Human evolution: the earliest writing (Introduction)

by David Turell , Tuesday, March 12, 2024, 20:38 (46 days ago) @ David Turell

On a Pacific Island:

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGxSHglSHQfdqbdkxSKmfKbRnvg

"Welcome back to Our Human Story, New Scientist’s monthly newsletter all about human evolution and the origin of our species. This month, we’re trying to figure out whether the people of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) invented their own writing.

"When we think about the invention of writing, we generally think about Eurasia and Africa. It might bring to mind Mesopotamia in western Asia and the invention of cuneiform, or perhaps Egyptian hieroglyphics.

"As a rule, we don’t think about isolated Pacific islands. But maybe we should. On Rapa Nui in the eastern Pacific, people carved symbols called Rongorongo onto wooden tablets. It has never been deciphered, but many linguists think it’s writing.

"Here is the thing. Europeans first noticed Rongorongo over a century after they first reached the island. So it has been suggested, even assumed, that the Rapa Nui people did not invent it independently, but got the idea from literate Europeans.

"There is now tentative evidence that that story is wrong. One of the wooden Rongorongo tablets seems to be centuries old, meaning it dates from long before the European arrival. The implication is that Rongorongo is nothing less than an independent invention of writing – one that took place in a context drastically dissimilar to all the others where this milestone was passed. It is, as they say, huge if true.

"This is one of those stories with a lot of moving parts. On the one hand, it’s about the technical questions of how old the Rongorongo scripts are and whether they qualify as writing. But it’s also about European prejudices against Indigenous cultures, especially during the colonial period – the consequences of which are still playing out today. (my bold)

Comment: note the bold. Same as the comment in the previous entry today. An influenced of "The Descent of Man'?