Earth's Children is a series of books I read a couple of years ago. When I first started my Intercultural communication in a global world module, I was instantly reminded of these books, so I recently re-read them and LOVE how what I'm studying links into it.
The books are basically a pre-historic fantasy series by Jean M. Auel. Its set 30,000 years ago and is based on the period of coexistence between Cro-Magnons (early modern humans) and Neanderthals. It follows the story of Ayla, a Cro-Magnon female and her life amongst Neanderthals.
She at a young age becomes separated from her human family and is found and raised amongst a clan of Neanderthals (the clan). Now, it is not conclusively known whether neanderthals and humans actually coexisted together; but whether or not this is the case, these books are an awesome read about the clash of cultures between the two species.
Ayla is exiled from her clan and forced to give up her half human-half neanderthal son. A few years later, she comes across some of her 'own' and from here we read about her struggling to find her own identity. She belongs, yet does not belong. Although she looks like these people, she is vastly different from them, even unable at the beginning to communicate vocally like them, but instead communicate via sign-language, hand gestures and body language. Her customs, beliefs and ideologies were totally different, yet these were her people.
Evolution and the migration bought the Cro-Magnons into Neanderthal territory, and it was the Neanderthals inability to change and innovate the way they lived that eventually led to their extinction. Auel speculates that the Neanderthals reluctance to change is a 'function of their cognition' and are dependent upon 'racial-genetic memory', this basically means they can't help it. Its in their DNA. For example they continue to chase animals with spears when hunting, whilst the Cro-Magnons came up with projectile spears. When the Clan comes across this, they still refuse to change their ways even though it would seem to make their day-to-day life easier. Perhaps if they had changed, the race may have survived although they would have had to adopt some of the ways of the humans, thus loosing some of their identity. Contact between the two species was very limited and they both sort to keep it that way, having negative conceptions of each other.
The Cro-Magnons thought of the Clan as animals (largely due to their inability to communicate vocally) so would not ever voluntarily mix with them. Whilst the Clan see the humans as 'Others' who's spoken language is useless babbling and highlights their limited intellect. Both however are distinct and fluent forms of communication, where you can convey everything you need to 'say'. It shows that communication and language is not just verbal, the Clan communicates with hand-signs, body posture, facial expressions and physical gestures. They do add in the occasional spoken word to emphasise a gesture, although this is limited and 'grunt-like'. Each species separate language makes up a large part of their cultures and is unique to them. So when Ayla first joined the Clan at age 5, she learned how to communicate non-verbally, and joined a new culture, so much so that when she encountered her first human- Jondalar, she had lost the ability to 'talk'. There are also other cultural differences, including attitudes towards sex, reproduction, religion, social hierarchy and etiquette.
They go through a process of mutual learning, teaching each-other about themselves, with a mixture of surprise at their similarities and confusion/shock at the differences. Jondalar begins to question his prejudices against the Neanderthals and is fascinated to learn of their 'intelligence'. That they can actually communicate rationally had been up until then inconceivable and bought home truths about the two species's similarities. It is the preconceived stereotypes about the Neanderthals such as that they are no better then animals that has led to their persecution.
The books continue to see Ayla really grow as a character and a person, discovering who she is- a mixture of all influential parts of her life, she for me defines multiculturalism in this fictitious world.
I really do recommend these books if you get a spare moment, enjoyable and very informative!
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