Introduction
People of various cultures have different perceptions toward various elements of the outer world. They are based on a culture’s value system, which defines how its members react to the environment: for example, whether to adapt to it or try to control it. A prominent example is the relationships with nature: Western civilization and minor Native American civilizations have different views on nature, traditions, and their societies in general. Understanding those discrepancies between cultures and establishing good contact may help greatly in improving the well-being of small cultures’ representatives and preserving nature.
Case Study Description: Lummi People
Lummi people are the Native American tribe living in Washington state. They suffer from massive timber production, which has continued since the 19th century (Russo, 2011). Those lands were full of old woods, sacred for the Lummi people; thus, their cutting was destructive for the tribe. During the 20th century, most of those woods were totally destroyed, which led to the almost total extinction of the tribe. Today, tribe representatives and American government
organizations, such as the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, seek contact to preserve both the remaining forests and the tribe.
Value Systems and Their Applications
Value systems can be described based on their orientation in several dimensions: each combination of orientations presents a unique approach. One can select three distinct dimensions of values: relations with nature, other humans, and activity in general. Each dimension may be oriented in the past, present, or future; the exception is the activity value, which cannot be oriented in the future. Such temporal orientation makes eight specific fundamental values; their combinations condition the typical behavior of the culture’s members (Russo, 2011). The direction in the past means preserving the current state of things: nature, traditions, and social structure. Preference for the present means that values are aimed at adapting to the changing environment. Finally, the future orientation seeks to control processes to ensure that the culture will shape the future by itself.
For example, the future orientation of culture-nature relationships states that the culture aims to control nature and use it to organize its own future. The consequences of such orientation are massive wood cutting for timber production, which is the case in Washington state (Russo, 2011). In that way, various cultures have various orientations, which may differ significantly; such differences make understanding between some cultures difficult.
Discrepancies between the Value Systems of Western and Native American Civilizations
Results of the survey of Lummi tribe members have shown that they are oriented on values different from most modern Western people. Tribe representatives and the United States government organizations, typical representatives of Western culture, have different views on how nature should be treated and preserved. For the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, if there are problems, they should be solved by obtaining control over the situation and active adaptation to it in order to fix the case with maximum efficiency (Russo, 2011). Tribe representatives, on the contrary, treat an issue based on their traditions, reacting to it as they prescribe. They are much less prone to seek control over the situation, and they are much less adaptable than members of the modern Western culture.
Such differences in value systems condition different relationships with nature and, particularly, with trees. While forests are mostly treated as a resource for Western civilization, the Lummi people recognize them as sacred places, important for them as they were for their ancestors (Russo, 2011). The view of the Department on nature seems utterly instrumental and mechanistic for the tribe, and they do not understand it; in addition, such a view contradicts their tradition significantly and can even lead to conflicts (Russo, 2011). Thus, the situation with forest preservation shows major discrepancies between
Alternatives to Solve the Discrepancies
- One possible alternative is attracting people to communicate with Lummi people on a volunteer basis. There are probably, many people who will be interested in communicating with Native Americans, and their enthusiasm may help establish a good connection with their values.
- Another viable alternative could be a series of state donations to programs that research and study the tribe. It would lead to a better understanding of the tribe’s values which help the Washington State Department of Natural Resources to find cues for communicating with tribe members.
- Tribe members could be invited and incorporated into the Department, which may allow them to influence its decisions.
In my opinion, attracting people to communicate with the tribe is the most viable and valuable option. It would let representatives from the Western civilization explore the different values of the tribe and connect with its members. Such an approach has already proved its efficiency in the Value Project, launched to seek a basis for mutual understanding with the Lummi people (Russo, 2011). In that way, seeking the connection between representatives of different cultures is the most justified alternative to overcome the discrepancies.
Conclusion
A significant discrepancy in values between Western society and its institutions, and minor Native American tribes, is a problem in seeking a consensus in preserving nature. Western civilizations used to see it as natural resources, while for tribes, woods and trees are often considered sacred places. The case with the Lummi people shows that exploring values and seeking mutual understanding between cultures is vital for their effective coexistence.
Reference
Russo, K. W. (2011). Skwadi’lic, board feet, and the cedar tree. The Evergreen State College.