When I was first introduced to the Kogi of the Sierra Nevada de San Martin through the film “From the Heart of the World: The Elder Brothers’ Warning”, I reacted the same way I did when my littlest brother informed me that I was doing my physiology homework incorrectly. “Thanks for the tip, Einstein” I replied smugly and I continued doing my homework the same way, because I knew that I was doing it correctly.
For a pre-Columbian society to break a 500 year silence to the modern world and announce that they know (apparently based only on the local weather variations in their small community?) that the other 6 billion of us are tempting the fates by living the way we do seems a bit presumptuous. Who are they to tell me that even though I try to live a “green” lifestyle (hey, I recycle) that my way of life is murdering Aluna, the Kogi word for a spiritual world they believe is innately connected to the world we live in.
After the film however, I began to reflect on the paradigm in which the Kogi exist. For this small group of South Americans, the world is a very different place than it is for most of us. The world is not a lump of dirt circling the sun at thousands of miles per hour. They do not exist to provide a decent living for their families and try to save enough to retire by the time they are 65. For the Kogi, life is learning to become a member of the community in which they live. The community consists not only of people, but of animals, insects, plants, rocks, and spirits. These people still consider themselves a part of their worlds community, unlike modern civilization.
In addressing my original question to the Kogi, who are they to tell me how I ought to live and treat the world, the above line of thinking leads to one obvious conclusion: the Kogi, not us, are the real authority when it comes to coexisting with everything on the planet. As the film points out, the Kogi have continuously occupied the same land for hundreds of years. A modern structure would crumble away long before the Kogi city begins to erode. “Don’t fight nature” a Kogi mama might urge, “Learn to live with it. Follow its natural cycles and resonate with them.”
At first blush, the very name that the Kogi give to the rest of civilization, Little Brothers, is diminutive and condescending. After a moments meditation however, we realize that the contrast the Kogi see between our two communities is quantitative, not qualitative. They do not see us as a lesser species or as having decreased intelligence. There is no special attribute that we lack that divides us from the Kogi. We just have some growing up to do before we understand the world as our wise and concerned elder brothers. I say, let’s hear their message.
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I agree that the Kogi community is a good one, I can't say that people living outside that environment aren't living in communities. The communities that we live in are just different. New York constructed a park to help its city stay in touch with nature. Even if we don't exist the same way the Kogi do, we still have community, and contact with nature. We can learn from them, but I would not put aside the merit of the society we live in.
ReplyDeleteSure the Kogi have a community and we have communities, however I think we (as a community) are increasingly getting out of touch with the environment. People now-a-days have to make an effort to go out and experience nature whereas in the Kogi community it is a part of their everyday lives. They are completely engulfed in the surrounding environment and that is how they choose to live. There are many people in our community that would rather walk around a mall than hike through a forest.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to read the perspective of others. I agree with what has been written and commented about communities. But I also believe that there is a very big imbalance in regards to our communities and how we treat natural. I am in accordance with the idea that the greater the separation between humans and nature the worse that our world will become.
ReplyDeleteI think that there is a lot of truth in what the Kogi have to say about life and the planet. That being said, however, there is a huge disconnect in the Kogi way of life. I agree that we aren't being very good stewards of the planet, but the Kogi are failing in their duty care for their neighbor. They do not contribute to society. I guess the question for me isn't what are we doing wrong or right, but how can we best deal with the issues at hand- keeping in mind the eternal reasons for which we exist on this planet. There is no question in my mind, human life and human relationships are the most important things we will ever have stewardship over- these things are affected by our environment. I for one, respect what the Kogi are doing, but I don't wish to incorporate their lifestyle in several key issues. I think being able to learn and incorporate a valuable lesson without losing sight of your perspective is wisdom.
ReplyDeleteI think the important thing to remember is that the Kogi aren't asking us to all leave our homes, running water and shoes behind to go run around in the jungles and mountains to feel connected with Mother Earth. Rather, they are simply telling us to take care of the earth, and they're doing it in the only way they know how. They know that the way they live life is balanced and economically friendly. Ours is not. That doesn't mean we have to neglect technology and revert to the status of our ancestral roots, but simply to be cognizant of our effect on Earth and take an active role in making sure our posterity has some nature to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it ironic that the only way for the Kogi to announce their message to the world, or "the younger brother", was to invite the white man into the village with a state of the art camera and record the whole thing. Had it not been for years and years of study, experimentation, and technological advancement, the "important message of the Elder Brother" would not be known at all. In my opinion the real "Elder Brother" is the Elders of our Church. Visual broadcasting is a modern miracle that the Elder Brother should respect. Its via 21st Century technology that the revelations of the prophets of our Church are able to relay an even more important message: The Lord's Gospel.
ReplyDeleteI congratulate the Kogi for living the lifestyle that they deem important to them but I don't necessarily envy their lifestyle. I enjoy the lifestyle that we have and the ability to use all of the world's new technologies that advance our people. It's nice that they have lived for hundreds or thousands of years the same way but I see that as a failure not an accomplishment. I believe that we were created to improve and advance from our current states to a greater "state" and that is how we become happy
ReplyDeleteimmagine if we all were able to see the world as they do. what if we saw it not as a chunch of money to be mined. maybe we would invest more time, energy and money into taking care of it. it seems like there is a general trend heading that way. people are actually bringing their own shopping bags to the store!!!!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if increased technology and decreased connection for the environment have to be related. It seems that as technology increases, there is a greater disconnect between nature and humanity. Our technology may help to save the environment, but will we ever be able to feel much of that oneness that the Kogi have with nature? I don't really know.
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