Olson, Bruce. Bruchko. Lake Mary: Creation House, 1973.
“He smiled and nodded. ‘Bruchko,’ he said. He turned and happily told it to one of the other men near him. ‘Bruchko.’ The fellow repeated it tentatively. ‘Bruchko.’ Soon the entire group had spread it around. ‘Bruchko,’ they repeated, pointing at me. So I was Bruchko” (90).
This says something about the Motilone Indians, but something more about society. The Motilone wanted to be just like Bruce and were excited to correctly mimic him (even though they didn’t). Why is it that the more primal culture always wants to move closer to the more technological, and never the other way around? And is it so far of a stretch to say that in this mimicry, they might lose their own way of doing things?
On the other hand, concealed within that quote is a willingness to sacrifice for the Motilone Indians, but only if necessary. He tries to correct them as they mispronounce his name, but when he sees no hope left of changing what they say is his name, he finally sacrifices it. This is a large sacrifice, as most people find labels, and especially names, to be of great importance. In most societies, the name is something you become attached to, something that forms a part of your identity.
No comments:
Post a Comment