This talk explores how far animals are or are not endowed with a sense
of history. The century-long history of lion--human interaction in the
lions' last habitat in Asia---in India's Gir Forest, Gujarat State---is
the focal point of analysis. In turn, there have been longer-term shifts
since ancient and medieval times. Aside from two specific phases of
breakdown, Gir's lions rarely attack people. To comprehend why this is
so, both the lions and humans need to be seen as products of history.
Although it is going too far to endow the lions with historical
consciousness, Gir's lions clearly do have memory of memories. Over a
half-century since hunting ceased, living on a mix of domestic livestock
and wild prey, they now co-inhabit not only the forest but a much larger
territory in close proximity to resident people. Their case calls for
rethinking both animal and human histories to allow for associate
species that adapt to human presence, and are capable of memory.