The world in which we live in is just one model of reality, it doesn’t exist in an absolute sense. A biologist’s idea of an apocalyptic scenario for biodiversity would be that fifty percent of all plants and animals are on the verge of extinction. On the other hand, while that would be an extreme scenario for biodiversity, cultural diversity is decreasing at a much faster and larger rate. Cultural diversity is dying off at a faster rate than any other type of diversity due to its close link to biodiversity and the people from the developed world. Wade Davis tells us that there is a metaphor to describe a relationship with the Earth; the culture you’ve been raised in will change your relationship with a resource. He explains to us that he came across a culture who believed that the Earth only exists through human consciousness; our relationship with our natural resources is from what we’ve been taught and from what we believe. For example, a child from the Andes will believe that a mountain will direct his or her destiny and a child growing up in Montana believes a mountain is just a pile of rocks. These people will have be profoundly different people because of their relationship with their natural world. Indigenous tribes rely on natural resources to sustain their cultures. Not only are many of them living in the forests and mountains, they are dependent on natural resources to maintain their culture.
These tribes rely on plants for cultural experiences, mountains as religious temples, and forests as homelands. The tribes have a remarkable relationship with their landscape; none of them know the modern world. The TED talk illustrates one tribe that actually speared missionaries to death because they had sent photos, a technology that had scared them. If the decrease in biodiversity takes away the forests that they need for their homes, what will happen to these indigenous tribes. Davis presents the argument that the same factors that are driving the decline in biodiversity are destroying cultural diversity. It isn’t technology or wars that are causing the decline in cultural diversity; power is the main influence over both biological and cultural diversity. These indigenous cultures that are going extinct don’t have as much power as the developed world. Whether it’s deforestation, disease brought from other countries, political domination, or ethnocide. Indigenous people show great independence and are able to survive on almost nothing but their natural resources. Wade argues that these people don’t live in the middle of nowhere, these places are their home.
Davis believes that there is only so much that legislature can do and the only way to truly protect them is by getting global citizens involved through storytelling. Although I do agree with his idea that storytelling will help save the indigenous people of the world, politics need to be involved. For example, people living around Mount Everest have been facing ethnic genocide by the government. Every government should have laws protecting these people and their lands; no one should be facing a genocide based on their culture and ethnicity. Although I don’t believe it is necessary for governments to be funding cultural diversity, they should be actively involved in passing legislation to protect these tribes.
These tribes rely on plants for cultural experiences, mountains as religious temples, and forests as homelands. The tribes have a remarkable relationship with their landscape; none of them know the modern world. The TED talk illustrates one tribe that actually speared missionaries to death because they had sent photos, a technology that had scared them. If the decrease in biodiversity takes away the forests that they need for their homes, what will happen to these indigenous tribes. Davis presents the argument that the same factors that are driving the decline in biodiversity are destroying cultural diversity. It isn’t technology or wars that are causing the decline in cultural diversity; power is the main influence over both biological and cultural diversity. These indigenous cultures that are going extinct don’t have as much power as the developed world. Whether it’s deforestation, disease brought from other countries, political domination, or ethnocide. Indigenous people show great independence and are able to survive on almost nothing but their natural resources. Wade argues that these people don’t live in the middle of nowhere, these places are their home.
Davis believes that there is only so much that legislature can do and the only way to truly protect them is by getting global citizens involved through storytelling. Although I do agree with his idea that storytelling will help save the indigenous people of the world, politics need to be involved. For example, people living around Mount Everest have been facing ethnic genocide by the government. Every government should have laws protecting these people and their lands; no one should be facing a genocide based on their culture and ethnicity. Although I don’t believe it is necessary for governments to be funding cultural diversity, they should be actively involved in passing legislation to protect these tribes.