Reading Response for ‘Prehistory of Warfare’ by Leblanc (2003)

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Reading response for ‘Prehistory of Warfare’ by LeBlanc (2003) In the study ‘Prehistory of warfare’, (LeBlanc, 2003), Steven points out some of the many misconceptions that exists about prehistoric Native American culture. The origin of human warfare is of great debate amongst anthropologists. It is widely believed that, due to the availability of plentiful resources, societies who lived as nomadic hunter-gatherers coexisted peacefully and did not have the need to conduct warfare. But it is self-evident that warfare existed in all civilizations who developed methods of recording data like writing and illustrations. It should then be assumed that warfare is endemic to all humans. Personally, it is hard for me to imagine a time where humans coexisted peacefully. I have always assumed that human history was filled with fear and war, and that everyone thought as I did. Prehistoric cultures like the Anasazi had no record keeping and so their culture is more susceptible to various interpretations. Many of the historians who help shape our understanding of past native cultures are themselves descendants of these people, and thus are often bias in their conclusions. Roger is a great example of this; since his work is directly related to his friends and family, he would be inclined to interpret his findings in a way that would reflect positively on his ancestors. This in turn will probably help him receive better cooperation from the native community, but may end up distorting our understanding of past events. Many native cultures around the world have fell victim of external colonizing powers. This perceived victimization drives them to see themselves as such: victims. This defensive posture increases the sensitivity of the topic. No victim likes to have it pointed out that they were conducting themselves in the same manner as their aggressor. Another main argument that

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