Basso Response
I can see aspects of Basso’s discussion of placemaking as it relates to different cultures in our world. On the topic of culture in relation to landscapes, Basso states, “…in these ways, too, as every ethnographer eventually comes to appreciate, geographical landscapes are never culturally vacant. Filled to the brim with past and present significance…” (Basso 101). Basso explains that the most important aspect of placemaking is the physical landscape it is describing. Once someone in their mind is brought to that place and can clearly see the physical landscape, they can recall the associations and stories their culture has with the environment. This is due to the fact that no place is void of culture. I see this aspect of placemaking in my own world in places like Mount Rushmore. Not only is Mount Rushmore culturally significant to everyone in America, it also has very different cultural ties to different groups of people. Some people may be brought to Mount Rushmore in their mind and be filled with pride over some of their favorite presidents of their country. Others may be brought to Mount Rushmore and think of the stripping away of the Native Americans’ land to be used as a monument to America and the people involved in their oppression. It is in this way that placenaming can be used for “appropriating physical environment,” (101) like the colonizers did to the Native Americans. Indeed, it is hard to think of a place in America that is not charged with culture that means different things to different sects of people.
I find it interesting how you view Mount Rushmore dialectically, both as a symbol of pride but also as a symbol of oppression. It reminds me of how in the reading, when the Western Apache were sharing placenames, they had to hope that the person listening would understand which story they were referencing and interpret it appropriately. Mount Rushmore can have have more than one meaning at once, just like the placenames. While a single name can bring comfort, depending on the listener’s interpretation, it could also bring more worry. While there is cultural significance tied to this monument just like the placenames, much of the meaning is derived from the viewer or listener’s own culture and feelings.












