This week I chose to explore oracle bones, and was incredibly surprised by the lengthy process used to prepare them. Oracle bones were used as a connection between the Shang and their gods, they were used in rituals and prayers often. Preparing the bones was extensive, it began with scraping the bones, and making preparations for the burning that would take place in the final stage. The shells were polished and inscribed with notations that described the date, source, and number of shells, this step really interested me, The notations inscribed into the shell reminds me of the signatures artists leave on their artwork, smarting the year the work was created, edition number, and of course the name of the artist. Oracle bones to me very much resembled the artist process, and the oracle bones were artworks themselves. The burning patterns described in the text that take place during the process further my appreciation for oracle bones, such care and thought was put into each creation.
Despite my appreciation for oracle bones I found the use of turtle shells to be concerning, not for the material itself but for the amount of turtles that were used. The large amount of turtles acquired and used for the creation of oracle bones is concerning, despite the Shang using the meat for food and creating minimal waste from this process so many turtles were consumed nonchalantly in such a short period of time. The creation of turtle oracle bones highlights the human need for answers from outer sources, and the means that individuals are willing to go about in order to receive the answers or protection they desire. Sometimes the best intentions can lead to selfish acts, I would not say the Shang are selfish but it is important to recognize when a population is used for the benefit of others but not given benefits to prolong the survival of the population.
Keightley, David. “Chapter 1: The Oracle Bone Inscriptions of the Late Shang Dynasty”. Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1: From Earliest Times to 1600, edited by W. deBary et al. New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 1999.
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