Aboriginal Rights

» woorama - message from mish

this is from mish in mexico, in response to the article, "cultural colonisation".

"that's really sad, especially how it seems that colonialists are trying to "reconstruct" aboriginal culture, or getting people to internalize stereotypes and perhaps rebuild there culture accordingly... That's really sad... In a way it seems like what happened in Mexico in the colonial period (which theoretically ended with independence, but hasn't, really...), where the spanish established laws and religion that became so much engrained that know they are confused with indigenous culture itself (from clothing to "traditional" forms of government), still, in my opinion a person who speaks an indigenous language and defines themselves as indigenous is so. Now ethnicity is esriously subject to exploitation and very much "up for sale" to tourists, ethnotourism is booming now... I don't know what to think of it, I'm sure a lot of the people who participate are good meaning folks, but just have no idea of the impact of their activities. Personally, I'd feel kinda sick with myself paying to go gawk at "primitive" people, but if I hadn't been exposed to them in any way maybe I wouldn't undrestand that repulsion..."

-- posted by woorama

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