DOING GEOGRAPHY
DOING GEOGRAPHY
Self-Representation of Indigenous Culture
Indigenous cultures are reasserting themselves after 500 years of marginalization. For centuries, the roar of dominant national cultures drowned out indigenous peoples’ voices. Members of dominant national cultures—academics, missionaries, government officials, and journalists—have been largely responsible for writing about the histories and cultures of indigenous peoples. This is changing as some indigenous groups have prospered economically and as the indigenous rights movement gains increasing support worldwide. Today, more and more indigenous peoples are taking charge of representing themselves and their cultures to the outside world by building museums, producing films, hosting conferences, and creating web sites.
This exercise requires you to carefully study one of these platforms for cultural expression: self-produced indigenous peoples’ web sites. To do so, follow the steps below.
Steps to Understanding Indigenous Culture
Step 1:
Do some background research on the names and locations of major indigenous cultures. You can use the web sites listed at the end of this chapter to get started. It is important to verify that the web sites you decide to study are self-produced. Confirm that the site is produced by a tribal or indigenous organization, not by an external NGO, national government, corporation, or university.
Step 2:
Think about how you are going to analyze the content of the web site in order to draw conclusions about the self-representation of indigenous cultures. Here are a few suggestions and possibilities: focus on questions of geography such as territorial claims, rights over natural resources, culturally significant relations with nature, and homeland self-rule.
Based on your research and analysis, systematically analyze how indigenous populations represent their cultural identities. Consider these questions:
How do indigenous groups speak about their relationship to the land and the environment?
What do they say about territorial claims and homelands? What roles do maps play on the web sites?
What are their ideas on biodiversity conservation and bioprospecting (the search for genetic resources and other biological resources)?
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In addition, look for discussions of conflict, cooperation, or dis-agreement with national governments or multinational corporations:
Is there a project or policy (e.g., disposal of radioactive material) under dispute?
What position is taken on the web site? How is the position framed in relation to indigenous rights and culture?
What major issues and challenges does the site highlight and how do these relate to globalization?
Finally, think about possibilities for comparison:
Are there regional (on either the U.S. national or global scale) differences in terms of the quantity and content of web sites?
Did you find common themes across or within regions?
Are there indigenous cultures that produce contrasting or competing representations?
Do some indigenous cultures have more than one self-generated web site and do those sites present different ideas?
