Indigenous Peoples and Samaj

October 27, 1995

Q: In samajs in North America, South America and Australia and New Zealand, where there are indigenous peoples, are there special approaches or considerations which should be made for integrating the socio-economic interests of the indigenous and the dominant populations?

This is a very good question, because in these societies, you will find the most contrast in the type of development, where one indigenous group may be operating in a completely different aspect of the social cycle than the dominant or so-called civilized group. Now, this creates a dilemma because if the more technologically advanced group takes to integrating the indigenous group, they will do great harm to those people, because they will be bringing them away from their own development, and many of the riches of their development may go unappreciated. If there is, however, a mutual respect, a mutual agreement, that neither is the more civilized or the less civilized, or the more or less developed, then the riches of one group may be shared with the other and vice versa. If in an atmosphere of mutual respect the cultures are integrated, then the technologies of the western societies may be brought to the indigenous people, while the cultural wealth and spiritual development of the indigenous people might be brought to the people with the technological development. Then there is a fair sharing of wealth and information and an integration between the two societies may occur.

In the future, society will move as one, and it is bound to happen that all of the peoples will integrate. So cultural isolation is not a realistic option for the future. But what is important is that the indigenous cultures are not destroyed by the integration of technology, and this happens when those technological societies are willing to accept the values, the spiritual wealth, the development that has taken place in the indigenous societies. And for this to happen, there must be some awareness in the technological societies that material conquest is not the end all of human development. When this realization is there, then there can be respect for the kinds of development that many of the indigenous cultures have cultivated. And when there is a sharing of the wealth of both of these cultures which have developed in different ways, then there can be integration. One may be in the shudran cycle, another in the vaeshyan, but they will integrate and the wealth of both will be brought together, and they will begin to move together in the social cycle.

So some may say it is destroying the purity of the indigenous cultures. But I would say it is the integration of human society, and as long as there is great respect given for the values of the indigenous culture, and there is no effort made to override those values, then the integration of technology is good and well. But the technological societies must also learn from the indigenous people. There must be a two way exchange of equals, then a proper integration may occur.

So the first consideration is mutual respect. The second consideration is that there must be in the technological society the awareness that material development does not constitute the end all of human development and a respect for other types of development and willingness to integrate them. As long as the technological societies take an imperialistic approach, there will never be a positive integration. Third, there must be a mutual interest in the values of each culture. One should not disrespect the other. And fourth, when the advanced technologies are integrated, assistance should be given to the people to do the integration, and likewise when the rich customs and religious rites of the indigenous people are brought to the technological cultures, they should be given every opportunity, and those peoples should go forward and present the wealth of their culture openly and systematically within the technological cultures. So both cultures should actively support the other in the integration of their wealth so that the people may come together in a nice way.