Singular

         Exceptional might be the correct thought to describe the definition of "culture" about to be written. You might guess that a lot of Jones surname tree climbing, "bits and pieces", lay under these words. All residual during the many years of trying to figure out the principles of this customary activity among the ancestors. Well, here goes!

         Culture:  The integrated pattern of human behavior that includes ... 

                                                             Thoughts ...

                                                              Speech ... 

                                                              Action ... (and)

                                                              Artifacts ... 

                                AND

                                          Depends upon man's capacity for learning ... 

                                AND 

                                          Transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations.   😊 

From Webster's p. 274! My "Emoji" is number 106, labeled "smiling face with smiling eyes".

"Symbolling"

        My recent reading days have focused on the dynamic culture. What are the concepts and components of such a glue that has held folks (my ancestors) together down through all the hallways of time? Some would suggest it is the behavior peculiar to Homo sapiens. My 1985 encyclopedia Britannica, volume 16, starting on page 925, would say such a thing. Let's see now, there is "language", "ideas", "beliefs", "customs", "codes", "institutions", "tools", "techniques", "works of art", "rituals", "ceremonies" and, "so on" ...! The writers of the text (pp. 925 - 944) after a detailed outline (p. 925) suggest a word for this human behavior, as a group process, joining the individual folks together into a consensual, mutual, joint think dynamic. They write that it is "a kind of behavior" that is "objectively definable" and, "should not be confused with symbolizing". They point out that it "has an entirely different meaning" (p.925). This of course was before the world of the "Emoji"! The special characters of people and emotions it is called.

        Just cannot believe it! After more than 25 years of blogging, my mental processor recognized this smiling, happy face listed as "Insert special characters". What a deal! If counting correctly, there are roughly 161 symbols you can pick representing the very abstract thought you are experiencing at the moment in time you are writing or reading. Let's see now, ... what to choose ... an "Emoji" here, ... an "Emoji" there ... another needle in my haystack ... hum? 

         "Emoji" #1 = ☝ Guess this means one finger up or, I am with you on this thought?

         "Emoji" #161 = 🙏 Praying hands? Guess this might mean good luck with that thought or, "God  only knows" or, I'll be praying with you or, for you, or against you, or what your abstract thought brings to your own definable reason?

        One hundred and sixty-one symbols of life. Symbols which are to define the emotion of our existence. What will you choose for that moment in life? If enough get together maybe it is symbolling.

D'em Bones

      Skeletons continue as one of the main symbols of the "Trick or Treat" phenomena still occurring the end of October each year. Since my own childhood days of after dark door knocking, the skeleton remains alive and well. Guess it is not supposed to be alive or well but, here is a picture of one of my many first cousins (1950's) all dressed up and, you might have to guess the status.

       A flashlight in the left hand, a winter coat over the skeleton, a mask much to large covers the face and, the candy bag in the right hand appears only 1/2 fool. Not me indeed it would be. Let's see now.

       At sunset, my adventure would begin on the citadel of chocolate, French Avenue, Winchester, KY. No such thing as a flashlight, winter coat, or floppy dress allowed and, the night would not end until that old candy bag was full!

       West end to east end on the south side of French Avenue is where all the elderly, widowed folks resided within their century old houses that stood proudly facing the street. Every widowed lady that came to the door would laugh and clap and, invite you into brighter light so the costume inspection could continue joyfully. Finally, you were offered a bowl of goodies which you could take out at full grasp. What a treat it was. No trick here. Then, on my way to the porch of the next large house expecting to grab away. What a deal!

       Anyway, it recently came to my attention that a statement made by an English Egyptologist around 1903 was recorded this way, "Chronology is, indeed as Professor Petrie has phrased it, 'the backbone of history'."  Say what? In my opinion it should be more like the whole skeleton. But hey, . . . just let me offer, in genealogy, "chronology", is the whole skeleton, not only the skeletons in the closest!

       Here is a real skeleton drawn to exact structure from one of my anatomy drawings books!

                                        Have got old Petrie's back ...!

                                                                                        Trick or Treat ?

Head 'um up ...

        Black and white T.V. was an amazement during my childhood days of the late 1950's. Watching the outside world move about the inside world of your living room was an astonishing adventure.

        Now, "Rawhide" was one of my all-time favorites. When all those "cowpokes" had filled their stomachs around that morning campfire, they called to one another that it was about time to herd all those pesky, cows together and, move on down the trail. "Head 'um up ..., move 'um out" came the jingle ... "Rawhide"! Since 1959, this saying has come to my mind on the many occasions when it was about my time to move on down the trails of life.

        Such is this genealogy time of my ancestors. They have been grouped together as a large heard of folks, mulling about the fields of time, just after the black death of the 1350s. Many of the recent posts have discussed a thought process which huddles the folks into cluster groups by Y-DNA. This would make my own ancestor's Y-DNA a little easier to follow along the future trails (branches) of the family tree. Clarification was the need. Celtic, to become Welsh, to become my surname JONES, the point of descent it is. A bit of mixture here and, a bit of mixture there but, hey, ... "Head 'um up ... move 'um out"!

mentalis mastication

                                                       MATTER :

                                                                           A  ... Substance ...

                                                                           A  ... Subject ...

                                                                           A  ... Something ...

                                                                           A  ... Situation ...

                                                                           A  ... Substratum ...

                                                                           An .. Event ...

                                                                           An .. Element ...

                                                                           An .. Inquiry ...

                                                                           And ... like me ...

                                                                                       occupies space and has weight !

                                                                           

                                                                            

Compare Or Contrast III

        Conceptualizing the four huddle groups as presented beginning post 27, June 2025 is discussed. The first picture shown was to help visualize the players of the cultural groups being organized. The Norman French (red marker) 11, July 2025, the Saxon group (orange marker), the Church group (blue marker) 15, July 2025 and, my DNA ancestors the Celtics (green marker) 20 July 2025, were all discussed with comments regarding a similar topic surrounding each huddle group. 

       The first table to demonstrate a way to compare and/or contrast the cultural group for the similar topics was shown 26, July 2025 giving four columns and, 3 rows of the topics. Additional topics where then added by comments on each huddle group window. A second compare or contrast table was then shown, 3 September 2025, adding six rows to the figure.

       Well, here's the third figure giving another "compare or contrast" table to help understand some of the huddle groups dynamics. Take it away!

       Now, 4 columns and 9 rows! Compare or contrast it is? For other comments: see [Norman French 8 September, Saxon 10 September, Church 11 September, and Celtic 12 September 2025!]

THINGS

                        What does it matter?

                                   - OR -

                        What does it antimatter?

   

                        Neither here nor there? 

                        A "will-o' the-wisp"?

                        Flip a coin?

                        Heads I win, Tails you lose?