Thursday, October 20, 2005

Swastika...

I've decided to do a little history/culture lesson for those of you who read this that might not be aware of this...

The swastika is not a hate symbol. Allow me to explain.

The swastika is actually one of the oldest symbols known to man, having been used as a symbol of good luck and the like for over 3,000 years by cultures from Japan, China, India, Southern Europe, The Americas etc.

Even the United States own 45th Infantry used the swastika as their symbol from 1924 to 1939 until it's association with the National Socialist German Workers Party in Germany forced them to come up with a new design.

45th Infantry Original Design45th Infantry Current Design


Some links for further information:
History of the swastika.
45th Brigade Combat Team, Shoulder Insignia.
Swastika (at Wikipedia).

So, try not to just jump to the "NAZI!?!?" conclusion the next time you see this symbol. Have a little more cultural awareness. :-)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

wasn't it also used by the egyptians or something?

JStressman said...

I see very little mention of Egypt in relation to it, other than a few things here and there that seem to assert that the Greeks stole the swastika from Egypt etc.

It seems to be more asia and southern europe and north america... not sure beyond that. Feel free to go study.

Sriram said...

Hi everyone,

The swastika is a 'hindu' symbol that was in use around 2500 BCE in the Indus valley more than 1000 years before even the vedas (about 1500 BCE).

Please see the Harappan seal discovered at the Indus Valley excavation site.

http://www.harappa.com/indus4/315.html

Cheers.

Sriram

JStressman said...

Thank you for the information Sriram. :)