Indigenous People Essay

The term endemic has caused controversy across the world as some wad see it an offensive break to describe populate, the produce is not the only thing that has caused a controversy also the sight that this name applies to. Hence there sire been many definitions of this word to discipline and make it more(prenominal) euphemism. Kuper (2003) agrees that this term causes a heap of debate. He argues that bargonly most wad prefer the word natal because its more euphemism than the term native and primitive, he also points egress the accompaniment that the name of the spate that ar seen as indigenous have also changed.We immediately have for theoretical account, Saami for Lapp, Inuit for Eskimo and San for Bushman (Kuper, 2003389). gibe to Kenrick and Lewis (2004) there argon four principles that should be considered when be indigenous people which argon priority in time, with respect to the pedigree and use of a specific territory, the voluntary perpetuation of cultur al distinctiveness, ego identification as well as recognition by separate groups and state authorities , as a distinct collectivity and an experience of subjugation, marginalization, dispossession, extrusion or discrimination (Kenrick and Lewis, 20045) . innate people across the world argon constantly fighting for recognition, they pauperization what is rightfully theirs that is their land they also insufficiency their enculturation back as they ar forced to adapt to the husbandry of the majority. This essay will look at debates around the efforts that they have make to try and bring back their culture. Indigenous people are restrain to present their culture in ways that reinforce the dominant guilds worldview (Kenrick and Lewis, 20049).As stated above indigenous people are fighting for recognition as they are treated unfair by their governments, as a result of colonization they had to stop practicing their rituals, hunt and profit food because they were forced to adopt to the westerly way of doing things. Even Kuper (2003) agrees to this when He states that indigenous people demand recognition for alternative ways if arrest the world, but ironic onlyy enough they do so in the emphasis of western culture theory (Kuper, 2003395).An example would the Bushman of Botswana and the Abatwa people of KwaZulu-Natal. The San of Botswana were forced to blend in on from where they were staying because according to their government they were living there illegally. They were placed in the central Kalahari game reserve where they were not level allowed to hunt for food because it is against the lawfulnessfulness (Kuper 2003). Even Environmentalists complained that that residents were keeping donkeys that interfered with the game and that they were engaged in poaching (Kuper, 2003393).They put themselves restricted by rules as to what they should and should not do they were restricted by the law when they had to practice their rituals and culture. It be came worse when the Botswana court refused to order the government to track to provide services to people living in the Central Kalahari secret plan Reserve (Kuper, 2003 392). They found themselves working which was something that they were not used to do. It lav be argued that this change mustiness have affected them emotionally as whizz right away had work to support their own family.Bushman rely on apiece former(a) on almost everything as sharing is one of their characteristics they destiny things like Tobacco, meat and plant food that was gathered. The Botswana government was unfair and tactless in a way what happens to households where there is an elderly person who cant look for work? Or households where people have been difficult to look for work and have no luck? Because people now used money to satisfy their needs and wants they no yener depended on natural resources that they used to share, sharing what youve worked hard for is hard.The Bushman of KwaZulu-Natal u sually known as Abatwa were facing similar problem to that of the San of Botswana. They were also restricted by law when they had to perform their rituals, especially from the provincial heritage organization called Amafa. concord to Francis (2010) Amafa has adjudge that the Abatwa people are the descendents of the painters, but limits their access to their heritage. By dictating who could enter and when, Amafa impinged on the community and what it felt was their rights (Francis, 2010 48).As stated above the Abatwa people are not in control of their heritage there are people who make decisions for them regarding what is rightfully theirs. Francis (2010) states that there is a fence around the paintings and rocks that croak to the Abatwa people. He states the Abatwa people feel ostracized from their heritage and dread future dealing with Amafa, already their general access to the rock art sites is restricted and as such they rarely visit the main caves. (Francis, 2010 48).The Am afa use the Abatwa heritage to draw and quarter tourists and make money, they also use them for educational tours where students studying archeology draw and study those rocks (Francis, 2010) That doesnt end there Francis (2010) also point out that their rituals are a public thing instead of private as they are people guarding them when they perform them, they are also ordered not to touch these rocks. There are also a limited make out of people that must attend rituals. Despite of all the challenges that these people exhibit they still did not precondition up on trying to swear their indigenous identities.An example would be again of the Abatwa people of KwaZulu-Natal. According to Francis (2010) these people are Zulu speakers who decided to reassert a San/Bushmen ethnicity in a country where all San are supposedly extinct or fully assimilated (Francis, 2010 41). They live in the Drakensberg Mountains and have done so much to re-event their culture, they do that with help of archaeologists, anthropologists, they read and also their memories by remembering the pieces of their past (Francis, 2010).Since they cannot remember all the ceremonies that their ancestors use to do they came up with new ones, these ceremonies follow up from other cultural practices and beliefs and oral memories that can be traced back six generations to a point when the ancestors lived as hunter-gatherers (Francis, 201042). The most practiced ceremony that they made up is called the eland ceremony which is to honor the crossing of the dead into afterlife where they live with their ancestors (Francis, 2010).According to Francis (2010) the eland ceremony has a central figure in San cosmology long before the advent of colonialism (Francis, 201045). This ceremony shows the struggle that the Abatwa are going by means of in trying to re carry their individuation, as some of them have left-hand(a) their culture and followed the dominant ethnic group (Francis, 2010). These ceremonies that they perform are a defiant refusal to give what is gone (Francis, 201049). The Abatwa do so much to claim their identity back, they feel that regardless of what they lost the little they have is expense keeping (Francis, 2010).One of the major challenges that indigenous people have face up is the particular that people give birth them to behave like their fore fathers. According to Besten (2011) there has been a debate going on about how indigenous people have changed. In nowadays many of them do not practice their rituals, they do not wear their traditional enclothe and they do not speak the languages of their ancestors. Besten (2011) argues that there has been a lot a stereotyping of the indigenous people, many scholars still expect them to do exactly what their ancestors were doing.He states that commonplace image suggest definite and unchanging markers of Khoe-Sanness, such a organism short in stature, having yellow-brown skin, using click languages, hunting, gatherin g or herding and wearying clothing made from animal skins (Besten, 2011176). It can be argued that the fact that indigenous people have changed and adapted to western ways of doing things cogency have an impact on them not taken serious in trying to reassert their identities. As stated in the first go against of this essay indigenous people were forced to lose their identities by adapting to the western ways of thing and according to Besten (2011) that has backfired.Besten (2011) states that indigenous people are not likely to be taken in earnest if they do not set to, or approximate their primordialist and immanentist expectations (Besten, 2011179). According to Besten (2011) indigenous people who are missing the qualities mentioned above are called fake. The above statements suggest that if indigenous people want to be recognized and taken seriously by people they must go back to their ancient ways of doing thing which is not indulgent as their lands and identities were ta ken and there are laws now that restrict them from doing their rituals.Indigenous people do not need to conform to certain labels that are put on them in order to be recognized. The media and scholars have compete a major role in this stereotyping of indigenous people. A primordalist and essential discourse about the Khoe-San has manifested itself at various sites, notably in museums, the media and naturalize history books (Besten, 2011 177). In almost all museums around the world San people are projected as Quintessential human beings of nature (Besten, 2011 182). They are shown with grass house, wearing animal skins or half naked children with larger tummies.Besten (2011) argues that westerners longing to see Bushman led to exploitation of these people. He made an example of the Khomani people who lived in Kagga Kama how they were stereotypically presented in the media (Besten, 2011). To help market the Kagga Kama Khomani were asked to demonstrate a vulnerable , natural hunter- gathering way of life with the help of reserve owners (Besten, 2011186). These people were asked to fake who they were so that they can attract tourists, they were asked to wear their traditional clothing and grass houses were built to live in (Besten, 2011).These people used the San culture for their own benefit, they portrayed them the exact same way that people expect them to be. In an effort to claim their identities and to be recognized, indigenous people have managed to take the stereotyping to their advantage. They have decided to embrace those stereotypical characteristics. In every group discussion or public gathering that they were invited to they would wear they traditional vesture and speak their languages. According to Besten (2011) in a conference on Oudtshoorn a Bushman who spoke Xun language opened and closed the ceremony with prayed He pointed the fact that this prayer not only reflected the religiosity of conferee, but were also meaning(a) acts of cultural, lingu istic and psychological affirmation (Besten, 2011184). Also in a conference that was held in South Africa Cultural and History Museum a Khoe-Khoe chief was wearing his eye-catching traditional clothing which was a veil and headband bearing leopard propose (Besten, 2011) , telling people to take pride in their culture and origin.When Sara Baartman the Khoe-San charr whose body was displayed in a museum in Frances remain came to be buried in South Africa the Neo-inqua chief performed traditional Khoe-San ritual which include burning aloes and sprinkling water all over her set (Besten, 2011). The above scenarios illustrate the efforts that they have tried in claiming back their identity and how they have taken these stereotypical characteristics that people have about them and embraced them. In conclusion indigenous people have done a lot to try and reclaim their identity but it seem like their efforts are falling on deaf ears.They are not taken seriously by their government and the y are expected to fit in a stereotype in order to be recognized. Their efforts are exploited and utilise by their governments. They are used as tourist attraction by some people their governments are fully aware of that but they are not doing anything about it. When they want to perform their rituals they are not given privacy that they deserve not only privacy but they cannot even access their heritage. But they still do not give up, severally and every day the struggle continues.