Butler, RA. 2009. The real Avatar story: indigenous people fight to save their forest homes from corporate exploitation, San Francisco, CA. Available from http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1222-hance_avatar.html (accessed February 9, 2011).
Link to article:
The exploitation of sacred human habitats in our world by industrial companies is not much different from what we see in the epic film ‘Avatar.’ The alien tribe, called the Na’vi, fight to protect their sacred lands from the human invaders on their planet with a hunger to snatch up highly profitable land. In reality, indigenous tribes fight, and most of the time fail (unlike their film counterparts) to keep their habitats safe and secure from the intense influence of industries and their military forces. This article explored some of the harshest battles that have, and are still occurring amongst industries and native tribes.
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| "Peruvian security forces killing indigenous protesters in Peru. Photo © 2009 Marijke Deleu" |
In June 2009, indigenous tribes of Peru protested against ranks of armies with machine guns and tear gas. These protests began as a result of regulations proposed by President Alan Garcia, which allowed easier entry onto their lands by industries who craved for the oil, timber and minerals that were available. Many police and tribal members were killed during the conflict. Protests by fuming tribes continue because they are not being contacted about further developments that continue to be planned. However, President Garcia has yet to change his mind about going through with the projects, saying that indigenous people are "confused savages", "barbaric", "second-class citizens", "criminals", and "ignorant.”
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| "Photos of an uncontacted tribe in the Terra Indigena Kampa e Isolados do Envira, Acre state, Brazil, near the border with Peru, caused a stir when they were released by Survival International, an NGO, in May 2008. The indigenous group is said to be threatened by oil exploration in the area. © Gleison Miranda/FUNAI." |
The Penan tribe of Borneo Malaysia not only suffers from the exploitation of its ancestral lands, and tribal and burial sites by industrial loggers, but also endures such violent acts as rape and alleged murder at the hands of these intruders. The logging activities began in the 80s without any motion for recovery of forests or tribal habitats due to new developments such as palm oil plantations. The Penan have certainly attempted to fight back with lawsuits, road barricades, and declaration of a ‘peace park’ (an unofficial reserve) but when loggers have so much power in threatening their lives, there is little they can do. Many who have been extreme activists against the loggers, like former Penan chief, Kelesau Naan, have been allegedly murdered or have mysteriously disappeared. As for the rape cases of young girls, the government brushed it off as ‘good story-telling.’
In Ecuador, the indigenous tribes have filed a $27 billion lawsuit against Texaco, a company now owned by Chevron, for dumping 18 billion gallons of toxic waste into the Amazon rainforest between 1964-1990. This event is known as the ‘Amazon Chernobyl.’ The health of the tribes has been severely threatened by the toxic waste, which has already caused one tribe to disappear completely. A ruling has yet to be made on the lawsuit that began in 2003, and Chevron continues to remain stubborn in paying for any damages that have resulted: ‘"We're not paying and we're going to fight this for years if not decades into the future," according to Chevron spokesman Don Campbell.’
As miserable as it is, humans have the ability to extrapolate their anthropogenic effects on their own kind, simply to acquire resources that will increase their own fortune. These indigenous tribes are truly a part of an ecosystem in which natural resources are being exploited. In fact, they seem to resemble a concept that we have learned in class to be called an ‘externality,’ or hidden cost in these economic transactions with the environment. So…is it even possible to put these tribes on the ‘Vulnerable Species List?’
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