It is so invigorating to be able to take a week long break during the spring semester to come back refreshed and ready to finish up the last weeks at school, but unfortunately this last spring break that passed will be the very last one ever, at least for CNM students.
Spring break has been a pastime since the Greeks and Romans started celebrating a sort of spring ritual, and has been a fad since the 1930s in America, according to content. time.com.
Not all students use the break for decedent debauchery or to have a good time, and for most, the break is a much needed rest for those that have hefty schedules and busy lives to lead.
According to President Winograd’s Blog, starting in January the idea of losing spring break all together was addressed, and was to be addressed by students and staff in a survey.
According to the Media and Communications Office as of Feb 14, “There will no longer be a spring break at CNM.”
It does not seem that this break survey was sent to all students, nor was the issue brought up through MCO until the decision had already been made to ditch the term break.
We all rely on the break for a much needed rest from the semester, and it might just be beneficial to students to just pass it right on by, but will hopefully not affect students to the point of burning them out and making their GPA’s or grades suffer for just a little less of a spring semester.
The First Amendment, which guarantees free-speech rights, is fundamental to the highest ideals of American constitutional democracy and our nation’s system of higher education. However, no court, constitution, law or leader can guarantee any right once and for all, forever into the future. Even constitutionally protected rights need to be monitored, protected, and every attempt to whittle away at them must be vigorously challenged.
Free speech rights at CNM are under threat. Last year, the CNM administration temporarily shut down The CNM Chronicle and suspended the staff over the publication of its “sex issue” and then reversed its decision less than 24 hours later after a deluge of public attention. More recently, new collective bargaining agreements for full-time and part-time faculties contained language designed to prohibit the CNM Employees Union (CNMEU) from using “College resources… for any union business of any type, a political campaign for an individual candidate, an issue or an organization.” In administration’s initial proposal to the part-time faculty negotiating team, of which I was a member, The Chronicle was identified by name as one of those “resources,” though it does not appear in the final collective bargaining agreement.
It is no secret to anyone familiar with the CNM that this administration is obsessively concerned with protecting and polishing its public image. Nothing in the new faculty contracts directly attempts to limit an individual faculty member’s free speech right, but it is naïve to think they are not threatened. The contract clause I quoted is vague. Could it be interpreted to prohibit a union official from responding to an inquiry from a Chronicle reporter? Perhaps. After the new contracts were reported on in the news media, CNM officials issued pronouncements in which they affirmed their support for individual free-speech rights. What is a reasonable person to believe? Is the truth more likely to be found in the actions of CNM administration or in their statements once their actions have been exposed to public scrutiny?
CNM faculty, staff and students are on a “slippery slope,” by which I mean an action or law, initially restricted to a specific situation or group, like The Chronicle or CNMEU, which opens the door for a much broader and possibly illegal application of the same restrictions. For that reason, it is in my self-interest to defend the free-speech rights of The Chronicle and CNMEU because any curtailments of their rights brings CNM one step closer to an attempt at restricting my individual right to free speech. Similar logic compelled the American Civil Liberties Union in 1978 to defend a neo-Nazi group’s right to stage a public political rally complete with swastikas in Skokie, Illinois, where a significant portion of the residents were survivors of the Holocaust. The ACLU’s argument, which was savagely criticized at the time by many of its own members, was that protecting the free-speech rights of a group as odious as the neo-Nazis was necessary to guarantee the free-speech rights of all Americans.
CNMEU and The Chronicle may be the only organizations associated with CNM that administration cannot completely control. At the moment, I am less concerned about the union than I am for The Chronicle because I believe the newspaper has already been targeted for elimination. My suspicion is fueled not by any statement made by an administrator, but by what has already been done: three months after The Chronicle was shut down last March CNM launched The Suncat Times, which is described on the college’s website as a “student newsletter” distributed by email.
“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty” has been attributed to the abolitionist Wendell Phillips, sometimes to Thomas Jefferson, though a similar statement was made as early as 1790 by the Irish political figure John Philpot Curran. The statement is as sound today as it was in the 18th and 19th centuries and I hope it will heeded by liberals and conservatives, libertarians and socialists, people who support unions and people who oppose them, as well as friends of The Chronicle and people at CNM who never read an issue.
Seamus O’Sullivan, Ph.D.
Part-time faculty, political science and sociology
By Carol Woodland, Staff Reporter | Photo by Carol Woodland
New Mexico is full of amazing geological features and students who take Earth and Planetary Sciences courses are able to take advantage of the hands on approach to learning by participating in geological survey field trips.
John Rogers, professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences said that this semester there are six offerings within the department including a special topics course called Geology of New Mexico.
Rogers said he offers all students in Earth and Planetary Sciences the opportunity to take part in the field trips, and hopes to give students the opportunity to go on at least six field trips each semester in his classes.
“We’ve had two trips so far this semester, and we’ll probably have five more before the end of the semester,” Rogers said.
This semester students have been north of Albuquerque to Tent Rocks and to the east side of the Sandia Mountains to touch a geologic feature called the Great Unconformity.
There are also plans to visit the White Mesa area south of the Jemez, and to go on some trips with the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club, he said.
Students who go on the trips are able to collect fossils and minerals for themselves, and for those interested in collecting, the annual Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club trip to Bingham Mine near Socorro is not to be missed, Rogers said.
“We’ll collect barite, calcite, lead minerals, travertine; a whole bunch of stuff,” Rogers said.
Rogers said that while most of his trips are not too strenuous some of them may include several miles of hiking, so he lets students know beforehand how challenging the trips may be and what students need to do to prepare.
CNM is in a great location to study geology, as there are many different landscapes at each campus, Rogers said.
“Just walking between classes is a field trip. I’ve told my students that I don’t know of another campus in the world where you can see the diversity of volcanic features that you can see from CNM’s Main Campus,” Rogers said.
The Physical Geology and Earth History labs also offer students the chance to learn with hands on activities, he said.
Students in the Physical Geology labs are currently learning about geologic maps, and have also spent a lot of time this semester learning to identify different rocks and minerals, and are learning about how Earth’s geologic features work, Rogers said.
Studying geology offers students a chance to develop skills in other subjects as well, such as math and science, Rogers said.
“There is lots of math, biology and chemistry in geology, but you do not need to come in with a strong background,” he said.
Rogers said that while many students take one of the geology classes to fulfill a science credit, some are just taking it because they are interested in rocks, minerals and crystals, and some are pursuing geology as a career.
According to the US Government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics website, bls.gov, the job outlook for geoscientists with a bachelor’s degree is promising, with a 16 percent increase predicted over the next eight years, which is faster than average for most occupations.
“Hopefully our classes sway some of those who were just taking it as a science class to maybe think about going that direction,” Rogers said.
Career possibilities include exploration for minerals or oil, working energy related fields, or environmental work, Rogers said.
“ P e o p l e don’t think of geologists as environmentalists, but a lot of us get work in the environmental realm working for private consultants, working for the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), and working for the New Mexico environment department ,” he said.
There are also jobs working for private consultants looking at geologic hazards and remediation of environmental disasters, as well as in education, Rogers said.
CNM’s Earth and Planetary Science classes all transfer to UNM, including the special topic courses, which, unlike some of the other special topics courses, are eligible for financial aid, Rogers said.
Rogers said that CNM will continue to offer the Geology of New Mexico class in addition to the Physical Geology class and Physical Geology Lab each semester on multiple campuses, Earth History and Earth History Lab, as well as the new Dinosaurs special topics course, which will only be held once or twice a year, he said.
“One of my goals is to just get students thinking about things that they see every day and maybe haven’t contemplated before. Like what is the origin of that hill sitting off in the distance? Is it a volcano?” Rogers said.
A valid CNM ID can be used more than just on campus; various organizations and businesses offer discounts and other perks to CNM students.
A free annual bus pass can be picked up from student services and CNM students can also get a free UNM community library card that allows them access to Zimmerman and other libraries on the UNM campus.
Besides these freebies, there are many discounts available for food, fun, fitness, and lots more, and this is a list of various places around town.
Food
Cheba Hut
Monday student day; free chips and drink with ID and purchase of a sandwich.
232-2432
115 Harvard Drive SE
Sombreros Mexican Restaurant
Students receive a 10 percent discount on Mexican cuisine, open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
266-8226
120 Harvard Drive SE
Street Food Market
Take 10 percent off on Malay, Vietnamese and Thai street food from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
268-1196
2300 Central Ave SE
Fitness
UNM Fitness Center
CNM students can purchase a RecCard and have access to all of the Johnson fitness center including their gym and pool for $40 a semester per person with a $10 fee the first time to create a UNM access card.
277-4347
Johnson Center across from Popejoy on the UNM campus
Flavor Fitness
$40 a month instead of $55 with unlimited classes that include BodyPump, Body Step, Zumba and many more.
280-6462
5600 Menaul Blvd. NE
Tennis Club of Albuquerque
Offers discounts on membership to CNM students, members have access to tennis courts, a fitness center, and pool during the season. Call for more information on summer discounts.
262-1691
2901 Indian School Road
Entertainment
Popejoy Hall
CNM students can receive a 40 percent discount at the UNM Bookstore ticket office for the following shows:
Sherman Alexie, on March 30, at 3 p.m.
Soweto Gospel Choir on April 4 at 8 p.m.
Yesterday Once More: A Musical Tribute to the Carpenters, on April 5 at 8 p.m.
Taikoza, on April 13 at 3p.m.
The Mystical Arts of Tibet on May 31 at 8 p.m.
popejoypresents.com/tickets/cnm-student-discounts
The Guild Cinema
Student tickets are $5 with a valid CNM ID for a variety of independent movies.
255-1848
3405 Central Ave NE
The Kimo Theater
Offers student discounts, but discounts vary depending on show and discounts may not be available for all shows, check with the box office.
768-3522
421 Central Ave NW
Cliffs Amusement Park
Students, staff, faculty and their families can take 20 percent off ticket prices by purchasing tickets ahead of time at cliffsamusementpark.com/
881-9373
4800 Osuna Road NE
Retailers
Frock Star
Take 10 percent off all non-clearance vintage clothing
266-6979
115 Harvard Dr. SE
Artisan Art Supplies
CNM students can take 10 percent off their total purchase with ID.
256-4540
3017 Monte Vista Blvd. NE
Master Touch Automotive
10 percent off all services with student ID.
883-9141
4113 Menaul Blvd. NE
Tom Quirk Automotive
$80 per hour instead of the normal $92.50 for labor.
By Jonathan Baca, Copy Editor | Photo by Jonathan Baca, and courtesy of Wikimedia.org
Courtesy of wikimedia.org The BrailleNote can translate websites into BraillePhoto by Jonathan Baca Disability counselor Lucy Birbiglia shows off an audio book player for blind students.
With a lot of determination, a little help from their friends, and new technologies, blind and visually impaired students are succeeding at getting a college education at CNM.
Blind students have a whole different set of challenges along with all the traditional ones that every college student faces, and although some new devices and technologies have made some things easier, there is no replacement for hard work, said Lucy Birbiglia, counselor for the Disability Resource Center.
“Technology is not a substitute for the student’s work. Students with any disability have to work harder than other students,” Birbiglia said.
Early education major Francine Garcia has been legally blind from birth, and can see some shadows, but no faces or details, she said.
For the obvious challenges to class work like reading and writing, Garcia uses several tools that make it much easier than it once was, she said.
For her textbooks, she uses a device called a Victor Reader Stream, an mp3 player specially designed for the blind, where she keeps all of her textbooks saved as audio books.
At the start of each semester, counselors from the Disability Resource Center help visually impaired students find solutions to their textbooks, whether they are audio files, PDFs that can be read aloud using a program called a screen reader that can read any text on a computer screen out loud, or for students with some limited sight, a magnifier may be all that is needed, Birbiglia said.
Garcia also uses a piece of technology called a BrailleNote, a device that looks like a laptop with no screen, that Garcia can use to type notes and assignments using Braille. The device also has a line of refreshable Braille, an area filled with tiny metal pieces that can pop up and form words of Braille.
Garcia said that she can read textbooks and assignments on her BrailleNote, and can even surf the internet with it, because the refreshable Braille line can translate any text from a website into the bumps and lines of Braille, line by line.
“It’s a really cool tool. It can also read text aloud, and can even translate stuff into Spanish and French. It’s pretty amazing,” Garcia said.
Joseph Diekmeyer, Social Work major, said that he did not go blind until 2003, when he was 23 years old.
Diekmeyer, who is an orphan, said that his glaucoma and the high doses of medications he was made to take caused his eyes to start bleeding heavily one day. He said that at the hospital, doctors gave him medication that forced him into a coma, and when he woke up, he was alone in a homeless shelter, completely blind.
Since then, Diekmeyer has had to learn to live again without sight, never losing the determination and zest for living that he always had, he said.
“People look at me and just see the cane, they don’t see the man behind the cane. They let their eyes deceive them, and just assume they know what I can and can’t do,” Diekmeyer said.
Diekmeyer said he is extremely active and self reliant, using a cane and a talking smart phone with an advanced GPS application to get around town, and all over campus, on his own.
He began attending classes at CNM seven years ago, back when the accommodations for blind students were not nearly what they are today, he said.
“It was extremely difficult because CNM was not set up for blind people as well as they had led me to believe that they were. They boasted about all these things, but when I got here it was not happening at all,” Diekmeyer said.
Diekmeyer said that things have improved a lot, but that there is still a lot of work to do, particularly around the subject of sensitivity training for instructors and staff.
Birbiglia said that there is no mandatory training for instructors on how to deal with the special needs of disabled students, although she would like to see some happen.
Each disabled student is given an Accommodations sheet that is created by their counselor, that describes the special needs that the student will have in class, like having chalkboard notes or PowerPoint presentations read out loud for them, Birbiglia said.
But some instructors do not always do these things happily, and sometimes do not feel the need to do them at all, Diekmeyer said.
He said that he has brought up the problem several times to deans and administrators, and that he takes it upon himself to personally try to educate people on how they can best interact with him and other blind students.
“I’ve said that I will personally sit down and take the time to instruct people and show them. The school needs sensitivity training for the faculty and staff, and maybe even some of the students,” Diekmeyer said.
He said that he has fallen into open trenches and holes that were not properly blocked off, and that he has failed many classes because of the challenges created by a system that is not fully prepared to deal with blind students.
“They have made progress, but there needs to be a lot more progress. I do the best that I can, I try to be as self reliant as possible, I take it very seriously. I’d like to see the campus and the institution work a little bit more with me,” Diekmeyer said.
He said the main thing he hopes is that instructors and students will take the time to get to know disabled students, and not just assume that they know what they can and cannot do.
Thanks to everyone who sent in photos for our contest, and to all who voted for their favorite one on our Facebook page. Congratulations to our winning photo by Calvin Burgstahler, and the runners up, Calvin Burgstahler and Carrie Ratkevich. Keep shooting, shutterbugs!
The 2014 CNM Chronicle photo contest’s winning photo by Calvin Burgstahler, with a total of nine ‘likes’ on The CNM Chroncle Facebook.Photo by Calvin Burgstahler Facebook likes : 6Photo by Carrie Ratkevich Facebook likes : 5Photo by Carrie Ratkevich Facebook likes : 5
On Thursday March 27 at 7 p.m., CNM’s Writing Club will be presenting writer and poet Tomás Morín in the Smith Brasher Auditorium, which will be free and open to the public.
Writing Club Advisor and English Instructor, Rebecca Aronson said she is excited to host Morín, who is reading his first published book, “A Larger Country,” which is a poetry anthology that was published in 2012.
“He is a really interesting poet; a really engaging nice person, a good presenter” she said.
Aronson said that at the event Morín will talk about his poems and will read either from his book or new work, and there will be a question and answer session afterwards.
To find out more about the event or the Main Campus Writer’s Club, email Rebecca Aronson at raronson@cnm.edu.
S.A.G.E. Instructor, and member of the Main Campus Writing Club, Stephen Romero said he thinks Morín’s poetry has a naturalistic sense, and readers can find a sense of home or personal history in his work.
“It’s clear his poetry has a deep connection to place—this comes through the imagery in his poems, which like a winding road, takes readers on journeys with the speaker, and at the end, it’s exciting to see where he takes us,” Romero said.
There are three chapters of the writing group that meet on Main, West Side and Montoya campuses, Aronson said.
Locations and times of the meetings can be found on the CHSS calendar at the CNM website.
“It’s a group for people who are interested in any kind of creative writing, at any level, to just come and write and get to know other writers and talk about writing,” Aronson said.
The group is open to people who may not consider themselves writers too, Romero said.
At the Main Writer’s Club, writers bring something they have recently read to share with the group, such as an article or book excerpt, or poem that the group can discuss, and members also may bring prompts or writing exercises, Aronson said.
“We’re really a mix of poets and fiction writers, playwrights and memoirists. We try and make the prompts, so that they could work for any genre, then everybody writes, and people can choose to read what they’ve written or just listen,”Aronson said.
Aronson said that in her opinion any kind of writing practice is helpful and can be a great outlet, and believes that poetry can be a good means to express things that are difficult.
“It’s just a playful, expressive, interesting way of communicating,” she said.
Romero said that members can gain a lot from the experience of being in a writer’s group.
The group is very open to helping others find resources and work on specific skills, he said.
“I’ve been in the writing group for a few years now, and it’s been one of the most welcoming, relaxed environments I’ve been a part of, and it’s helped me develop my writing skills so much because it’s allowed me to have a set time to actually sit and write and talk and share with others,” Romero said.
Romero said that he thinks the idea of poetry and creative writing has become distorted or romanticized as though it is an unattainable or unnecessary skill but the reality is that language is power.
Romero said all language, even body language is poetry, and that creativity is an inherent force within a person connected to how they view the world around them.
“To anyone who is intimidated by poetry, my honest advice is to try and recognize that it’s not just confusing word vomit that high school English teachers make you write five paragraph essays on. It’s a force inside the human spirit— each person just has to have the desire to explore it, in whatever capacity in which they feel comfortable,” Romero said.
For students interested in experiencing great poetry come to life, Tomás Morín’s reading will be Thursday, March 27 at 7 p.m.
By Angela Le Quieu, Staff Reporter | Photos by Angela Le Quieu
Not only can students get extra credit in class for watching movies, but students are also being directed to see classic films on the big screen at the historical KiMo Theatre at 421 Central Ave NW.
English instructor Jonathan Briggs said that he offered his English Film as Literature class an opportunity to visit the historic theater and watch a movie for extra credit.
“I told the class about it for two reasons; one is that it’s something to do outside of class that is related to film, and another is that the KiMo is an important landmark in Albuquerque,” Briggs said.
The Film as Literature class is a survey course that covers the origin of film, film as an art form, and the cultural impact of film, Briggs said.
The KiMo Theater runs various film retrospectives throughout the year; The Silver Screen Legends Film Series will wrap up on March 29 with a showing of “The African Queen,” at 7 p.m., with ticket prices at $5 to $7.
Briggs said that films like “The African Queen” are important to film history because of the impact that was made in cinema by the actors who starred in them, their directors, and the stories.
“There is this period of Bogart’s career where several really important films were made that he was in, that are different styles, different stories; in ‘The African Queen” his female lead was Kathrine Hepburn, and it was very much not war story, not the detective thing, it’s about a struggle, they are stuck in the jungle just the two of them and it’s another kind of story for the both of them,” Briggs said.
To see a classic film on a big screen is a very different experience than watching one on a television or computer screen, Briggs said.
Films made before television were made to be seen on a large screen; at that time people did not know about the small screen and since then film makers have learned that sometimes they shoot things very differently if they are made for television, Briggs said.
Another reason to see a classic film in a theater is because of the audience, Briggs said.
“Being in a theater with people— that’s a different experience than sitting by yourself or sitting with a few people in a small room,” Briggs said.
An example of this was at the KiMo Theater’s showing of the film noir classic “The Big Sleep” on March 15, 2014 when the whole audience jumped at a surprise gunshot that killed a character.
Classic film is not the only reason to visit the KiMo Theater, it is also an important part of film architecture, Briggs said.
The KiMo Theater was built in 1927, during a time when the people who built theaters wanted to make them interesting places to look at as well as serve the function of showing films, and several styles emerged such as oriental, Greco Roman, and Art Deco, which the KiMo is an example of these architectural styles, Briggs said.
“I love the KiMo. It’s great because it’s big, but not huge, it has a wonderful look, and there are many things to look at besides the film,” Briggs said.
The KiMo Theater has several murals as well as art throughout the building that is inspired by native New Mexican design and culture, a style which is known as Pueblo Revival, and includes the sculptural elements that frame the stage with buffalo skulls that have glowing eyes.
According to cabq. gov in 1977 the people of Albuquerque voted to purchase the KiMo Theater, which had fallen in to disrepair, and renovations have happened since then; the most recent ending in 2002, to bring the back the former glory of the historical building.
“To see (a movie) on the big screen at least once and to see it in a place like the KiMo, which is that other kind of theater, you know the contemporary multiplexes aren’t built to be an example of design, other than functional,” Briggs said.
There are several other series that will be running at the KiMo including Crazy for Swayze, which shows a different Patrick Swayze film every Friday night, through to April 18.
But the KiMo has played host to other movie events such as the upcoming film series at the KiMo Theater that includes the Sunday Matinee: Sir Anthony Hopkins Festival, from April 27 to June 29, and Friday Fright Nights: Universal Monster: the 30s, from May 23 to July 11.
For more information on events at the KiMo Theater and for show times or tickets, visit KiMotickets.com.
By Rene Thompson, Editor in Chief | Photos by Rene Thompson, and courtesy of Daniel Gonzales
Photo courtesy of Daniel Gonzales Daniel Gonzales with his band Blinddryve.
Psychology major and tattoo supply company owner of “Boneyard Ink,” Daniel Gonzales said he has a very specific philosophy when it comes to helping heal people and wants to enact that into his ultimate goal, which is to make or be a part of a special kind of substance abuse treatment center, he said.
Gonzales said that he hopes to support people through helping them gain some spirituality, as well as through proper diet, exercise, education and getting people back their roots.
“I have a culinary degree and I was a cook in Seattle, so I feel like good food is an important part of our healing process too, and when people are trying to detox off drugs or things like that, they are eating food that have a lot of chemicals, and I would like to get into a treatment center that is based around having organic farm to table foods, because I think connecting with the earth is important too. It’s kind of like getting back to our roots,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales not only goes to school full time and still runs his tattoo supply business, but has also played bass for the last eight years in a local Metal band called Blinddryve, and has five children, he said.
“I have five kids, two are in soccer, the other is in voice and acting classes, then I have the two little ones, and this semester I’m taking five classes, so it’s a lot of work, but I’ve always wanted to help people,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales said he had his own problems with substance abuse in his past and said he has learned so much since then that he wants to help others on their roads to recovery and a better wellbeing.
“I feel like I have some positive stuff to offer, I have life experience in that field and I want to go into counseling or therapy,” he said.
Gonzales said that his passion for helping people comes from his sister, who has a condition called Rett Syndrome and has the brain capacity of an 18 year-old baby, so she has stayed at ARCA who provides services for individuals with developmental disabilities for the past 20 years, and where Gonzales and his family go to see her regularly.
Gonzales said his sister inspires and helps him to stay motivated to succeed in his goal of helping others.
“The doctors said people with her condition usually don’t live past 30 and she’s 46 now, so she’s one of the oldest living people with her condition,” he said.
Gonzales said he opened his tattoo supply business in 2008 while working in the shipping department at The Zone, where they began to get artists who needed supplies.
Gonzales said artists would wonder why there was not a local source at the time that delivered supplies, because there was and still is a major demand, since Albuquerque has an abundance of shops and artists.
“I could see that there was a demand for it (tattoo supplies), because artists would say ‘it would be nice if there was someone who was local who could deliver supplies and then we wouldn’t have to get supplies online,’ so I’ve officially had the business for six years now,” he said.
His band Blinddryve, in their eight years, has played the Journal Pavilion, the South by Southwest Show, and has opened for Sevendust and Lucuna Coil, he said.
“I would say it’s definitely metal; it’s cross between Iron Maiden, Pantera, and maybe Kill-Switch Engage, and a touch of Queensryche,” he said.
For more information on Blinddryve shows go to blinddryve.com or holdmyticket. com for advance show tickets.
G o n z a l e s said he really wants to go to Highlands University at the school of social work, because they have such a great program.
He said they also have a jump starter program that helps students get a Master’s degree in three years.
He also hopes to make a program that not only instills his philosophy but also sets up people with proper work skills to be able to succeed beyond treatment, to less likely keep repeating the cycle of being a multiple drug offender.
“I think that people who use are just sick, and sometimes they were never taught that stuff, a lot of time people want to judge others, but sometimes these people were never taught to take care of themselves, or how to find to their own paths, and maybe they can get skills or certifications to have a better chance at being sober when they have a leg up. It could be 10 or 20 years from now, but my goal is to really help people beyond their immediate treatments and help to give them the skills to have a better life,” he said.
By Carol Woodland, Staff Reporter | Photo Courtesy of nexusilluminati.blogspot.com
The recent discovery of this skull from Mexico lead many to question what made so many cultures to preform head binding in children.
Body modification today is more popular than ever, and according to a Pew Research Poll in 2010, 23 percent of Americans have a tattoo.
Sarah Egelman, professor of Religious Studies, explained that tattoos go all the way back to the Iceman, with a 5,200 year old mummy found with tattoos of dots and small x’s on his knee.
“People think of it as sort of this new trend or whatever, but it’s a really, really, really ancient tradition. In fact, the oldest preserved human, the Iceman, was tattooed,” Egelman said.
She said it is thought that tattoos may have been applied to alleviate pain, as archaeological records showed age related degeneration on the bones of the Iceman’s knee.
Egelman said tattoos were popular in ancient Egypt, but for the Egyptians, tattoos were only worn by women and likely served as protection during pregnancy and childbirth.
According to “Tattoos, the Ancient and Mysterious History” at smithstonian. com, Egyptian tattoos were made up of a geometric pattern of dots and lines possibly intended to mimic a beaded net, that were applied to the abdomen and thighs of women, and were found on mummies as well.
Tattoos have been performed in ancient China, Japan, Peru, Chile, Europe, North America and North Africa, and tattoos have even been found on mummies in Greenland and Siberia, and while different cultures had their own methods and purposes for tattooing, they all likely involved a slow and painful procedure, according to the smithstonian. com article.
Egelman said across the Mediterranean tattooing was also practiced by Romans.
“I do know that some Romans tattooed themselves religiously as sort of a protection, kind of like amulets,” she said.
After the Roman Empire’s conversion to Christianity, tattoos remained popular despite a biblical law prohibiting any sort of marking upon the body, and that biblical law against tattoos comes from Leviticus, a part of the Bible, which contains laws about dietary restrictions and even garment material restrictions, which most Christians no longer follow, Egelman said.
“Christianity really took off in other parts of the Mediterranean world where tattooing was more acceptable and that prohibition doesn’t stand,” Egelman said.
While Judaism and Islam did follow the biblical prohibition, Egelman said that within some sects of Islam there is a history, of temporary henna tattooing for weddings or other celebrations, which is found in other cultures around the world as well.
“I think it’s been more popular around the world for cultural and religious reasons, and medical reasons in ancient history than people recognize,” Egelman said.
Margo DeMello, Professor of Anthropology said the simplest way to make a tattoo by hand was to use a sharpened thorn, bone, stick or rock dipped into pigment and poked into the skin.
“Another method is to cut the skin with a sharpened implement and then rub the pigment into the wound,” DeMello said.
In Polynesian culture, their method is to use a carved comb made of shell and dipped in ink, then pounded into the skin using a mallet, she said.
“In Japan, tattoos were (and are) made with a long bamboo device with needles attached to the end; the needles are pushed into the body. In the Arctic, the people there literally sew tattoos into the skin using a needle and thread dipped in ink,” DeMello said.
According to japandailypress.com tattoos were used as punishment during the Edo period from the 1600s to 1800s, and are still taboo because people with even minor tattoos are discriminated against and turned away from some businesses in Japan.
She said today’s tattoos are done in a much more sterile and safe environment than before, although some traditional techniques are still used.
DeMello said one type of tattooing called “Yantra” which is done by hand in Southeast Asia, remains ever popular despite being a very painful process.
Yantra tattoos are said to be able to protect the wearer from evil and danger because of the mixture of ingredients in the ink and that the monks who apply the tattoos say a special prayer, she said.
“I don’t know what the people in Southeast Asia think of western tattooing, but I do know that lots of people there wear western tattoos,” DeMello said.
DeMello has been studying and writing about tattooing for many years and published a book called “Bodies of Inscription: A Cultural History of the Tattoo Community” in 2000.
“Tattooing has become main-stream in the United States since 2000. It was already well on the rise when my book was published, and it continues to get more and more normative in this culture,” DeMello said.
One reason DeMello thinks tattoos are so popular in Albuquerque is because of a link to ancient Rome through Albuquerque’s large Latino population.
“In addition, tattooing has a very, very long history in Christianity. It goes back to the very early Christians who lived in ancient Rome, and who wore tattoos to show their Christian faith. So a lot of Latinos wear Christian tattoos in particular to demonstrate their faith,” DeMello said.
For young people, getting a tattoo could be considered a rite of passage, DeMello said.
“In traditional cultures around the world that is how it has commonly been—one receives one’s first tattoo upon reaching sexual maturity or adulthood in many cultures, and in some cultures, without a tattoo you are not marriageable,” DeMello said.
Jessica Craig, Professor of Anthropology said the Ancient Mayans widely practiced body modification.
She said they used a process of shaping the head of their babies called “artificial cranial deformation,” or head binding which started not long after birth.
“We suspect that the Maya would do this by tightly binding babies/toddlers to cradle boards. Interestingly, while it was more common among the upper classes, we do see evidence for the practice among the lower classes as well,” Craig said.
She went on to explain that while different classes of people had their heads shaped, the shape itself was based on social class, which would create an easily visible social identification of which class someone belonged.
Donna Rosh, Professor of Anthropology said that cranial deformation was also practiced by some Southeastern and Northwest American tribes and the desired result was to produce a slanted, elongated forehead.
However, for these tribes, cranial deformation was reserved for those with a certain social status.
“Only families with high status practiced it,” said Rosh.
According to “Modern Induced Skull Deformity in Adults” by William Gump, induced skull deformity is still performed now with a method for adults, which is used to “reach different levels of conscience” or accessing different parts of the brain and is believed to be why Mayans used this method of modification.
Craig said that Mayans also practiced dental modification and had several methods for modifying their teeth, such as filing them into very sharp points or to drill a small hole in the center of a tooth and inlay it with pieces of jade.
“Certainly the use the jade was associated with social class, as this was the gold of the ancient Maya, so only someone with a degree of wealth could afford this procedure,” Craig said.
For the Ancient Maya body modification offered people the opportunity to create a distinct social identity for themselves, very much like today, Craig said.
