Oblivion for another native people

[BigM]

I'm not sure if anything has been posted on this story already, but I came across it in today's Times.

The price of "progress".

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article7015540.ece

 

[Commoner]

loss of that tribe was a foregone conclusion years ago, no fertile members. best hope for any indigenous peoples is to keep the hell away from the rest of us so we don't civilise them to death. thanks for flag up.

 

[Toddy]

So sad, to be the last family and friends and neighbours all gone. No one she knew at the end was 'familiar'.

RIP lady, maybe your song will be listened to and that won't be the fate of the other tribes of your islands.

Toddy

 

[Paul_B]

I wonder about which is worse for some linguists, the loss of the tribe or its language? IMHO it is the loss of the tribe that is worst and perhaps you could day that happened in 2005 when the king and other elders died. You need a tribe to have the tribal culture IMHO.

As I once heard on a tv documentary there is a dead language (although it is being recovered) in the UK the Cornish language. IIRC the last native Cornish language speaker died last century. The people are still there and there is a kind of culture down their still.

I must admit though I do reget every story of a passing language. I once heard that there are thousands of languages and so many of them are considered endangered. I do think that linguist should have been learning the language and an anthropologist should have been learning their culture way back when there was more of them around. IMHO there should be a UN funded language and culture bank if you like for these cultures and languages. Whilst it won't stop the cultures dying out it will be good to know that for prosperity it will be kept. Still, its a low priority for governments.

A cynic would just say that it happens every year that some language or culture dies. Let it they might say. I disagree obviously. Speaking as someone from England questions whether there is an English culture and if there is what is it? Are we talking of Morris dancing? Isn't that based on Welsh clog dancing?

 

[BushEd]

The English culture now is, unfortunately, that very 'development' which so systematically homogenises the world into one great boring production economy. That's our legacy to the world...

It started when the Romans 'civilized' the tribes of Briton, and we and our civilized friends have carried that flag ever since.

Sometimes i don't think the bigwigs will be happy till everybody speaks english and works in an industrial plant or call centre.......boy what a sight!!!

Check out the charity involved in that article, got some good stuff:

http://assets.survival-international.org/static/lib/downloads/source/progresscankill/full_report.pdf

 

[Matt.S]

IMHO there should be a UN funded language and culture bank if you like for these cultures and languages. Whilst it won't stop the cultures dying out it will be good to know that for prosperity it will be kept.

You mean like UNESCO?

 

[BushEd]

anything beginning with the UN... is a joke.

 

[Locky]

Welsh was a dying language, but it seems as though there are more welsh schools popping up, especially in Cardiff where it is now such a metropolitan city with the universities getting bigger with foreign students, and high immigration. When I was in school welsh was an option to take, which i did, but im pretty sure its a compulsory subject which i think it should be. The English language is constantly on the change also.

Its very sad to hear about that tribe. I remember watching a Ray Mears episode, where there was Mauri or Aborginal descendants, and they were trying to get back to the tribes way of life, and teaching their children the way, so that i wouldnt get lost or forgotten and they had problems starting fire by wood friction, and Ray showed them that it was possible to get fire with the local wood.

 

[harlequin]

The problems the Maori had were that their traditional method of firelighting had been forgotten. The technique he showed them was their traditional one but a method he did not like as it was so labour intensive (read inefficient!). This method developed due to the type, condition etc. of the naturally available wood and tinder.

 

[BOD]

He taught them the fire plough?

I saw another episode where he taught South American Indios the bow drill

 

[harlequin]

BOD,
Correct on both counts.
The South American one was pretty poignant as he didn't want to insult the males of the tribe with bushcraft that they had forgotten or never been taught.
If I remember correctly I think that they said it would take them two weeks to canoe to the local shops!

 

[rik_uk3]

Welsh was a dying language, but it seems as though there are more welsh schools popping up, especially in Cardiff where it is now such a metropolitan city with the universities getting bigger with foreign students, and high immigration. When I was in school welsh was an option to take, which i did, but im pretty sure its a compulsory subject which i think it should be. The English language is constantly on the change also.

Its very sad to hear about that tribe. I remember watching a Ray Mears episode, where there was Mauri or Aborginal descendants, and they were trying to get back to the tribes way of life, and teaching their children the way, so that i wouldnt get lost or forgotten and they had problems starting fire by wood friction, and Ray showed them that it was possible to get fire with the local wood.

It is compulsory now, has been for some years, but to be honest most youngsters (certainly in the industrial south) just don't want to learn or use it.

 

[QDanT]

while reading the first link, cheers BigM,
I came across this :-
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article7012769.ece
cheers all Danny

 

[bonzaroot]

It's crap but, evolve or die, init!
Isn't that why we're all here?

 

[BushEd]

Had to resist a moment there!!!

 

[BOD]

This is exactly what happens!!