Podcast on Guanches

[Edith]

Hello Ben and Marina,

Any chance you could do a podcast on the Guanches, the indigenous inhabitants of the Canary Islands? Some anthropologists say traces of their culture can still be found on some of the islands...

Saludos

Edith

[Ben]

Sounds interesting, I've never heard of them! Next time we are in the Canaries would definitely be a good time to do that one.

[Edith]

Sounds interesting, I've never heard of them! Next time we are in the Canaries would definitely be a good time to do that one.

That would be great! Like I said, the Guanches inhabited the islands before the Spanish conquistadores arrived on the scene. Even though the Guanches were mostly wiped out in the end, some traces of their presence remain, like the geometric designs which even appear on company logos. Last year, I went on a guided tour to Gran Canaria and we went to a museum in Las Palmas which has many Guanche mummies on display, as well as household utensils and farming tools. The Guanches were subsistence farmers and cave dwellers who lived off their goatherds and they also invented the famous gofio, which was one of their staples. They were close relatives of the Berbers in Morocco and Algeria but unlike their North African cousins, they were not Muslims.




http://www.mundoguanche.com/ficheros/fotos_articulos/guanches_intro.gif


Even though the Guanches have disappeared from the scene as a people, many Canarios still carry their DNA.

Guanche cave dwelling



http://www.mundoguanche.com/images/articulos/cueva_belmaco.jpg




Here are some websites on the Guanches:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanches (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanches)


http://www.en.original-people.eu.org/urfolkeng2.shtml (http://www.en.original-people.eu.org/urfolkeng2.shtml)


http://dienekes.ifreepages.com/blog/archives/000368.html (http://dienekes.ifreepages.com/blog/archives/000368.html)


http://www.mgar.net/docs/wendt.htm (http://www.mgar.net/docs/wendt.htm)


http://personal.telefonica.terra.es/web/canaria/canarias/guanches.htm (http://personal.telefonica.terra.es/web/canaria/canarias/guanches.htm)


http://www.ctspanish.com/communities/canary/guanche1.htm (http://www.ctspanish.com/communities/canary/guanche1.htm)


http://www.mundoguanche.com/portada/que_es.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silbo


Guanche art

http://www.mundoguanche.com/images/articulos/Image/montajes/esbozo_0.jpg




http://www.mundoguanche.com/images/articulos/tara.jpg

[deecree]

They were close relatives of the Berbers in Morocco and Algeria but unlike their North African cousins, they were not Muslims.


The berbers and similar ethnic groups of North Africa were not muslim until the Arabs conquered them and converted the population... which then dwindled and mixed with them.

I take it this means the muslims never sailed out and spread Islam to the Canaries?

What is it about Christian and Islamic cultures that causes them to annihilate other cultures? :(

[richardksa]

God told them to.:cool:

[Brian]

God told them to.:cool:

At least that was their perception. I'm quite glad that God never has told me to "smite mine enemies." :o

[Edith]

The berbers and similar ethnic groups of North Africa were not muslim until the Arabs conquered them and converted the population... which then dwindled and mixed with them.

I take it this means the muslims never sailed out and spread Islam to the Canaries?

What is it about Christian and Islamic cultures that causes them to annihilate other cultures? :(

I know... when you study the conquest of the Americas by the Europeans you will discover it's one long sad story even though some historians have tried to whitewash those events... Islam, more of the same I guess... :'(

No, Islam never reached the Canaries. The Guanches had been isolated from the African mainland for centuries until they were 'discovered' and conquered by the Europeans (i.e. the Spaniards). What happened during that conquest was only a prelude of what was to happen in the Americas later on. In the beginning, the Guanches defended themselves with great bravery against the foreign invaders, but it was a lost battle because the Spaniards had horses and firearms. The Guanche spears and clubs were no match for the armor-clad conquistadores.


http://www.mundoguanche.com/ficheros/fotos_articulos/doramas_joven.gif

[Polly]

Guns, Germs, and Steel.
Necessary tools of the trade for any conquering peoples.

[Edith]

Guns, Germs, and Steel.
Necessary tools of the trade for any conquering peoples.

Absolutely! Great book, by the way.:)

[cubix]

Guns, Germs, and Steel.
Necessary tools of the trade for any conquering peoples.

That is on my to read list(which will take the rest of my life to finish) I am working on Collapse(same author) but the book is kinda boring feels like a textbook. Right now reading DQ and SIlent Spring

[Edith]

That is on my to read list(which will take the rest of my life to finish) I am working on Collapse(same author) but the book is kinda boring feels like a textbook. Right now reading DQ and SIlent Spring

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson? That's a long time ago for me!:)