TES: Why the idea of the Bosmer being Native Americans is wrong, and REALLY racist
Oh joy, it’s that time again. Time for Toshio to once again take out the trash when it comes to misconceptions of the Elder Scrolls races.
For those unaware, I saw this little gem on my dashboard a while ago, and was incredibly miffed.
Not only does it try and boil complex fictional races into a single real-life counterpart, but it is so misinformed, and even bigoted.
Because of that, I decided to start a ten part mini-series about the races of Tamriel and their influences, both known and unknown. For the unknown, I will use informed speculation to the best of my abilities and what precious little information can be garnered from texts and in-game instances.
Part One (about the Imperials) can be read here.
Part Two (about the Nords) can be read here.
Today, I’m addressing misconceptions about the Bosmer, as well as explaining why said perceptions are also really racist.
First off, let’s address the above fallacies.
Yes, the Bosmer were skilled archers, but when was the last time you heard of Native Americans (known as First Nations peoples in Canada) being exceptionally talented archers? If you were to ask historically literate people who the most famed archers in history were, they would say either the Mongols, the Scythians, the Parthians, or the English Longbowmen; all of which were famed for their skill and accuracy with the bow.
As for a “strong affinity towards wildlife”, what non-Abrahamic faith hasn’t had that? European pagans, be they Roman, Scandinavian, Lithuanian, or Greek, all had strong beliefs in a connection to the earth and natural phenomena.
The idea that the Bosmeri “Green Pact” is similar is wrong, and is a fundamental misunderstanding of the Green Pact. While numerous religions past and present advocate harmony with nature, the Bosmer Green Pact is, well, a Pact. It’s a strict code that prohibits the use of any wood or vegetable matter of Valenwood as building materials, and requires the Bosmer to be strict carnivores. To the best of my knowledge, there is no such society on Earth anywhere near that. It’s like a mixing of the largely meat-based traditional diet of the Inuit, with the occasional ritualistic cannibalism of some tribes in the South Pacific.
As for “similar architecture”. Where? Where’s the proof? This person is simply talking out their ass (big surprise). We have little to no evidence of Bosmer architecture. In fact, what little we do know is from Elder Scrolls Online, and we know that the Bosmer import lumber from around Tamriel in order to build homes, taverns, palaces, etc. However I highly doubt that the Bosmer “have similar” architecture to the Native Americans, who themselves had a incredibly diverse range of architectural styles.
Mississippian Culture buildings:
Zuni/Pueblo architecture:
So far, I’ve really only said what the Bosmer are NOT, without really mentioning what influences we can see, know about, and will see with Elder Scrolls Online.
They are skilled archers, of which numerous examples can be found in history (English longbowmen, Scythians, Parthians, and of course Mongols). As for architecture, there isn’t enough evidence to argue one way or another, thought ESO reveals a rather Tolkien-inspired take on Elven architecture. As for Bosmer names however, they clearly share Celtic as well as Germanic influences.
In summary, the Bosmer are a wondrously unique fictional race in the TES universe, with clear Celtic and Germanic influences, as well as Anglo-Welsh, Scythian, Parthian, and Mongolian influences when it comes to archery. There is also the possibility of Inuit and South Pacific Islander influences with regards to diet.
However, I’ve “saved the best for last” so to speak. Now we get to full-on racist mode; “were generally accepting of invaders from other cultures.”
This is where I’m departing from the Bosmer and going straight to addressing this racist and ignorant drivel. Let me be clear:
AT NO POINT WERE THE NATIVES AS A WHOLE GENERALLY ACCEPTING OF INVADERS FROM OTHER CULTURES.
At no point other than at initial contact was that ever a thing. The Beothuk warred against the Vikings when they first discovered the continent. The Haudenosaunee fought not only other natives, but the French and eventually Americans as well. The Wendat fought the English, and numerous Plains Tribes aggressively fought American expansion westward.
Christ almighty. I swear, this person thought “Natives were all about nature right? And there was thanksgiving, so yeah, I guess they were accepting of the white man.” It’s ignorant and racist. The natives of North America were incredibly diverse; different languages, cultures, architecture, religions, societies, clothing, diet, and many more. It’s a huge insult to them to boil them down into an ignorant and racist trope and, to add insult to injury, falsely apply it to a fictional culture.
It’s disgusting and insulting.
Read Part Four (Altmer) here
