Small-Scale Substance Based Societies

Reading and learning about small-scale subsistence-based societies and how they make a living, have modernized, and comparing their culture to our own has been very eye-opening. I think that too many times Americans (including myself) become so self-centered and self-absorbed that we don’t realize that our way isn’t always the best way. That there are other alternatives to living, eating, finding food, passing time, etc. There really are multiple ways of going about things, these just being a few, and none are better than the other, it is all a matter of opinion, the culture you come from, what you’ve been exposed to. It is our own ethnocentrism that makes us grunge as Ongka’s tribe brutally killing a pig or have feelings of empathy as the Miskito kill the green turtle.
Ongka’s tribe is focused and dependent on the pig. In order to survive, one must have pigs. They are needed for everything; to get wives, pay for troubles, basic food source, etc. As stated in the film, “If you don’t have pigs, you’re rubbish!” Their entire culture is centered on the pig—the number you have indicates one’s status, representing wealth. The pig in this culture is comparative to money in general in the United States and Westernized countries. They value the pig like we value the dollar.
Taking a look at the people of the !Kung Bushman, it is clear that they are completely dependent on hunting and gathering for their subsistence—wild plants and meat. Mainly vegetables, (particularly the mongongo nut), which accounts for 60-80 percent of their entire diet. They are divided into camps and each gather at wells and waterholes, moving frequently depending on the season and substance availability. These different camps are completely self-sufficient, there is a strong emphasis on sharing, and because they are frequently moving, they don’t take more than necessary. I think it is interesting how we assume that these indigenous cultures aren’t getting sufficient amounts of nutrients and able to have a well-balanced diet. When really, they probably have a healthier diet than we do. Based on the caloric intake and tables provided, their food intake is completely sufficient. The article stated how getting food is the most important single activity in the Buchman life. Where their entire lifestyle revolves around gathering food, food gathering and eating here in the United States definitely isn’t the most important activity. That would probably be one’s job, and food is considered a necessity, but because of the abundance and availability, our lifestyle isn’t centered on it. The effects of globalization and modernization all depend on the location of the culture. Take the !Kung for example; because they are so isolated in the desert, they haven’t fully experienced modernization.
The Miskito Indians, on the other hand, makes a living by providing first-world countries, and more globalize counties with resources. They are dependent on the green turtle. Globalization has definitely affected their culture because what was once used as fulfilling nutritional needs and social responsibilities in their society is now a prized commodity being exploited for economic reasons. It all started in the seventeenth and eighteenth century when the Miskito decided to extend its hunting, fishing, and gathering to exploitative enterprises, such as English and French buccaneers. What has become modernized is the fishing technology, rather than the source of seafood. Location and ecological factors played a big part in the modernization of the Miskito tribe, as well as any indigenous culture.
A major advantage of small indigenous lifestyles is that they aren’t exposed to the chaff we are in our current American culture. They don’t have media sources like TV, radio, advertisements, computers, etc. to tell them what they should do and how they should live. They are away from the materialism that seems to make so many people shallow and lose sight of what’s really important in life (which is also a matter of opinion and the differs among cultures). It seems that their cultures are focused more on their core values, and it is easier for the people to keep these values. They live by them. While their core values may be family, community, ours seem to be centered on money and wealth, and progress.
One disadvantage may be that the culture isn’t exposed and don’t get to experience different aspects of other cultures, because they are so desolate. Sometimes this can be an advantage, to experience diverse cultures and lifestyles and comparing it to one’s own native culture. Just having this knowledge, experience, and awareness can make one more appreciate and grateful for what they do have.