[meteorite-list] Dr. Hibben and Oral Traditions

[Chauncey Walden]

As a former student of Dr. Hibben at the University of New Mexico, I 
feel that I must make some comment. Whatever else he was, he was a 
fantastic educator. His classes occupied the largest auditorium and no 
one fell asleep listening to his fascinating and motivating lectures. I 
  hope that some day his Sandia Cave theories are justified; just to be 
"one for the Gipper". He was also head of the New Mexico Department of 
Fish and Game at one time and instrumental in the successful 
introduction of exotic game into otherwise large game unoccupied 
econiches in New Mexico. He was also generous in telling underclassmen 
the best places to hunt!
As for oral traditions, I'm sure that many would be surprised at how 
many seeds of truth can hide in the shell of the orally passed down 
creation "myths". If you have ever witnessed the powerful and moving 
Zuni Shalako ceremony and heard one of the elders in the house of the 
council of the gods drone out the Zuni creation myth for hour upon hour, 
you would realize the importance of such an oral tradition tale to a 
non-literate society.
Some have even passed into literacy, like the "begats" in the Bible. As 
for oral traditions, I can't think of something that would leave a more 
long lasting impression than surviving getting whacked by a comet 
(remember, you should be able to see one of these coming for a while!) 
that caused massive forest fires and floods from vaporized glaciers!