Erin Anderson
Erin Anderson
Carleton College
Participant in the 2010 ACM Student Symposium on Off-Campus Study
- Program: Carleton College: Socio-Cultural Field Research Seminar in Guatemala and Chiapas - Winter 2010
- Graduation: June 2012
- Major: Environmental Studies
Reconsiderations in the Wake of Development
Upon first setting foot in the run-down, tin-roofed home of my host family, I immediately felt pity and surprise that people actually lived in such humble conditions. I was very nervous to spend a month without hot water, electricity, and doors with proper locks. But I was surprised as to how soon I began to feel at home in such modest living conditions. For the first time in my life, I began to realize the value of living simply. I started realizing how sustainable the living style actually was – cooking every meal with locally grown vegetables and making tortillas from the local corn, pouring water from the sink into the toilet to flush, not using electricity and in turn burning up energy. Who was I to say that these people were "poor?" But then again, who was I to say what these people actually wanted for their lives? Perhaps these people were content with their living situation as is, or perhaps they wanted the very basic necessities that every person should have the right to, such as electricity and a secure safety system.
This thought brings me to the situation currently occurring in Naja, a small Lacandon village in the Selva Lacandona. In the 1940s, Trudy and Franz Blom first brought international attention to the Lacandon of Naja. Prior to being discovered, the Lacandon of Naja were a people "untouched" by the outside world: men wore their hair long and dressed themselves in white tunics. Men also typically had multiple wives, and women married as young as the age of eight. Electricity, hot water, and cement floors were unheard of in the village. The members of the village lived in humble thatched-roof huts, farmed their milpas (small plots of farmland renowned for their ability to produce over 70 types of vegetation), and hollowed out wooden canoes to transport themselves across the lake. But it was not until the 1960s that the outside world, particularly logging companies, began to encroach on the people, truly affecting their way of life. Roads were made in the forest to allow access for loggers and cattle farmers, thus forcing the Lacandon to resettle into new territory. All of a sudden, these forest people had a desire to make money by selling crafts or providing services to travelers. Capitalism trickled its way into the lives of the Lancandon.
Today, Naja is a very different place than it was before outsiders came in. Some of the older men of the village still wear their traditional tunics and perform traditional ceremonies, but the majority of the young men cut their hair and dress in Lacoste polos and jeans. Nearly all community members sport cell phones; some of the homes even have satellite dishes. When I first arrived to the village of Naja and saw what had happened there, I felt saddened at how much the culture had changed. I thought that it was such a shame that these once forest dwelling, nature loving people had been handed over the money-hungry life of the Western world. But I was confronted with a different perspective during my stay in Naja: Who was I to say that the old way of life for this group of people was the best? Doesn't everyone deserve the right to develop and change, to progress and have access to technology and the outside world? Simply because the way of life has changed does not necessarily mean the culture has changed. Are women not more empowered within the community today as a result of the recent changes? Forty years ago, women were married off before they reached puberty, sharing their husbands with multiple women, while today marriages are monogamous and women are encouraged to work outside the household.
The goal of this presentation is not to answer the difficult questions I have presented: What is development? What does it mean for those involved? What is culture? Does it exist in the wake of development? Who has the right to place a value on another person's way of life? In general, I ask not that we focus on finding these answers – clearly, no one has yet found the correct answers, if such a thing even exists. I personally believe, through my experiences, that acting from the inside out is incredibly imperative to solving any big problems in the world today. First, we must reflect on our own way of living: Is it sustainable? Is it excessive? Can we live with less? Are we conscious of the decisions we make on a daily basis? Next, think hard and deeply before assuming anything: Why do we call people "poor"? What is it about their lifestyle that causes us to find them poor? What steps need to be taken to create a better life for those we consider poor? How can we help? I supposed the final message I ask that we take away from my presentation is this: Work on being aware and present in every moment. The more we know and the more we seek to know, the more we can think, plan, and act. Take action in your own life first, then, if inspired to do so, apply that knowledge and personal growth to larger issues.
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