Leonard A. Crippa’s article, “The Inspiring Rapa Nui Nation’s Efforts to Rebuild Its Government and Regain Control of Its Territory,” examines the relationship between the autonomy-seeking Rapa Nui people and Chile, which governs the nation. Like many of the different regional groups that we have studied, the Rapa Nui are dependent upon their environment for shelter and food. While the resources of Rapa Nui are not directly threatened by the commodity trade, tourism and uncontrolled immigration threaten the livelihood of the people living on the Rapa Nui islands. I also found the author’s claims about the Rapa Nui using the resources of the island in a sustainable manner to be interesting because they counter my prior knowledge about Easter
When the Europeans first arrived in Latin America, they didn’t realize the immensity of their actions. As history has proven, the Europeans have imposed many things on the Latin American territory have had a long, devastating effect on the indigenous people. In the centuries after 1492, Europeans would control much of South America and impose a foreign culture upon the already established civilizations that existed before their arrival. These imposed ideas left the continent weak and resulted in the loss of culture, the dependence on European countries, and a long standing ethnic tension between natives and settlers which is evident even to this day. The indigenous people of South America, which
In the article by Jared Diamond, many interesting theories are discussed about Easter Island’s history and decline. Diamond makes connections to the environmental challenges we face today and he compares the catastrophe of Easter Island to our current over consumption of natural resources. While this article makes for an interesting read, much of it is offered from a single perspective and little counter evidence is offered. The author writes in a way that could engage a non-academic audience who may not be interested in counter evidence, or proper referencing. The article lacks credibility due to its narrow scope and conversational diction. At the root of this discussion however, is the notion that the Rapa Nui people were
When first considering the Navajo-Hopi land dispute as a topic of research, I anticipated a relatively light research paper discussing the local skirmishes between the two tribes. However, my research has yielded innumerable volumes of facts, figures and varying viewpoints on a struggle that has dominated the two tribes for over 100 years. The story is an ever-changing one, evolving from local conflict to forcible relocation to big business interests. The incredible breadth of the dispute's history makes it impossible to objectively cover the entire progression from all viewpoints. I will therefore focus on current issues - and their historical causes - facing the two tribes as they mutually approach
In Latin America there are several issues that impede the reconciliation of citizen values. To this end, land tenure and management are topics at the forefront of political discussion in this region. Property rights, methods of distribution and governance along with discrimination and inequalities are all included in this topic. The Mexican journey of creating a unified nation is no exception to this pattern. The nation has been subject to foreign invasions, slavery, exploitation of land and resources, and dominating political regimes. The battles for change in political structures during the Mexican Revolution, colonization, and the post-independence period have had socio-economic and environmental effects for Mexico. These battles extended over decades and the hardships of the process remain with the people to this day. Christopher Boyer’s article Old Loves, New Loyalties demonstrates these social and political effects of the Mexican Revolution and the violence with which change was wrought. Matthew Vitz’s The Lands with Which We Shall Struggle addresses the tension in state development due to social rights and property rights and the environmental impacts associated with that tension. Karen Caplan refers to the complications in governance because of differing values and their effects on society in her article The Legal Revolution in Town Politics. Finally, Héctor Calleros-Rodríguez’s Land, Conflict, and Political Processes highlights more modern areas of tension as
The major claim of the author: the central claim of LaDuke in this article is that the monumental destruction and devaluation of Indian land and its ecosystem over time invariably affects the cultural, social, economic, and political fabric of a community. LaDuke set out to chronicle the historical struggle and fight that has been a part of the life of an Indian, and still is today. In her article, one of her claims is that “the ongoing relationship between indigenous culture and the land is central to most native environmental struggles” (LaDuke 1999, 88).
There have been many instances throughout history in which indigenous people have unwillingly suffered the consequences of foreigners’ interaction with their culture. In the case of the Huaorani two foreign groups, the oil companies and the missionaries, invaded their land and gravely affected the life they led in the Ecuadorian amazon. In the book Savages Joe Kane gives a firsthand account at how the Huaorani fight to preserve their land and traditional way of life.
During the Spanish conquest of the Incan Empire the role of the Kuraka was crucial in gaining control over the Andean society. The role of the Kuraka could be thought of as “provincial nobility”[1] whose main job was to control the labor and tribute made and delivered from the natives to the state. In order to do this job the Kurakas had to maintain respect from the natives while maintaining good relations with the colonial state. This could be difficult considering that too much affiliation with the state could lead to a loss of status to the natives, and a loss of respect from the natives would make one useless to the state. “The Indian who broke entirely with his own culture
At this tense meeting with considerable distrust and suspicion evident in the faces, speeches and body language of the Samoan chiefs, the High Chief expressed considerable skepticism about American plans for the island, such as providing more education in English, teaching the young marketable skills, and developing the country. Being educated at the University of Hawaii, the High Chief would have had very good reason to be suspicious of the intentions of the United States, even when its representatives expressed their goodwill toward the Native peoples and desire to bring 'progress; and 'modernization. He would have learned about the wars against the Native Americans from the 17th to the 19th Centuries, for example, the annexation of Hawaii in 1898, and the Philippines War of 1899-1902, if indeed he had not known all about these before.
“Open Veins of Latin America” by Eduardo Galeano primarily focuses on historical events following the “discovery” and colonization of Latin America. This book however, unlike many others has very distinct and contrasting ideas. In his historical piece, Galeano incorporates many peculiar ideas that have since caused controversy following the publishing of the book in the year 1973. As we examine the cover, the subtitle (“Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent”) gives us an antecedent of our authors viewpoint on the subject and what’s to come later in the book. Without a doubt, one of the major themes and the books main purpose is to clarify the events that took place in Latin America involving the pillage of land and natural resources by foreigners. In his “Seven Years Later” segment of the book, Galeano claims that he wanted to uncover lies and things that have been hidden in the history books. Galeano also wants to uncover the social, economic, and political disparity that Latin American indigenous people were/are facing compared to and as a direct result of foreigners who were/are benefitting and prospering from Latin American land and people.
The injustice surrounding the Indigenous populations in Mexico and Central America began with the Spanish colonies in the sixteenth century, and the struggle for their land and constitution rights has been an ongoing battle for hundreds of years. The indigenous people take up a large part of the population in Mexico and Central America. (See Table 1; Graph 1 below). Indigenous people make up of over 16 percent of the Mexican population, and over 66 percent of the population is indigenous in Guatemala. The historical reality of the indigenous peoples in Central America has been one poverty, eviction from their land, political violence and mistreatment at the hands of
Throughout the ensuing paper we will dive into a country of rich heritage, beautiful landscape, and an extraordinary people with a very promising future. Chile is the longest country in the world geographically speaking with a majority of the population residing in the central region, specifically Santiago, the capital, and Viña del Mar. The official language is Spanish, although in some regions a couple of other languages are still prevalent.
“The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun. […] The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building. It was very hot and the express from Barcelona would come in forty minutes. It stopped at this junction for two minutes and went to Madrid” (290 paragraph 1). Ernest Hemingway crafts a well written dialogue in this story about a man and a girl. The story begins with a detailed description of a train station in Spain surrounded by beautiful hills. The story then turns into dialogue between the two. A man and a girl who appear to be traveling sit down at a
I was filled with a very special energy, different. Before my eyes I saw images
Dawson, Alexander S. “From Models for the Nation to Model Citizens: Indigenismo and the ‘Revindication’ of the Mexican Indian, 1920–40.” Journal of Latin American Studies 1998 : 279-308. Print.
Reverend Patterson’s small church is inconveniently located and obstructed by tourism. Many flower stands, gift shops and food stops are inadequate due to major resorts in the area. Instead of native people working and selling items at these stands and shops they sometimes have no option but to work at these huge resorts. Which leaves no business for the native peoples stands and shops. Hawaiians dream for a life that is filled with simple respect and dignity but instead they are surrounded by greed and self-indulgence tourism brings to their local country.