Monday, March 29, 2010
Conflicts With Indigenous Peoples
This report from the BBC is perhaps an extreme example of how the development of tourism can impact a native or indigenous peoples. Anthropologists have for many years pointed out the negative effects such encounters have but one has to ask to what end does "protecting" such fragile societies serve? Are they truly guinea pigs as the article suggests and who are we to say what is best for them?
Closer to home we encounter these conflicts often as a new resort or destination is developed in a small town or rural area or even when a quaint part of a city is "discovered" by the travel industry. Don't we all want to be the last one to visit and close the door behind us?
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You know it's really sad when you think about this. These people are about to be extinct and although they may have some benefits from contemporary society, education, healthcare, etc civilization has ruined their lives. How do you go back to the jungle once you've listened to an ipod? How do you go back to being naked once you've worn clothing. I think a world combined might be the answer just like the African tribes we see on National Geographic or The Tribe on tv. We must allow them to continue their lives as they see fit but maybe live harmoniously with them giving them their space and not interfering unless they initiate it. The other possibility is to pay them to continue their lives as they know it. Then you can help them continue a similous of their traditions by charging tourists to visit them from a distance like a safari. I enjoy seeing cultures as they were but once we have breached their world it is our responsibility to help them continue their lives with as much or little intrusion as they will allow. And by doing so we should compensate them for the intrusion if they agree. This of course is a bit of rambling I'm thinking as I write because it's hard for me to see how tourism has done away with a lot of cultures and traditions for the sake of our enjoyment. I would love to be able to close the door once I've visited someplace. We must be responsible tourists and educators of tourism to help sustain locals way of life as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteSpecifically to the Jarawa tribe, I think it may be too late to isolate them from the outside world. Their true lifestyle have already been interfered by tourists and they have been relying on rations and clothes. Younger Jarawas are now in the process of assimilation; therefore, pushing them back into the reserve could certainly disrupt their livelihood as well. No individual would be able to decide what is best for them but the exposure to the outside world may have force them to assimilate sooner or later.
ReplyDeleteIn general, there are many examples where ecotourism and indigenous tribes are coexisting. The Eselenkei tribe of South America has been benefiting from the growth of ecotourism in their nature reserve and has been operating a barge company that transports tourist into the reserve. They are also hired to perform tribal ceremonies for tourists to enjoy which in turn provides a motive for the younger generations to learn and maintain the traditions of the tribe. However, their success also requires cooperation from tour operators and NGOs.
A system similar to the Eselenkei tribe may benefit the Jarawa in a huge way. Providing tourists with the Jarawa traditions and ceremonies as a form of entertainment would bring in a substantial amount of income to the tribe while helping maintain the traditions of the Jarawa. Isolating them would certainly please the older Jarawas but it will certainly destroy the youngsters who have now learn to rely on the outside world.
I agree the young of the Jarawa tribe not able to go back to the way it use to be. I believe if they tried that the young would just leave and co-habitate with the other societies which would eliminate the culture. They would leave their culture behind and integrate into the new world, probably marrying into new cultures and not appreciating theirs. They would eventually be extinct.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is impossible to 'go back in time' for the Jarawa people. I believe the authorities need to look at the reality of the situation and take immediate steps to save the lives of the tribe memebers that are still alive. It is unrealistic to think that they are now going to go bacm to a way of life that does not involve the technology and modern customs they have witnessed, and while officials sit around debating this moot issue, the Jarawa are becoming extinct. If the tribesmen wish to remain where they live instead of being assimilated completely into modern society, it needs to be respected. While it is unrealistic to force them to live a life where they do not have access to modern technology and schools, it is not unrealistic that the government should provide necessary assistance to help move them into the 21st century while respecting their land, space, and cultural traditions.
ReplyDeleteAs stated in the article, the people of the Jarawa tribe were known to engage in "savage" behavior. They killed whenever they felt threatened, they stole food and didn’t realize that is was crime. To isolate and revert the Jarawa tribe back to their savage ways would be completely backwards and detrimental to the safety of the tourists. Many of tourism companies are making new plans and developments for new tourist destinations. It is evident that the Jarawa tribal members are aware of civilization. Placing them on a reserve only allows them to revert back to old ways which could potentially endanger civilized society. Many of the older members of the tribe aren't up for change, so there needs to be plan to preserve some territory for those members. There will be some tribal members who will continue to adopt the civilized behavior and attempt to continue to cohabitate. Many tourist may feel uncomfortable with encounters of the tribal members, so tourist companies need to set some type of barriers for their guest, not to totally eliminate which would be impossible, but to reduce the amount of interactions of Jarawa tribe.
ReplyDeleteI think that it may be too late to try to separate this tribe from the reality of our world today. They have already had a taste, and to take them away from that I think would only cause more harm than good. The article mentioned how members of the tribe will sit along the road and wait for the tourists to come through. I think that by forcing demands on this tribe, such as reverting back to their previous way of life, only makes for a more dangerous situation. If for some reason the tribe would retaliate, it could bring about negative publicity that would only hurt the tourism in this area.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that any group has the right to tell these people that they must revert back to the way they were living. Many tribes and similar groups take pride in who they are. I think how they choose to live their life, whether it be a savage way or modern day, should be left up to them to decide.
Hey guys, some very thoughtful comments as usual - good work. This issue drives anthropologists crazy and often torments tourism developers. I believe as the old saying go "you can't put the cat back in the bag" or "the Gennie back the bottle" applies here, like it or not. So the issue for us to wrestle with is to what extent is commodification of their culture is appropriate or conversely to what extent do we try to "protect" what is left of it? This may be an extreme example but as I noted earlier these kinds of issues resonate locally here - even in Central Illinois!
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