What could the modern western world learn from indigenous peoples?

Jump to Last Post 1-5 of 5 discussions (10 posts)
  1. Emanate Presence profile image70
    Emanate Presenceposted 11 years ago

    What could the modern western world learn from indigenous peoples?

    This question is born from three recent events.

    I published a hub (Return to the River of No Return) on my experience in remote wilderness. While writing I relived my connection with the People of the Sun.

    Last night we watched an episode on DVD from 'The Waltons,' a TV series from the 70s. It was about an old Cherokee who walked back to the mountain of his ancestors to die.

    This morning, when Kati returned from her night shift as a nurse, we talked about the ways of indigenous people. I have my thoughts on it, of course, and would like to read yours.

  2. Born2care2001 profile image72
    Born2care2001posted 11 years ago

    Growing up, I didn't have much of an opinion of my own. Most of what I understood came from history books of that era. How sad! I would say, honestly, that I still do not know much about indigenous peoples around the world, but I do know this: their connection to the earth is so much richer than that of non-indigenous people. Their spirit, which seems purer because they often have a focus on the connections that matter; to a source of all being; to each other; and to the universe around them.
    I am grateful to be remotely connected, even in the smallest aspect, to that portion of humanity with lessons still to teach that come from that connection to Source and can help us return to that connection.
    Great question Emanate Presence and I would be grateful to hear more.

  3. cam8510 profile image91
    cam8510posted 11 years ago

    This is an excellent question Gary.  Thanks for providing the opportunity to share and to read as the answers come in.

    I spent three months in Papua New Guinea in the early 80s and that experience has played a significant part in the development of my world view since then.  Most of my time was among primitive people living along the Fly River.  I won't spend time here trashing modern society for not living like a primitive society.  We are who we are, but there are things to learn from the primitive cultures.

    1.  An appreciation for food-They grew their own food in family gardens.  For the most part, meat came by hunting as a group and sharing the kill. 

    2.  An appreciation for shelter-Homes were functional.  They were constructed of natural materials which everyone helped to make.  For example, women and children collected and weaved the reeds which became walls and sleeping mats. 

    3.  An appreciation for craft-bows and arrows, axes, digging implements, clothing, cooking utensils, dugout canoes, billum bags which were used for carrying everything from garden produce to babies. 

    4.  An appreciation for family-No one worried about retirement.  Families took care of their own elderly members.

    These are a few of the ways modern, western societies could learn from indigenous peoples.  There is no need for us to discard our whole way of life, but certainly many of the elements of primitive cultures could be rediscovered and used to make our lives more meaningful and less stressful.

    1. Emanate Presence profile image70
      Emanate Presenceposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      What a rich experience you had in New Guinea! Any plans to write a hub on it if you haven't already? I agree not to trash modern society. You put it wisely, we are who we are. I like to put out who I *really* am, and to read real words such as yours.

    2. cam8510 profile image91
      cam8510posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I have not written a hub on my PNG experience yet.  All of my photos are on slides, so I would need to have a few digitalized for the hub.  Thanks for the thought.

  4. JimTxMiller profile image76
    JimTxMillerposted 11 years ago

    To mind their own business, stay out of the affairs of others.

    1. Emanate Presence profile image70
      Emanate Presenceposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I am curious about this, Jim. Just if you feel inclined, would you consider to say more? Can you give an example?

  5. hawaiianodysseus profile image69
    hawaiianodysseusposted 11 years ago

    Good morning, Emanate Presence, and thank you for your thought-provoking question.

    I come from a family of origin that lived just a shade above absolute poverty in a sugar cane plantation labor camp on the island of Kaua'i.

    What I bring to the current table set before me from that experience is a sense of nostalgia and tremendous appreciation for the greater interdependence among family members that have very little in terms of material possessions. One learns to be more grateful for the living one can scratch from the earth or harvest from the sea. There is a greater exchange of goods and services than in an overly credit-driven society.

    Most of all, had I not had that kind of upbringing, I don't believe I would have retained in my seventh decade of life a sense of respect and dignity in the way I view and treat others. More importantly, I have a legacy that I can pass on to my children, grandchildren, and other descendants that has, at the very least, trace remnants of what it means to be a significant and contributing member of the global village.

    Aloha from SE Washington!

    Joe

    1. Born2care2001 profile image72
      Born2care2001posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      What a wonderfully complete sentiment! "be a significant and contributing member of the global village." I look forward to the day when we all share this consciously!
      Thank you Joe, for sharing!

    2. Emanate Presence profile image70
      Emanate Presenceposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Aloha Joe,
      Being free from material overload has enabled us to be more present to the moment and to the land. The Hawaiian islands gave us many rich and magical moments. You may enjoy our video hub, Hawaii O Hawaii. I appreciate your answer. Mahalo.

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)