50-55 Summary
Return to History 8 Human Origins Bone From a Dry Sea
Summary: During this chapter, Li swam into the ocean and played with dolphins early in the morning, without the tribe noticing. Later on, as she swam to shore, Presh, the tribe leader, regained his dominance over Li by stating that he told her to go swim with the dolphins. This was then celebrated by the tribe. "... Presh moved with a dancelike strut along the shore, turning and stamping on the rocks and punching the air with his hand..." (52). A few days later, Ma-ma went into labor. She brought Li along to witness the birth. She began to wonder, "where had he come from? ...How could he be made? If he wasn't made, where had he been?" (54). Ma-ma received a gift of a shell with a hole in it, and Li made her a necklace. This then "became a custom in the tribe, something they did because it felt right..." (55).
Role of a ritual and leadership: Different rituals in the tribe were used for different things. Most included things such as yelling and dancing together. Rituals were used to show praise, and to celebrate accomplishments that they had. "...[Presh] made [Li's] triumph into his triumph, telling them to praise both Li and himself as bringers of wonders. Leadership in tribes helped keep things under control and in line. It helped groups run smoothly without people competing with each other over who would be the leader. When Li rode the dolphins, she had done something that no one else in the tribe had done; therefore, she showed up Presh, the leader. "If Li had been an adult male Presh would at one have displayed at him and faced him down, and if necessary fought him. But Li was a child, and children didn't have that kind of triumph." (51). Presh needed to find a way to outshine Li, so he took her triumph and made it his, so that he would still be thought of as the leader of the tribe.
Adornment: In the case of this certain tribe, adornment would be in the form of wearing a woven necklace with a shell. This necklace showed that the wearer was a new mother and that she and the tribe should be proud. This first became a custom when "Li threaded some of Ma-ma's hairs through [the shell} and tied them so that it dangled against her shoulder." (55). There could be different types of adornment, such as clothing, piercings, hair braiding, facial hair, or tattoos. Adornment in a tribe was used to distinguish the wearer from the others of the tribe. Most types of adornment were meant to catch the attention and eye of the others and to show rank or an achievement.
Sources: Quotes found from A Bone from a Dry Sea, image found from [1]
Dickinson, Peter. A Bone from a Dry Sea. New York: Bantman Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers. 1992. Print.
Hannah Cohen
