It was common practice in the 16/1700s. Find a tribe, use modern technology to make them believe you are gods. I can't remember who it was, maybe blackbeard? Came to an island, with lots of pyrotechnics, and told the people to give them food. Knowing there would be a blood moon soon, he said that if they didn't give him food, a week from now he would turn the moon blood red. They didn't give him food, and lo and behold, 1 week later, the moon turned red and the tribe positively shit themselves, and handed over the food.
There's a theory that Robert Louis Stevenson also used this kind of tactic on the people of Samoa, whilst searching for the lost treasure of Coco Island.
There was a story about predicting an eclipse too. Said their god was superior and if the natives didn’t give them resources then the god would take away the moon or something.
Sounds like utter horseshit tbh made up by dudes who just robbed and stole their shit. They’re tribal they’re not idiots. Eclipses happen and everyone can see them, it’s not a discovery
While it's a overused trope, it doesn't come from thin air. Colonial history is full of similar stories. 'Explorers" landing in Central America and literally being mistaken for gods was well documented, on both sides.
South America also had a incredible range of civil development. From deeply isolated tribes to massive metropoletan areas. Europeans never go to see those in their full glory, since foreign phatogens killed most of their populations
So you're comparing an advanced and well educated empire to a tiny island village?
Sort of, I thought it was obvious that I was specifically using the Maya as an example to indicate that pre-Columbian mezo-americans were knowledgeable in astronomy. So no I'm not comparing the technological prowess of the Maya with the 20 people that live in this forest hut. My entire point was that they probably know what an eclipse is. Whether they attribute it to magic or planetary alignment doesn't really matter. They are familiar with them was the entirety of my point.
Right that's my point you can't point to a tech that one empire (that was renowned for their knowledge) has and say because these people know this everyone knows it
yeah this sounds like the March 1504 lunar eclipse incident, but maybe there was more times this tactic was used/recorded in history? I only know of the 1504 one which was as you said Columbus
I saw a Mr Ballen video about a pair of con artists tricking a entire village to worship them by using smoke bombs and other things to do magic.
Later they hired another con artist to help, and upon learning some person was doubting their beliefs, the three people literally killed them and drank their blood.
Except, the new con artists got so into it that they basically took over and every few days they would go to a cave and sacrifice a person from the village AND NOBODY DID ANYTHING because they were scared
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u/Spacemanspalds Sep 14 '22 edited Sep 16 '22
Can we be certain this hasn't already happened?