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07232_Field_TCUM T797.txt
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1996-04-10
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16 lines
that led to the creation of gunfire. Long before guns,
gunpowder had been used explosively, dynamite style. The use
of gunpowder for the propelling of missiles in trajectories
waited for the coming of perspective in the arts. This liaison of
events between technology and the arts may explain a matter
that has long puzzled anthropologists. They have repeatedly
tried to explain the fact that nonliterates are generally poor
shots with rifles, on the grounds that, with the bow and arrow,
proximity to game was more important than distant accuracy,
which was almost impossible to achieve—hence, say some
anthropologists, their imitation of hunted beasts by dressing in
skins to get close to the herd. It is also pointed out that bows
are silent, and when an arrow missed, animals rarely fled.
If the arrow is an extension of the hand and the arm, the
rifle is an extension of the eye and teeth. It may be to the point