For this ASTU blog assignment, students from the “Global Citizens” CAP stream visited the “Amazonia: The Rights of Nature” exhibit currently held at UBC’s Museum of Anthropology. The exhibit features items from the indigenous communities, and aims to deepen visitors’ understanding of the people and the rainforest – especially the challenges faced and ongoing movements to meet them. We were asked to write a reflective blog post in preparation for our CAP Joint Lecture. I noticed the many similar points of interest made by my classmates.
Firstly, many of my classmates noted the indigenous people’s close connection to nature, which vastly differs from the sense of detachment traditionally held in the West. Anthony recalls from a recent Geography reading that the European settlers saw nature as a lifeless “commodity” to be bounded and traded. In contrast, the natives often saw the land as having life. Brenna mentions an example that I think strikingly highlights the discrepancy between the two groups’ attitude to nature. She writes that the natives’ hunting process was not merely for survival, but is infused with spiritual meaning as it is tied to shamanism, where “a transcendental connection and exchange between the hunter and the spirit of the animal” occurs. She contrasts it to the commodification through cattle ranches, and lack of connection with meat that many people in the West have. The natives’ connection to the natural world is further demonstrated through their material objects. Daniela points out how the natural world was often the source of inspiration for the designs of many indigenous communities’ artefacts. She sees the translation, and “to learn that every detail is made to resemble an idea bigger than what is seen” admirable. Daanish similarly observes how infused the artefacts are with cultural significance – such as being representative of their cosmological narrative. Daniela’s realisation leads her to question “Western ideals of materialism and wasteful consumerism”. I find indigenous approaches to material items and life in general – finding a connection and experiencing something bigger than the self – refreshing.
Moreover, nearly all of my classmates drew parallels of the situation in Amazonia to elsewhere on Earth. As Anthony and Anjali rightly notes, indigenous peoples worldwide face similar challenges, such as loss of people to assassinations, loss of traditional land territories to corporations and exploitations, environmental challenges, and also a loss of culture and way of life. Benny brings this connection very close to home when he critically reminds us of the logging industry in British Columbia: “While I understand that facts regarding the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon are accurate and alarming, it comes across as somewhat hypocritical to be critiquing countries in South America for very similar practices that the forestry industry engages in here.” I find his comment a wake-up call for us to question and truly consider our connection with the issues on hand.
Finally, many classmates see a personality responsibility that each of us hold regarding the future of indigenous communities and the natural environment. This is with regards to the Amazonian region, but also across the world. Telisa and Anna G asks us to be more mindful in our actions and consumer habits. For example, deforestation is a major challenge in the Amazon and as Anna G points out, we play a role in the picture with our demands for “palm oil, sugar, soy, and beef”.
I see a link between our consumer demands and the first point regarding the indigenous people’s close relationship with nature. Perhaps we should learn to slow down our consumer purchases and especially our acquisition of material items. Hopefully, slowing down will help us become more mindful as we consider all the processes that had to take place before a given item – be it an edible product, artwork, or general material item – is in front of you. I believe that cultivating such a mindful attitude will help us better appreciate, and find greater meaning in something.
This insight of indigenous communities highlights the great wisdom they hold. It is my hope that we will learn to listen to, respect, and incorporate indigenous peoples and their knowledge as we deal with the challenges our planet face together.
Brenna: https://blogs.ubc.ca/brennasblog/
Daniela: https://blogs.ubc.ca/danielaastu/
Daanish: https://blogs.ubc.ca/daanishsayani/2018/01/18/blog-4-on-the-amazonia-exhibit/
Anthony: https://blogs.ubc.ca/anthonym/
Anjali: https://blogs.ubc.ca/abentley/
Benny: https://blogs.ubc.ca/bennyastu/
Telisa: https://blogs.ubc.ca/telisa/