thousand years ago) the hunter gradually loses its role as leader of the Clan, as a purveyor of wild meat, in a change that affects deeply the general structure of society: the cultivation of the land and start little by little, the domestication of wild animals first and then the sheep. Especially the end nomadism and created the property, soil conservation "private" fierce (witness the discovery of human skeletons with clear signs of violence, almost absent in societies hunters) and the hunter, because of his skill with the ' arc easily becomes a warrior. Still keeps his job while decreasing the real need (the paleofauna evidenced by the findings of the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, where the arrows continue to leave traces. In the Age Classical and Medieval Hunt takes on other values \u200b\u200bin the West, which paradoxically reaffirm the symbolic component of the hunter-leader with its privileges, but with other clothes that are cultural ways and different techniques. The bow hunting still remains and spread "socially", especially in the east.
Bowhunting today is therefore a way step into the shoes of our ancestors, a metaphor in the balance between ancient and modern culture. From a functional standpoint, the weapon itself has powers to require such an absolutely antiedonistica discipline in the sense that the quality of the process is pursued through a de-structuring of the total utilitarian model (or worse, consumerism) today dear to contemporary life, without intermediaries natural resources. Hunting, however, mean sacrifice, the higher the greater the strength of his message. What is certain is that today the "contamination" of the consumer have to lose weight to some concepts, and unfortunately also hunting around the world.
The prehistoric hunter probably also hunted for its own sake, but also drove to solve his drama: bridging the gap between being provided with a clear reasoning in development and manifestations of nature around him, making her chase a rite celebration, a sort of bridge between his lost animal and the role the incipient status of being "intelligent."
Hunting modern compared to its ancestral model retains its background in this, and hunting with the bow it captures the most obvious attributes. The need for extreme and critical of the approach shot, together with the difficulty of building and maintain their own weapons (and their own physical) precipitates the problem at its root.
Who knows who has tried to ten meters a boar can be fooled with a good technique in the senses (sight, hearing, smell), but if the bulky volitività killing the hunter is strong and uncontrolled, there's no way of do so. Formerly hunters possessed this quality, and the warriors they knew of these perceptions or instincts, and were trained to perceive (the defense) or masking (in the attack). To relegate the ego in a corner, and mechanistic rationality at home, trying to flow in the events in a "natural" and essential, Animal, seems to be difficult and the only prescription. Who better than an animal ruled by instinct can only apply this rule? The wild instincts these saves, the man would recover it. Here's more reason that makes the difference in the choice of the weapon, difference (from one hundred to ten meters) and most likely reveals a difficult and challenging chapter, for which the meat rich, or the trophy, often succumb importance.
Vittorio Brizzi
[1] Ortega Y Gasset J., 1986, Meditations on Happiness, and Sugarco.
[2] Summary from personal communication with author Carlo Peretto, University of Ferrara, 1999
[3] Deceit Of course this is also prey which is not seen with the aid of natural or man-made traps that are inspected, for example, during the day, deception is the ability to steal or take advantage of the prey of other predators with active and deliberate actions rational deception is also change in the act of conscious perception of themselves and others, the processes of understanding and social relationships typically consist, the deception is 'symbolic processing (material, social and spiritual) when in the fruit of our mind, and therefore entirely subjective.
[4] Gregory Bateson, 1984, Mind and Nature, Basic Books, pp.251 -260
[5] See William H. Calvin, 1991, The Ascent of Mind, Backprint.com, Lincoln NE
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