Highgate

Tuesday

Back to the Future

"New analysis of the language and gesture of South America's indigenous Aymara people indicates a reverse concept of time"

"...Contrary to what had been thought a cognitive universal among humans – a spatial metaphor for chronology, based partly on our bodies' orientation and locomotion, that places the future ahead of oneself and the past behind – the Amerindian group locates this imaginary abstraction the other way around: with the past ahead and the future behind."

"...Analysis of the gestural data proved telling: The Aymara, especially the elderly who didn't command a grammatically correct Spanish, indicated space behind themselves when speaking of the future – by thumbing or waving over their shoulders – and indicated space in front of themselves when speaking of the past – by sweeping forward with their hands and arms, close to their bodies for now or the near past and farther out, to the full extent of the arm, for ancient times. In other words, they used gestures identical to the familiar ones – only exactly in reverse." (Physorg.com)

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't fucking get it. Sounds like a big put-on by a prank-loving people. A "Look at the stupid Gringo" kind of thing. But maybe they've tripped too much DPT.

the le duo said...

Mork & Mindy anyone?

Tanner M. said...

you mean, E.P.T. right?

Anonymous said...

"DPT is a relatively uncommon psychedelic tryptamine with effects somewhat similar to those of N,N-DMT. It is best known for having been used as a sacrament by the Church of the True Inner Light." -Vaults of Erowid

DMT (organic, plant-sourced version)

I've experimented with the former. The latter is EXTREMELY hard to come by. Perhaps I shall go to Peru one day...

Tanner M. said...

hey i'm a cool cat, i've see Altered States, i'm hip to the scene, I ain't no jive turkey!

Anonymous said...

Casey's comment reminded me of a story I read in one of my anthropology texts in school. Some Haida (you know, "eskimos") were so sick of patronizing graduate anthropology students sniffing around and asking the old folks for folk tales, that they just started making shit up. They'd tell the anthropogists stories they'd read in Cosmo or Reader's Digest or whatever except with animals and "first peoples" replacing the characters.

Anonymous said...

EPT — the pregnancy test?

"Error Proof Test," says Brooke.

Altered States SUX!

It's the reason why I've been so hurt by Hurt all these years. Excepting his recent turn in "A History of Violence," that is.

Haida? I hardly even know her! Har.

Tanner M. said...

word, "history" rocks.

Casey, you want to know the effects of EPT? check out the new video, makes DMT look like a GED.

;)

gd said...

the past and the future are NOW!