The Royal Geographical Society presented us with maps and objects relating to scientific study and exhibitions in the field. The society was founded in 1830, and, for the western world, focused most of their energy in mapping out and "discovering" uncharted territory for themselves. The director of the society made sure to note that these exhibitions and "discoveries" were only discoveries for western studies and not "absolute discoveries" that were the initial and first discoveries by other peoples and communities. I was so glad to here this attention to language as I find it so frustrating to hear people refer to discovering land that already has people living and thriving there as a "discovery" once the western world stumbles upon it, as though it could not be recognized officially until white men lay their claim.
The director showed had arranged the table to a hot and cold side of maps, photographs, and other objects. The "hot side" consisted of early maps of Africa and the Nile River from the western world. One of the more notable items was the sextant that early cartographers used to help them navigate. They would use reflective pools to measure angles of the reflection of the sun against the horizon. When they didn't have a pool of water near them they used mercury in a small box-like object in order to catch the reflections they needed to use their sextant properly.
On the "cold side", the director told us the ventures of many exhibitions in the Antarctic and attempts to climb Everest. The early exhibitions provided the first glimpses of mapping out the Antarctic, an absolute discovery, while who reached the top of Everest first is still a mystery and controversy. The collection was truly fascinating and full of so many incredible stories.
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