“So beautiful!” was the first thought that came to mind on viewing the items displayed at MOA’s O’Brian Gallery. The bowls, the feathers, the baskets and a couple other items that I hadn’t seen before all had diligently done designs on them, and watching an intricate Anaconda pattern on some bowls, all I saw was commitment and dedication; a way of life. In those thin elaborate lines on the calabashes was a story being told, a story of the relationship between the Amazon Rainforest and the Indigenous people that live within.
The more than 385 indigenous peoples identified in the Amazon rely on this forest for their culture and nourishment, as they have for a long time. The feathers and the various beautiful birds displayed at the exhibit show the treasures and the aesthetic value that can be found in the forest.The captivating indigenous chant that came from somewhere in the background highlighted the beauty of it all and the harmony between the people and nature.
Pinned on the walls, however, were charts with staggering details. The Amazon Rainforest from whence came such beauty is at risk of human destruction in the name of development. Mining, construction of roads, logging, oil exploration and drilling all pose a threat to this natural habitat. According to one of the charts, humans have been living in the Amazon for over 11,200 years and suddenly, this peaceful coexistence of humans and nature is being disrupted by development which highly focuses on profit and does little to ensure sustainable extractions of resources.
On these charts as well were policies adopted by various nations in the Amazon to preserve natural parts and indigenous lands of the Amazon. In addition to protecting the existence of native peoples and communities, the state of Peru, for instance, promises that “exploitation by the State of the natural resources shall be carried out without harming the integrity of such habitats.” And yet in the same nation, 84% of the Amazon surface is area is dedicated to oil production.This pattern can be observed in all the other nations in the Amazon and overall, 19% of indigenous territories and 15% of “protected” natural areas are covered with mining concessions. The Political-Scientist in me stirs at this; the lack of strategies to implement these policies in order to protect nature and the people that rely on it, especially in a seemingly borderless situation such as this.
Destruction of this forest means doing away with cultures and the way of life of the many people that rely on it. Such artifacts as were exhibited at the museum would become a song of the past and beautiful animals that rely on the trees for shelters would be homeless in a few decades if mass deforestation goes on at the current rate. Development should be focused on ensuring maximization of the use of natural resources but at the same time keeping in mind that their sources should be protected. I would call such adverse effects on a culture an “unintended cultural prejudice.”
Do we still call it “development” if it has such negative consequences on a people?