Independence & development: development & cultural genocide
21 July 2012
MARTYN NAMORONG | Part 2 of a two part series
DEVELOPMENT IS THE CREATION of the perception that an introduced culture is new, better, and superior to a prevailing culture or social order.
It is a perception that what exists in one society is inferior to another. It is the perception that a new product is better than an old product. It is the perception that progress is good without highlighting the negatives.
Truth is, development or progress can be good or bad or even both simultaneously.
Development has more in common with advertising than it has with creating fair and equitable societies.
It is cultural genocide to the extent that it creates the idea some cultures are inferior to others. It classifies inferior cultures as undeveloped and superior cultures as developed. It creates the perception of a developed world and an undeveloped world.
Because people buy into the idea that their cultures and societies are inferior, the feel the 'need' to attain the 'new', 'improved', 'advanced', 'modern' ideas, technologies, cultures, economic and political practices of another.
Let me clarify one thing. I understand that a stone axe is inferior as an effective tool for chopping trees. Thus, acquiring metal axes is development. And as soon as a people feel the need to acquire metal axes, an economic and power relationship develops where one party is superior to another.
The people who produce metal axes are automatically classified as a superior culture by those who have stone axes. The stone axe culture is classified as primitive by the metal axe culture.
Development is then defined in terms of acquisition of metal axes. The story of development is what happened when metal axes defined everything. This then led to influences in religion, language, politics, trade, etc.
But what if the stone axe culture was more equitable than the metal axe culture? What if the stone axe culture shared resources better while the metal axe culture exploited each other?
What if the stone axe culture was sailing the oceans way before the metal axe culture? Today a vehicle with large greenhouse emissions is viewed as progress compared to a donkey and cart.
People from the stone axe culture continue to be judged by the standard of the metal axe. They continue to depend on outsiders to supply metal axes. They are no longer in control of their destiny as they once were for thousands of years.
Even if they start producing their own axes, they are in effect judging themselves by the same standard and in effect stating that the other culture is superior.
Producing metal axes is not development. There's nothing new, innovative or advanced about replicating technology. Development is when the stone age culture leaps forward to producing light sabres!
Now you understand what drives the race between nations in technological innovation. It really is about who drives the global agenda of development and human progress based on the model of 'development'.
The development game is really about creating and perpetuating the power relationship between the stone axe culture and the metal axe culture.
I now ask what is more important: development for the sake of being a developed nation or the creation of more independent and equitable societies.
Development exists on the basis of exploitative innovation. There is nothing wrong with innovation except when it becomes a tool for disempowering people and generating disparity.
Because you are an undeveloped stone-axe country you need our metal axes to become developed like us. Because you're ugly, you need our beauty products to make you look better. Because you're animists, we prescribe a superior deity to serve your spiritual needs.
Because everyone seems caught up in the development story, they have lost focus on creating equitable and just societies. Very few are telling stories of how certain cultures created more equitable societies.
Cultures like those in Melanesia were truly independent and everyone had an equitable share of the land and resources.
People and cultures that want development are disempowered societies with an inferiority complex generated by another culture that dominates them.
They are therefore more likely to fall into the traps of the dominant culture as it exploits them while promising to emancipate them from their inferior state. And inferior state created by the dominant culture for the purpose of exploiting and plundering.
People and cultures that want Independence and national sovereignty, are an empowered class of citizens in control of their national economy and political processes. Indeed the need for national sovereignty and self reliance comes out of a strong sense of pride about one’s culture and identity.
The need for development comes out of being told by another culture that you're inferior- you're primitive therefore you need development.
The need for national sovereignty and self reliance is articulated by an empowered people who affirm their cultural identity and the links they have to their land and resources.
These are people who understand that these resources must be sustainably managed if they are to have an independent economy and by virtue of that an independent government for perpetuity.
They are a people in control of their land and resources and are able to dictate to the government their aspiration for liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
A stone axe story...
Years ago I happened to find myself in Lumi in the West Sepik district. In those days it was an isolated spot that served as a hub for even more isolated places such as Nuku, Karaitem etc.
Anyway one day the local kalabus line (most of them would have been doing time for cargo cult related activities) and their attendants were going off to prepare a new spot for a garden.
I suspected that where they would be breaking ground was an old settlement site so I asked them to keep an eye out for stone implements and so on. After some discussion about why anybody would be interested in such things they assured me they would assess any stones etc. that they came across.
A day or so later they stopped by my place on their way home and with big smiles handed me a large polished dolerite (or some such) axe with no sign of wear and tear. They were just as surprised as I was as it was not something that they were familiar with.
Years later I discovered that it bears an uncanny resemblance to the axes in a hoard discovered in Ireland of all places, Malone Road in Belfast to be more precise. So perhaps we are more connected than we presently realize. :-)
This may be a bit off topic but I can't leave the subject of Lumi without relating another incident. As I was about to take my leave of the place the folk of Lumi village itself told me that I could have whatever I wanted from them as a parting gift.
Needless to say i was bowled over by this gesture and as they waited expectedly I looked around and spied a slightly worse for wear wooden saksak bowl that was in everyday use to prepare hatwara (sago powder mixed with hot water, a glutinous paste that was the staple, and favoured, food of the region).
They protested that they had much better items than that, but I insisted (I explained that it was something that had been used by them every day and so contained something of the spirit of their lives) and, somewhat disappointed with my choice, they handed it over. I still have that bowl...
Posted by: Michael Lorenz | 23 July 2012 at 10:13 PM
Martyn, thanks for your thoughts.Here are some of mine.
The history of mankind is long and complex. For many years mankind led a "stone-age" existence but slowly "civilization" evolved within it - settled communities grew up in river valleys, they had time for the pursuit of knowledge and the arts, a higher level of political organisation grew, a complex social and economic order developed, specialization in crafts and skills took place, they developed the ability to write, there was greater security, and the evolution of the village into the town etc...
I grew up in Sydney, Australia, in a European society introduced from England, Scotland and Ireland, where this development into "civilization" had progressed for thousands of years.
I ended up teaching in Brandi High School in the Sepik where I taught the children of "stone age" men. I taught them a little about this history of mankind.
When Matias Yaliwan started the Mount Turu Cargo Cult near Yangoru we all listened to his beliefs.
He thought that when he removed the cement survey markers on the top of Mt Turu on July 7th 1971 that he would be able to enter the mountain and bring out all the cargo that had been sent by his ancestors and was hidden inside the mountain.
I could understand his confusion.
On Open Day at Brandi when the parents of the students from Yangoru visited the school I picked out a set of slides that explained how things which they called Cargo e.g. axes, spades, cars, etc, were made, and trained one of my pupils to explain it to them.
I realised that these people from Yangoru were like the ancient stone-age ancestors of mine and I felt sorry for them and could understand their confusion.
I did not say they were "inferior". I had just as much respect for them as I did for older people in Australia who did not "understand everything that was going on in the world today".
I left PNG believing that the educated ones would be able to help the whole country to move from the "stone-age" along the road to development of "civilization" and to raise the standard of living for all people of PNG.
As Tanya says, "you now have the power to dictate the rules of development" of your land.
It is not easy. As I mentioned previously, Australia also has many problems of its own as it tries to maintain its standard of living.
Posted by: Mrs Barbara Short | 23 July 2012 at 05:12 PM
Well said, Tanya!
Australia is also a country full of mineral resources and mining is providing our wealth and it pains many of us to see so much of our manufacturing industries closing down.
The value of our Australian dollar is way too high and this has caused many problems.
I hope PNG is training some good economists to help the government work out what they should do.
Let's also hope that the incoming members of parliament include a few who have studied economics! They will need to have their wits about them if they want to control "development".
Posted by: Mrs Barbara Short | 23 July 2012 at 09:35 AM
Change is inevitable....the trend for eons has been that the more tenacious culture always bulldoze other less strong cultures. Look at the Spainish and the mighty cultures of the South America.
But this is not the rule - look at India for instance.. they have Bollywood and their own version of the silicone valley and others but their culture is still very much alive and vibrant as it did in the past - a culture that draws people worldwide.
What is the difference? I would say national pride, pride in culture, and belief that what they know is as good as what is imported..... now this is a mindset.
Nobody has the right to control what you think, until you allow them too. It is a mental toughness that says - I decide my own destiny.
It is high time those in the know start teaching our people that everything in life in relative. Life is not operated from a standard operating procedure.
Life is not all square pegs and there are 101 ways to skin a cat, it does not matter how you do it... at the end you get your cat meat.
You can try to tell me I am uncivilized, but what is civilization anyway? My ancestors were the worlds first farmers, they understood the concept of irrigation and used it to their advantage.
My ancestors were leaving the shores of their home with only the stars as their guide way before Columbus set out with his compass. This, definitely is not an inferior culture.
Instead of having a "o woe me" mindset, we should try to have faith in ourselves. Develop mental toughness that favors ourselves.
Everyone in this world is out to satisfy a need or a greed. Why not us? Why should we be subservient to others and serve their needs while neglecting ours?
To change needs a certain degree of mental toughness.
We have the power to dictate the rules of development on our land. If developers do not want to play, fine, we will do it ourselves because, knowledge and information is freely available (unlike in the days of our fathers.)
Posted by: Tanya Zeriga Alone | 22 July 2012 at 02:24 PM