![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Warehouse 13: Full Inventory—"Pilot"
Following on with my previous posts, I'm going to go into a bit more detail about the appropriation and misrepresentation of culture and history by looking at the artifacts mentioned in episodes of Warehouse 13. For a brief overview of what I'm talking about in this series, read "An Extraordinary Rendition of History; Items in Warehouse 13 that Don't Belong in "America's Attic". I won't be going into too great detail of reasearch; if I prove something horribly inaccurate, I do so using only minimal Googling. Corrections and clarifications are thus welcome. This post obviously contains spoilers for the pilot.
Artifact: Aztec "Blood Stone"
What is it? According to the expert who's taking care of it, it's "the boss of virgin sacrifices."
No, really. I'm not making this up. I turned on captions to check it.
What does that even mean? Well, apparently, it means that if you spill your blood on it ("Feed me, Seymour!"), you are possessed with the spirit of an (of course unnamed) Aztec and compelled to sacrifice a virgin (specifically a female virgin). All of which the "expert" does in the very first act of the series.
No, really. I know, right?
Is it in any way accurate? No.
Okay, that's not really fair. "No" is an understatement.
First off, what is an "Aztec blood stone"? Well, I found one vague reference to "an Aztec blood stone, used in the 15th and 16th centuries to check the flow of blood." That's probably not the same thing as the Crazy Mexican Murder Rock (which is how I will, henceforth, refer to the Warehouse 13 artifact). Bloodstone is also the name of a gemstone also known as heliotrope, but that's not common in Mexico. Also, the stone shown in the episode doesn't appear to have the red spots that give bloodstone its name. Also also, it's not really clear why the expert would identify the Crazy Mexican Murder Rock as bloodstone as though that meant something, when clearly it's a sculpture of some sort, especially if you're not going to follow it up with anything other than "the boss of virgin sacrifices."
One thing that happens a lot in Warehouse 13 is that a person or culture is reduced to one single aspect that is familiar to a person with absolutely no knowledge of history. And what do people who know nothing about Aztecs know about Aztecs? Sacrifice!
Blood sacrifice—of animals and humans, though not always necessarily fatal—was an integral part of Aztec culture. And there is evidence that persons of both sexes were sacrificed at all stages of life (including as children). But "virginity" as such (though prized in both sexes before marriage) doesn't feature in the sacrificial ritual. Instead, that seems to be a particularly western take on the Aztec practice.
And still, what does "the boss of virgin sacrifices" mean? We've been told that every artifact is an extension of a person, but doesn't bother to give us any indication of either a person (perhaps a priest) who would be associated with the artifact. We aren't given any indication how the artifact figured into the sacrifice. We aren't even told what god the artifact depicts that any sacrifice would be made to. The whole thing makes it appear as though it is the artifact itself that is being worshipped and demanding sacrifice, now and possibly during the height of the Aztec empire. Yes, that's right, the reason that Aztecs sacrificed "virgins" is because they were possessed by the Crazy Mexican Murder Rock, the boss of virgin sacrifice.
Incidentally, here's a bit about the Aztec attitutde toward sacrifice from the Handbook to Life in the Aztec World by Manuel Aguilar-Moreno:
Does it belong in America's Attic? According to Artie, the object was, in the Smithsonian (or faux Smithsonian, I can't remember), "property of the U.S. Government" and that, in Warehouse 13 it is still propery of the U.S. government. But as early as 1829, Mexico enacted legislation aimed at controlling the sale of Mexican antiquities to private collectors within and without the country. Exhibitions like the one coming to the Getty Villa tend to take items on loan from museums in Mexico. Still, the vagaries of art sales aren't really enough to overpower a culure's right to its history, so it doesn't belong in the Warehouse, despite what Artie says.
Artifact: The Wallet of Erich Weisz (aka Harry Houdini)
What does it do? It's listed effect on Warehouse documents is "Charonic Transfer." That is, it allows the dead to briefly cross over into our world (as though they were transferred over by Charon back over the river Styx).
Is it in any way accurate? In a way. Houdini became quite famous for his interest in spiritualism after the death of his mother. Except that the result of this interest was a passionate belief that every spiritualist he encountered was a fake. And yet, he hoped to try to find a way back after his death, and his wife held seances on the anniversary of his death to facilitate this. But still, Houdini never managed to come back.
So it's not inaccurate so much as it is somewhat accurate, but with the polarity of accuracy reversed. This has happened at least one other time in the series that I know of.
Does it belong in America's Attic? Houdini came to America with his family at the age of four and spent most of his life living and working in the country. Definitely a part of American history and culture.
Artifact: Pandora's Box
What does it do? Unknown (it's empty).
Is it in any way accurate? It was only mentioned briefly, so we don't have any way to judge.
Does it belong in America's Attic? Pandora's Box comes to us from Greek mythology. If the myth was based on the artifact itself, it could derive from an earlier culture. Either way, it doesn't belong in America's Attic.
Next comes a steampunk trifecta:
Artifact: Nikolai Tesla's Stun Gun
What does it do? Uses electricity to temporarily incapacitate someone, with the added bonus of causing short-term memory loss. (For the coverup, don't you know.)
Artifact: Philo Farnsworth's Two-Way Communicator
What does it do? Allows two-way communication using TV signals somehow.
Artifact: Thomas Edison's Warehouse-Mover
What does it do? Slowly propels itself using a powersource of two human beings.
Are they in any way accurate? Given that they bend the laws of science, they're accurate enough, with some quibbles. The Farnsworth was supposedly invented "right after" the television, which is a pretty significant amount of work. Also, Edison supposedly made the minicar as a prototype for Henry Ford. Artie says that Ford rejected it because he preferred the way oil wore down the engines of his automobiles, ensuring that customers would have to buy another one. However, it was General Motors, not Ford, that is generally credited with the idea of planned obsolescence, rapidly changing the style and technology of its cars.
Do they belong in America's Attic? All three were American inventors (Tesla was a naturalized citizen) who did most of their work in the United States. Also, I got the impression that these items were given to the Warehouse by the inventors themselves, which is a good reason for them to be there.
Artifact: Mayan calendar
What does it do? Artie reports that two agents encountered it and "their clocks . . . stopped."
What does that even mean? I don't know, but doesn't this whole episode make you afraid of the wild people who lived in this hemisphere before Columbus manfully started the genociding?
Is it in any way accurate? Well, once again, an entire civilization has been reduced to one thing that a contestant on Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? might be able to attach to their name. Maya . . . Calendar! No connection to an individual or anything to do with the Maya other than it's a calendar and, I guess, it does things to time, because that's what calendars do.
Actually, there's more to it than that, because the Maya Calendar has attracted an end-of-the-world prophecy to it in the last few decades. So that's something that people today think that the Maya Calendar does: it dundunDUUUN stops. By all accounts, the Maya treated the end of a long count as a time of celebration, and a beginning of a new long count. That is, they treated their calendars the same way we treat ours, unless you think the fact that your desk calendar doesn't go past December 31, 2009 means it will be the end of the world and not just a time when you need to get a new calendar.
Does it belong in America's Attic? Just . . . no.
Artifact: Suit of Armor.
Er, can you be more specific? I glimpsed this one in the background. To my untrained eye, it appears to resemble something of Japanese design.
What does it do? Unknown, but apparently something big. It's being kept in the "quarantine" section of the Warehouse.
Is it in any way accurate? I couldn't tell.
Does it belong in America's Attic? Given its apparently Asian origin, I'm going with no.
Artifacts: Lucrezia Borgia's Portrait, Jewelry Box/Book, and Jeweled Comb
What does it do? A woman who has had a life similar to Borgia's will become "possessed" by Borgia's spirit. In addition, the comb offers some sort of magical power, including the ability to influence the minds of others and to control fire. According to Myka, "She's a cutthroat Italian who ruled Italy in the 1600s with her father and brothers." According to Artie, "Lucrezia Borgia, 600 years ago, started a bloody reign of terror" and the artifact aims to do the same.
Is it in any way accurate?I'll let Marguerite Wolfe answer that:
Also, Borgia lived from 1480 to 1519. That's 500 years ago, Artie; weren't you even listening to Myka's also-wrong historical summary?
Does it belong in America's Attic? The episode clearly states that the jewelry box and comb were illegally smuggled out of Italy. So, no.
It's been pointed out that last night's episode includes a "Native American artifact" and "a sacred place that [Pete and Myka] deem worthy of protection."
There's no way that could possibly go wrong!
Artifact: Aztec "Blood Stone"
What is it? According to the expert who's taking care of it, it's "the boss of virgin sacrifices."
No, really. I'm not making this up. I turned on captions to check it.
What does that even mean? Well, apparently, it means that if you spill your blood on it ("Feed me, Seymour!"), you are possessed with the spirit of an (of course unnamed) Aztec and compelled to sacrifice a virgin (specifically a female virgin). All of which the "expert" does in the very first act of the series.
No, really. I know, right?
Is it in any way accurate? No.
Okay, that's not really fair. "No" is an understatement.
First off, what is an "Aztec blood stone"? Well, I found one vague reference to "an Aztec blood stone, used in the 15th and 16th centuries to check the flow of blood." That's probably not the same thing as the Crazy Mexican Murder Rock (which is how I will, henceforth, refer to the Warehouse 13 artifact). Bloodstone is also the name of a gemstone also known as heliotrope, but that's not common in Mexico. Also, the stone shown in the episode doesn't appear to have the red spots that give bloodstone its name. Also also, it's not really clear why the expert would identify the Crazy Mexican Murder Rock as bloodstone as though that meant something, when clearly it's a sculpture of some sort, especially if you're not going to follow it up with anything other than "the boss of virgin sacrifices."
One thing that happens a lot in Warehouse 13 is that a person or culture is reduced to one single aspect that is familiar to a person with absolutely no knowledge of history. And what do people who know nothing about Aztecs know about Aztecs? Sacrifice!
Blood sacrifice—of animals and humans, though not always necessarily fatal—was an integral part of Aztec culture. And there is evidence that persons of both sexes were sacrificed at all stages of life (including as children). But "virginity" as such (though prized in both sexes before marriage) doesn't feature in the sacrificial ritual. Instead, that seems to be a particularly western take on the Aztec practice.
And still, what does "the boss of virgin sacrifices" mean? We've been told that every artifact is an extension of a person, but doesn't bother to give us any indication of either a person (perhaps a priest) who would be associated with the artifact. We aren't given any indication how the artifact figured into the sacrifice. We aren't even told what god the artifact depicts that any sacrifice would be made to. The whole thing makes it appear as though it is the artifact itself that is being worshipped and demanding sacrifice, now and possibly during the height of the Aztec empire. Yes, that's right, the reason that Aztecs sacrificed "virgins" is because they were possessed by the Crazy Mexican Murder Rock, the boss of virgin sacrifice.
Incidentally, here's a bit about the Aztec attitutde toward sacrifice from the Handbook to Life in the Aztec World by Manuel Aguilar-Moreno:
Understanding the Aztec myth of creation in Aztec cosmology explains the prominence of human sacrifice in Aztec culture, because it emphasizes the indebtedness and interdependence that the Aztec felt toward their gods—a fundamental doctrine. According to Aztec beliefs, human sacrifice was not a frivolous act of cruelty, nor did it stem from a narcissistic need to exert power over other peoples (although captives were often those sacrificed). It was, in fact, a ritual of survival that ensured their existence by nourishing their gods in acknowledgment of the sacrifices made by the gods themselves. As the gods had sacrificed themselves to create the world and human beings, then humans needed to give thanks to them with the most precious substance they had, their own blood (the essence of life).That's totally exactly what the Crazy Mexican Murder Rock was doing.
Does it belong in America's Attic? According to Artie, the object was, in the Smithsonian (or faux Smithsonian, I can't remember), "property of the U.S. Government" and that, in Warehouse 13 it is still propery of the U.S. government. But as early as 1829, Mexico enacted legislation aimed at controlling the sale of Mexican antiquities to private collectors within and without the country. Exhibitions like the one coming to the Getty Villa tend to take items on loan from museums in Mexico. Still, the vagaries of art sales aren't really enough to overpower a culure's right to its history, so it doesn't belong in the Warehouse, despite what Artie says.
Artifact: The Wallet of Erich Weisz (aka Harry Houdini)
What does it do? It's listed effect on Warehouse documents is "Charonic Transfer." That is, it allows the dead to briefly cross over into our world (as though they were transferred over by Charon back over the river Styx).
Is it in any way accurate? In a way. Houdini became quite famous for his interest in spiritualism after the death of his mother. Except that the result of this interest was a passionate belief that every spiritualist he encountered was a fake. And yet, he hoped to try to find a way back after his death, and his wife held seances on the anniversary of his death to facilitate this. But still, Houdini never managed to come back.
So it's not inaccurate so much as it is somewhat accurate, but with the polarity of accuracy reversed. This has happened at least one other time in the series that I know of.
Does it belong in America's Attic? Houdini came to America with his family at the age of four and spent most of his life living and working in the country. Definitely a part of American history and culture.
Artifact: Pandora's Box
What does it do? Unknown (it's empty).
Is it in any way accurate? It was only mentioned briefly, so we don't have any way to judge.
Does it belong in America's Attic? Pandora's Box comes to us from Greek mythology. If the myth was based on the artifact itself, it could derive from an earlier culture. Either way, it doesn't belong in America's Attic.
Next comes a steampunk trifecta:
Artifact: Nikolai Tesla's Stun Gun
What does it do? Uses electricity to temporarily incapacitate someone, with the added bonus of causing short-term memory loss. (For the coverup, don't you know.)
Artifact: Philo Farnsworth's Two-Way Communicator
What does it do? Allows two-way communication using TV signals somehow.
Artifact: Thomas Edison's Warehouse-Mover
What does it do? Slowly propels itself using a powersource of two human beings.
Are they in any way accurate? Given that they bend the laws of science, they're accurate enough, with some quibbles. The Farnsworth was supposedly invented "right after" the television, which is a pretty significant amount of work. Also, Edison supposedly made the minicar as a prototype for Henry Ford. Artie says that Ford rejected it because he preferred the way oil wore down the engines of his automobiles, ensuring that customers would have to buy another one. However, it was General Motors, not Ford, that is generally credited with the idea of planned obsolescence, rapidly changing the style and technology of its cars.
Do they belong in America's Attic? All three were American inventors (Tesla was a naturalized citizen) who did most of their work in the United States. Also, I got the impression that these items were given to the Warehouse by the inventors themselves, which is a good reason for them to be there.
Artifact: Mayan calendar
What does it do? Artie reports that two agents encountered it and "their clocks . . . stopped."
What does that even mean? I don't know, but doesn't this whole episode make you afraid of the wild people who lived in this hemisphere before Columbus manfully started the genociding?
Is it in any way accurate? Well, once again, an entire civilization has been reduced to one thing that a contestant on Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? might be able to attach to their name. Maya . . . Calendar! No connection to an individual or anything to do with the Maya other than it's a calendar and, I guess, it does things to time, because that's what calendars do.
Actually, there's more to it than that, because the Maya Calendar has attracted an end-of-the-world prophecy to it in the last few decades. So that's something that people today think that the Maya Calendar does: it dundunDUUUN stops. By all accounts, the Maya treated the end of a long count as a time of celebration, and a beginning of a new long count. That is, they treated their calendars the same way we treat ours, unless you think the fact that your desk calendar doesn't go past December 31, 2009 means it will be the end of the world and not just a time when you need to get a new calendar.
Does it belong in America's Attic? Just . . . no.
Artifact: Suit of Armor.
Er, can you be more specific? I glimpsed this one in the background. To my untrained eye, it appears to resemble something of Japanese design.
What does it do? Unknown, but apparently something big. It's being kept in the "quarantine" section of the Warehouse.
Is it in any way accurate? I couldn't tell.
Does it belong in America's Attic? Given its apparently Asian origin, I'm going with no.
Artifacts: Lucrezia Borgia's Portrait, Jewelry Box/Book, and Jeweled Comb
What does it do? A woman who has had a life similar to Borgia's will become "possessed" by Borgia's spirit. In addition, the comb offers some sort of magical power, including the ability to influence the minds of others and to control fire. According to Myka, "She's a cutthroat Italian who ruled Italy in the 1600s with her father and brothers." According to Artie, "Lucrezia Borgia, 600 years ago, started a bloody reign of terror" and the artifact aims to do the same.
Is it in any way accurate?I'll let Marguerite Wolfe answer that:
An impartial examination of Lucrezia Borgia's life reveals a woman who bears little resemblance to her popular image. She appears as a victim of anti-Borgia propaganda which began circulating in her own time. These stories were so assiduously cultivated by the enemies of her family that they became accepted as fact, and all of the highly complimentary accounts of her character were ignored for centuries. In a study of the major events in her life, it becomes clear from her actions that this woman was in no way a heartless, depraved vixen bent on sensuous gratification. She was not the incestuous lover of her father and brothers, nor was she a weak, passive pawn to her father and Cesare. Lucrezia resisted them to the best of her ability whenever she believed it necessary, but she was limited in her options due to the age in which she lived. She began life as a merry and gentle girl and was forged by her tragic life into the elegant, refined, and kind woman who ruled Ferrara as its much-loved Duchess until her untimely death at age thirty-nine.In other words, no.
A study of Lucrezia's life in view of her popular image makes the peril of taking "popular knowledge" as fact extraordinarily clear. Lucrezia Borgia was a woman who has been shamefully and undeservedly maligned for centuries and whose few champions have been only very moderately successful in setting the record straight. It is, indeed, a cruel irony that this woman, who was the least awful of her clan, has received a reputation as being among its worst.
Also, Borgia lived from 1480 to 1519. That's 500 years ago, Artie; weren't you even listening to Myka's also-wrong historical summary?
Does it belong in America's Attic? The episode clearly states that the jewelry box and comb were illegally smuggled out of Italy. So, no.
It's been pointed out that last night's episode includes a "Native American artifact" and "a sacred place that [Pete and Myka] deem worthy of protection."
There's no way that could possibly go wrong!