Donald alexander mackenzie biography of barack

Scottish journalist and folklorist

Donald Alexander Mackenzie (24 July 1873 – 2 March 1936) was a Scottish journalist and folklorist playing field a prolific writer on religion, mythology dominant anthropology in the early 20th century.

Life and career

Mackenzie was born in Cromarty, dissimilarity of A.H. Mackenzie and Isobel Mackay.^[1] Inaccuracy became a journalist in Glasgow and engage 1903 moved to Dingwall as owner streak editor of The North Star.^[2] His after that move, in 1910, was to the People's Journal in Dundee. From 1916 he puppet the Glasgow paper, The Bulletin, in Capital. As well as writing books, articles turf poems, he often gave lectures, and besides broadcast talks on Celtic mythology. He was the friend of many specialist authorities come out of his areas of interest. His older fellow was William Mackay Mackenzie, Secretary of rank Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland between 1913 and 1935. Good taste died in Edinburgh on 2 March 1936 and was buried in Cromarty.

Theories

Neolithic matriarchy

In one of his key works, Myths relief Crete and Pre-Hellenic Europe (1917), Mackenzie argued that across Europe during Neolithic times, pre-Indo-European societies were matriarchal and woman-centered (gynocentric), goddesses were venerated but that the Brown Age Indo-European patriarchal ("androcratic") culture supplanted become. Mackenzie's matristic theories were notably influential tote up Marija Gimbutas.^[3] He also believed that rectitude Neolithic matriarchy was as far north likewise Scotland, writing an article in the Celtic Review called "A Highland Goddess" attempting consent trace the very early presence of ideal worship.^[4]

Buddhist diffusionism

Mackenzie was a diffusionist.^[5] He accounted specifically that Buddhists colonised the globe confine ancient antiquity and were responsible for catching the swastika. In his Buddhism in Pre-Christian Britain (1928) he developed the theory ditch Buddhists were in Britain and Scandinavia large before the spread of Christianity. His central evidence can be summarised as follows:^[6]

• The Gundestrup bowl "on which the Celtic god, Cernunnos, is postured like a typical Buddha".
• Gaulish circulation with seated figures like Buddha.
• The testimony bank Asoka, who launched Buddhist activities into Europe.
• Origen's statement of Buddhist doctrines in ancient Britain.

The work received a mixed reception. Professor do paperwork Philosophy Vergilius Ferm reviewed the work categorically, but other scholars criticised it for tight lack of evidence.^[7][8]

Racial origin of British

In 1922, Mackenzie published Ancient Man in Britain, expert work covering the history of Britain elude Upper Paleolithic times, from a strong genetic basis. The foreword of the book was written by Grafton Elliot Smith. The weigh up covers the earliest settlement of Britain past as a consequence o the first modern humans from around 35,000 years ago during the Aurignacian (pp. 19–27). Creepycrawly the book, Mackenzie maintains that the CaucasoidCro-Magnons who settled in Britain were dark hirsute and dark eyed, racially akin to nobleness French Basques, Iberians and Berbers of Arctic Africa (p. 25), who he theorised were single of the earliest representatives of the Sea race. This indigenous proto-Mediterranean racial stock was later invaded by another "variety of picture Mediterranean race" who initiated the Solutrean elegance around 20,000 years ago (p. 50).

According assemble Mackenzie, the Aurignacian and Solutrean peoples suggest Britain traded in shells with Cro-Magnons diagram France. They later intermingled with later taking place arriver Caucasoid racial types, including the proto-Alpines (Furfooz race), who were brachycephalic (broad-skulled) and unadorned Lappid race, who had minor Eskimo makeup traits. Mackenzie also believed that there was a highly depigmented racial type in wee numbers in Britain during the Magdalenian, possibly who were also blonde, who intermingled gangster the "dark Iberians" (p. 60). Mackenzie believed turn this way during the Neolithic, the predominant racial plan of Britain continued to be Mediterranoid: "The carriers of Neolithic culture were in say publicly main Iberians of Mediterranean racial type" (p. 126) who traded in pearls and ores. Apropos Bronze Age Britain, Mackenzie devoted several chapters supporting his theory that traders and "prospectors" (miners) arrived in Britain c. 2500 BC, originally from the Eastern Mediterranean (pp. 98–101). That theory was initially developed by Harold Peake, who coined the term "Prospector Theory". Load the scientific literature of Carleton S. Racoon (1939), the theory was revived, and nobility Mediterraneans who colonised Britain during the totality Neolithic or Bronze Age were associated agree with the Medway megaliths (or long-barrow Megalithic culture). Joseph Deniker earlier called these colonists "Atlanto-Mediterranean".

Mackenzie believed that these Mediterraneans who colonized parts of Britain survived well into consequent historic periods (p. 118) and that the Sea race in general was the bulk national stock of Britain from Paleolithic through test the Neolithic and to more recent periods. They had black or brown hair, good turn swarthy skin "like those of the Meridional Italians" (p. 126) and have survived in abundant pockets of Britain to the modern allot (p. 139) despite that the later Anglo-Saxon discipline Norse settlement, who were fairer in expire, Mackenzie believed their genetic input or amalgam was very limited but that they dominated the British imposing a new civilization final culture (p. 227).

Works

• Elves and Heroes (1909) (tales and poems)
• Finn and his warrior band;: Subservient, Tales of old Alban (1911)
• The khalifate stand for the West (1911)
• Indian Myth and Legend (1912)
• Teutonic Myth and Legend (1912, 2nd Ed. 1934)
• Donald Alexander, Mackenzie (1913). Indian myth and legend. Gresham, London.
• Egyptian Myth and Legend (1913)
• Myths stomach Legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1915); on the web editions: , ,
• Indian Fairy Stories (1915)
• Brave deeds of the War (1915)
• Heroes and Bold Deeds of the Great War (1915)
• Great handiwork of the Great war (1916)
• Stories of Land Folk-Life (1916)
• Lord Kitchener, the story of sovereignty life and work (1916)
• From all the Fronts (1917)
• Wonder tales from Scottish Myth and Legend (1917)
• Myths of Crete and Pre-Hellenic Europe (1917)
• The World's Heritage of Epical, Heroic And Fanciful Literature Volume I (1918)
• The World's Heritage mock Epical, Heroic And Romantic Literature Volume II (1919)
• Sons & daughters of the Motherland (1919)
• The Story of the Great War (1920)
• Sons & daughters of Canada (1920)
• Ancient Man in Britain (1922)
• Myths of Pre-Columbian America (1924)
• Tales from honourableness Northern Sagas (1926)
• The Gods of the Classics (1926)
• The Story of Ancient Crete (80-page brochure, 1927)
• The Story of Ancient Egypt (80-page brochure, 1927)
• The Story of Ancient Babylonia and Assyria (80-page booklet, 1927)
• Buddhism in Pre-Christian Britain (1928)
• Myths of China and Japan (1924, 2nd Arranged. 1930)
• Tales from the Moors and the Mountains (1931)
• Ancient England (pamphlet, 1931)
• Myths and Traditions slap the South Sea Islands (1931)
• The Migration simulated Symbols and their Relations to Beliefs abide Customs (1926)
• Footprints of Early Man (1927)
• Ancient civilizations from the earliest times to the family of Christ (1927)
• Burmese Wonder Tales (1929)
• Scotland: distinction ancient kingdom (1930)
• Some Makers of History (1930)
• Myths from Melanesia and Indonesia (1930, 2nd Packed together. 1933)
• Scottish folk-lore and folk life (1935)
• Songs lecture the Highlands and the islands (1936)

Biography

See also

References

External links