Humans are systematically programmed to embark on this quest their whole lives to uncover a truth, or multiple, or the truth. As I entered ASTU, I was able to zone in on how individuals, with this goal of seeking the truth,have tendencies to use various methods to preserve histories and turn the personal memory into a collective one. Recently, I had paid a visit to Amazonia exhibit from UBC’s Museum of Anthropology. It was interesting there, to witness how these objects which were handmade and used by the Amazonian peoples were physically encased with glass, left for the public to observe and absorb fragments of what their lifestyles could have been. What really struck me during my museum visit is how these artefacts are maintained and the originals, physical copies are kept for the public eye, truly allowing us to step into the time of the Amazonian peoples and to obtain a deeper insight of their day-to-day routines.
As I was wandering around with my goal of finding the capital-T truth of what Nuno was attempting to convey through his exhibit, a single question resonated in my head – why? As the curator, why did Nuno handpick these specific items to represent and shape our knowledge of the history of the Amazonian peoples, and through what type of process did he undergo in taking care to select these few to celebrate this group of individuals? And, what kind of effect did he want to leave on the witness with these items?
Out of all of the artefacts, the latex figurines of the animals stood out to me the most. At first, they caught my attention because my initial reaction to seeing them, was that they looked just like ordinary plastic toys, how strange was it that they were incorporated in this exhibit. However, upon reading the description, I discovered that these were not just plain old toys, they represented the product and means of survival of the soldiers back in the period of World World II. Additionally, this handicraft of creating latex models was a longstanding tradition of the Indigenous population. In the process of scrutinizing the models, I realized that they were all created in the form of various animals cohabiting in their homes, namely a crocodile, monkey, parrot, snakes, a toucan, turtles, and fish. This speaks to the significance of animals to Indigenous culture. This concept was previously addressed by the documentary we watched about the controversial seal hunt, how animals are frequently linked to the Natives’ means of survival, hence they serve as symbols of great reverence. While putting my version of what those models mean vis-à-vis with the Natives’ version of truth, it is easily recognizable that mine derives from a Westernized, contemporary, and more well-off lifestyle, whereas how the Indigenous peoples relied strictly on nature to cultivate land and prosper. Living in a completely different environment than the Amazonian peoples, I am used to pointing out the latex figurines as children’s toys and tools to encourage imagination and creativity, and typically not thinking about where such items originate.
As I delve into the cultural differences and how they may alter our knowledge of the Truth, I must acknowledge that Bourdieu’s theory and utilizing a Sociology disciplinary lens helped me understand the exhibit best. Bourdieu speaks to how two different people can look at the exact same thing, yet associate contradicting terminology, meanings, symbols, and emotions to it, due to their unique personal experiences. In the eyes of the Amazonians, these models, were more symbolic of remains of their struggles in the past. It is noted that they are not given the term “toys”, unlike how an individual in the middle or higher class would deem it to be – an innocent plaything gifted to adolescents. Bourdieu helps us acknowledge that aspects such as race, gender, class, and so on will produce a multiplicity of truths. Connecting this idea back to ASTU, we have repeatedly addressed that there is no such thing as the Truth, but an infinite amount of experiences and memories, which transform into what we believe is the real truth. Misconceptions and cultural clashes are frequent among individuals of disparate backgrounds, which are included in the dangers of knowing only a single story. From here, we can see that it is necessary to always seek a diversified collection of truths, and question what we’re seeing.