How does the Semai community react to visitors, an interviewer asks the headman. His response, given in a new, 14 minute video, is that they are quite used to them. Pointing to a boy nearby, he adds that village children play around them and easily accept them. This was not… Continue reading…
How does the Semai community react to visitors, an interviewer asks the headman. His response, given in a new, 14 minute video, is that they are quite used to them. Pointing to a boy nearby, he adds that village children play around them and easily accept them. This was not… Continue reading…
The news report from Tsumkwe last week was stark. Two men, one 25 and the other 29, argued over a woman, both claiming her. Both were under the influence of alcohol. The younger man pulled out a poisoned arrow, fit it to the bow he was carrying, and shot the… Continue reading…
A peaceful protest march by tens of thousands of poor, landless, tribal peoples toward Delhi ended last Thursday in Agra when the government of India agreed to meet the demands of the marchers. The Rural Development Minister, Jairam Ramesh, signed an agreement with the march organizer, the NGO Ekta Parishad,… Continue reading…
Anthropologists have characterized many hunting and gathering societies as “immediate return,” a phrase that describes people who consume their food immediately since they have no way of accumulating and storing surplus. Such foraging societies often lack competition and are highly egalitarian. The Chewong certainly fit that description. In contrast, “delayed… Continue reading…
Competition is anathema to some of the peaceful societies, such as the Kadar, Semai, Piaroa, and Chewong, where people fear it might provoke resentment, anger, and even violence. For other peaceful societies, it is simply a harmless and enjoyable part of life. Tristan da Cunha is one of those places,… Continue reading…
Competition is anathema to some of the peaceful societies, such as the Kadar, Semai, Piaroa, and Chewong, where people fear it might provoke resentment, anger, and even violence. For other peaceful societies, it is simply a harmless and enjoyable part of life. Tristan da Cunha is one of those places,… Continue reading…
In his book Non-Violent Resistance, Gandhi wrote that satyagraha is not a weapon of the weak, it is a tool of strength. He acknowledged the existence of passive resistance, particularly in the Christian tradition, but he dismissed it as a characteristic of weakness. Passive resistance does not completely exclude violence,… Continue reading…
The young Buid are giving up a key symbol of their identity, the bahag, or loincloth, an article of clothing that some of their elders see as an essential part of their traditional culture. Younger people increasingly see it as an artifact of the past. Some older Buid, such as… Continue reading…
The Kadar workers in the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve were singled out last week as one of the key reasons for the nature sanctuary’s recognition as one of India’s best protected natural areas. The reserve, located in the mountains of eastern Kerala state in southern India, has been accorded top honors… Continue reading…
