Trophy heads from the Nazca culture (~100BC to 800AD, Peru). They all had a hole in the forehead with a rope through it, likely for them to be worn as trophies of war. [4000x3000]

What is a culture?

What is one culture vs. multiple somewhat overlapping cultures?

Is it one culture or two cultures, or three or four or x number of cultures, or are they sub-cultures?

Where does one begin and one end?

Did the original "culture" ever "end" really?

For ex., at what point do we say, that a preceding culture ended, and another one, or multiple ones "began"?

Is it for us to say?

Is it really an "accurate" statement?

Or do we do it for the sake of clarity/simplicity in communication among ourselves, regardless of what the truth is?

Is the truth of a "culture" experienced/felt or is the truth of a culture born out in its criticism/analysis?

Is it somewhere in between?

Like Edward Said said, anthropology etc., is like "taking a snapshot of a moving train", perhaps,

if a train is further ahead on its journey is it the same train?

Or is it a new train?

What if it split of into three trains?

Are they all still part of the original train?

Or are they three "new" trains, different somehow from the old train?

If the three new trains add some train cars here and there, is it still the same train?

How many do we need to add or take away before it is a different train, or three different trains?

Are the trains even different trains to begin with?

Is it just our perspective which has changed, is the experience of it any different?

Would anyone on the train notice if any of the cars were changed around, or are we just judging form afar, imprecisely?

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