Modernization and Indigenous Cultures - Specifically Native Americans - Research Paper Example

Modernization and Indigenous Cultures - Native Americans Introduction “Modernization is the process of moving from farming and agricultural society to an industrial society and it mainly deals with societies after the Industrial Revolution of the mid-18th century” (Modernization and Indigenous Cultures) “Indigenous is defined as the following "having originated in and being produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment". Culture is defined as several things however, it can be generalized as what a people/race/ or social group does. Therefore, an indigenous culture may be looked at as a culture that is not far removed from their origins” (Mathewson) Indigenous people are varied in their religions, social and economic norms and they often follw a certain pattern in their life styles. “At least 5,000 indigenous groups can be distinguished by linguistic and cultural differences and by geographical separation” (Race and Ethnicity) Irrespective of the whether they are staying in rural areas or urban areas, indigenous people are always keen in keeping their tradition and cultures. Modernization is actually a remoulding process of the existing cultural system which is actually a threat to the indigenous cultures. The blind acceptance of modern technologies and scientific developments are extremely harmful to the indigenous culture. For example, Ayurveda and homeopathy were two traditional medical fields which were used by indigenous peoples in order to cure even severe diseases. But the advancements in allopathic medical field have destroyed Ayurveda like traditional treatment methods using the less harmful medicines from herbs compared to allopathic medicines. This paper briefly explains modernization, indigenous culture and the impact of modernization on indigenous culture. Impact of Modernization on Indigenous Cultures Some key features of modernization would be large, formal organizations and division of labour based on specialization of skills and abilities. There is more control over environmental resources such as oil, water, land, and animals. There is also a distinct improvement in the quality of life during this time. Because of a higher per capita income individuals are able to buy more goods and services, have more recreational time, and have better housing and health care. Modernization can have both positive and negative effects on society and can often bring about controversy (Modernization and Indigenous Cultures) Modernization is visualized as the key element for the growth of the human generation. We cannot think in terms of a development purely based on the indigenous activities like agriculture, fishing or hunting. Industrialization is the core of any modernization process. The invention of new equipments and technologies has revolutionized the living standards of the human being. For example, tractors are used at present in order to prepare the land for agriculture whereas the ancient people or indigenous people used animals and some kind of traditional equipment like plough to prepare the land suitable for cultivation. It is unimaginable to think in terms of preparing a land using plough and bullocks at present. But nobody think in terms of burning lots of fuel by using tractors which is harmful to the environment. Whenever the petrol or diesel like fuels burn, it causes severe damages to the environment with the emission of carbon dioxide like toxic gases. Most of the modern activities are accomplished with the help of machineries which ultimately use some kind of energy from petrol, diesel or electricity. All these energy sources are one way or other causes damages to the environment. Urbanization of the rural areas is the end result of modernization. Urbanization always causes damages to the indigenous culture. Indigenous people always live in groups and keep much closer relationship between each other. Modernization on the other hand causes huge damages to the environment. For example, industrialization which is an essential part of modernization process, most probably destroys the existing forests which will damage the eco system. “The introduction of telephones, TV, airplanes, mass communication, bureaucratic institutions, computer control systems and so forth can be considered to be a part of modernization because they contain the potential for enlarging the spheres of life and broadening one's outlook, and furthermore transform ways of thinking, patterns of behavior and world views. It definitely means remolding a cultural system into a new form” (Naofusa) Advanced technologies forces human generation to leave the traditional things behind and run after the new ones which are more comfortable and easy to use. Most of the traditional traits have something associated with the culture and the avoidance of traditional activities will destroy even the positive aspects associated with them. For example, during ancient times, agriculture was a collective effort by indigenous groups in order to get maximum yield out of the cultivation. These collective efforts often resulted in strong social ties between them. But today advanced technologies made the cultivation easier and a farmer can independently cultivate his crops with the help of technologies rather than the assistance from the members of the indigenous group. Thus the chance for establishing strong tie up between the indigenous group members has been lost because of modernization. Indigenous culture includes all human activities such as religion, philosophy, moral standards, social laws, politics, economics etc. These human activities and its survival in its past form are not possible because of modernization. Everything is undergoing changes and modifications because of modernization. For example, moral standards are exhausting in the current world because of the destruction of the indigenous culture. Politics in the past and present is not comparable at all. Politicians in the past focused more on servicing the society whereas the current politicians are keener in servicing themselves. Economic activities were earlier limited within the boundaries of the nation whereas at present because of globalization collective economic growth has more prominence. Philosophy and principle were given more priority in the earlier culture whereas the current generation keeps philosophy and principles in the dustbin. Thus we can see that the values preserved by indigenous group have been destroyed by modernization. “In older cultures, and indigenous societies we did see cities however, not nearly as large in numbers as the ones we have currently. Today there is more than 6 billion people on Earth, and the United Nations expects that number to rise to around 9 billion by the middle of the twenty-first century” (Mathewson) The uncontrollable population explosion is the major cause for the destruction of the indigenous culture. The huge increase in size of population, made it impossible to preserve the indigenous culture. The increase in population increases the demands and the conventional facilities may not be sufficient enough which prompted us to go blindly behind modernization process, without thinking in terms of the possible drawbacks of it. Resources on earth are decreasing whereas the population increases which force the human generation to exploit the resources blindly, for the survival. “For indigenous people, their culture is the driving force for achieving sustainability. They are the guardians of cultural diversity on the earth. Their languages, the wisdom of their religions and their relationship with nature constitute their culture and wealth” (Srinivasan & Dr. Patnaik) On the other hand, the current generation is not giving much importance for preserving their culture. The strength of the society was not measure based on the religion earlier, as it is now. Indigenous people have given priority to the social relationships more than their religious belief. They have valued their animals, land and social customs. But at present, though modernization has caused immense advancement in all fields of life, religious fundamentalism has been increased a lot so that it divided the worlds into different segments. All the resources like animals and land were destroyed in the label of industrialization and modernization. Sioux Indians from South Dakota “Sioux, or Dakota, Indians, a large and powerful tribe of Indians, who were found by the French, in 1640, near the headwaters of the Mississippi River. In 1822 the population of the two divisions of the tribe was estimated at nearly 13,000. In 1837 they ceded to the United States all their lands east of the Mississippi, and in 1851 they ceded 35,000,000 acres west of the Mississippi for $3,000,000” (Sioux Indians) “There are 13 Sioux political subdivisions, combined into seven major tribes” (the Mdewakanton, Sisseton, Teton, Wahpekute, Wahpeton, Yankton, and Yanktonai Sioux tribes) (Lakota and Dakota Sioux Fact Sheet) Sioux Indians are one of the oldest tribal groups which have cultural significance at present rather than the political importance. Sioux Indians use horses for their travel and hunting purposes. In fact they were the first one who identified the use of horses in travelling and hunting purposes. They eat meats of the hunted animals, fruits and vegetables. Buffalo meat is one of the favourite dishes for them even though they eat most of the animal meats generally. One of the peculiar habits of Sioux Indians is that they use all parts of the hunted animal one way or other. They use the skins of these animals for making dresses, bags and medicines. Sioux Indians have different ethnic groups in their community and each ethnic group have different sub groups as well. “The Sioux comprise three different divisions based on tribal identity and language: the Dakota, or Santee; the Nakota, or Yankton; and the Lakota, or Teton” (Sioux Tribe) Most of the Sioux Indians speak English same way like the Americans, but their language may have a different tone or accent compared to a genuine American. Sioux Indians are bilingual and they preserve their native, Lakota/Dakota language with utmost care. “The Sioux language is euphonious, sonorous, and flexible, and possesses a more abundant native literature than that of any other tribe within the United States, with the possible exception of the Cherokee” (Knight) Women in Sioux Indian tribal groups normally look after their home. They are stronger compared to normal other women and they engage in cooking, cleaning and even harder works. “Sioux warriors and chiefs were well-known for their impressive feathered war bonnets, but they didn't wear them in everyday life”(Lakota and Dakota Sioux Fact Sheet) Both men and women in Sioux Indians grow their hair longer an it is difficult to identify them because of their similarities in dress codes and hair styles. Moreover, they painted their faces with special colours on special occasions. At present the modern culture has intruded into the Sioux community also. People already started to wear jeans like modern dresses and the western life style has been more popular among Sioux Indians at present. “In 1909 nearly 10,000 of the 25,000 Sioux within the United States were officially reported as Christians. The proportion is now probably at least one-half, of whom about half are Catholic, the others being chiefly Episcopalian and Presbyterian” (Knight) Religion plays an important role in the life of Sioux Indians. They believe that everything around us have spirit. “There were underwater spirits who controlled all animals and plants. High in the sky, they believed there were spirits called Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds were the most powerful spirits except for the Great Spirit who was the most powerful of all” (The Sioux Nation)Village councils are the main administrative body in Sioux Indians community. All the adult men are the members of this council which functions under a chief. Members of the village council again divided into subgroups and group is assigned to do some particular functions. Conclusions Modernization has caused heavy damages to the indigenous culture. Population explosion and the scientific and technological advancements caused the modernization process which has good and bad impacts on the society. The social relationships which were more evident in the indigenous cultures have been lost in the modern culture because of the changing trends in the societies due to modernization. Traditional tribes like Sioux Indians were also under the threat from the modernization process. Most of the evils of the modern society have begun to enter into the traditional societies as well. The blind modernization process has caused severe damages to the natural environment. Most of the valuable things like morality, ethics, philosophical principles, traditional medicines and traditional knowledge are disappearing rapidly along with the disappearance of indigenous culture. Works Cited 1. Knight, Kevin. 2009. “Sioux Indians”. New Advent. 9 July 2009. 2. “Lakota and Dakota Sioux Fact Sheet”. 2009. 9 July 2009. 3. Mathewson, Jesse. 2009. “Modernization and Indigenous Cultures”. 9 July 2009. 4. “Modernization and Indigenous Cultures”. 2009. 9 July 2009. 5. Naofusa, HIRAI. 1999. “TRADITIONAL CULTURES AND MODERNIZATION: Several Problems in the Case of Japan”. 9 July 2009. 6. “Race and Ethnicity”. 9 July 2009. < http://race.eserver.org/indigenous.html> 7. “Sioux Tribe”. 2009. 9 July 2009. 8. “Sioux Indians”.2008. 9 July 2009. 9. Srinivasan, Mannar Indira & Dr. Patnaik Sanghamitra. 2008. “The Indigenous Culture Across The Globe”. 9 July 2009. 10. “The Sioux Nation”. 9 July 2009. Read More