News and Reviews
February 2, 2012. New Paliyan Blog Post
A new post on a Paliyan blog last week proudly described the peaceful structures in their society, but it warned that their peacefulness, combined with their shyness, has increased their vulnerability to being exploited by corrupt outsiders.
Using the pluralized form of their name from the Tamil language—one Paliyan, many Paliyar—the new post claims proudly that the Paliyar have a lot to teach “the so called ‘Modern World’ from their traditions.” The statement argues that their hunting and gathering subsistence lifestyle is the reason that they take extraordinary care to protect the forests and wildlife.
They believe that everything has a right to life. Their values about nature extend to their own survival. They do not store surpluses, and furthermore, they do not even try to make a profit from them. “Paliyars have a modest living with minimum needs, very simple and straight forward in their thought process, find no reason to acquire in abundance when there is enough for their need and they respect ecological democracy ….”
The blog, which has not posted anything from September 2010 until January 2012, appears to be closely linked to a Paliyan website, the Collective Action for Forest Adivasi in Tamil Nadu (CAFAT). They both post some of the same pictures and similar, if not identical, information in English. The authors, who remain anonymous, clearly want to reach out to a wide audience with their ideas and information.
The blog post describes the physical features and habitat of the Paliyans. It reports that some of them still subsist in the interior forests, in huts made of sticks and grasses, rather than living in the plains in closer association with the Tamils. The ones in the plains cultivate some crops, but, the story suggests, they still do not store surpluses. They have been forced, due to the construction of dams in their forested lands, to move into the plains and take jobs in order to survive.
The article outlines the goals and objectives for the CAFAT organization. The primary goal of the organization is “To Build Adivasi Paliyar Movement in western Ghats Region of Tamil Nadu.” Adivasi is the word used in India for the aboriginal peoples of the subcontinent.
The objectives of the group are to protect the rights of the Paliyan; to ensure that they have the continuing permission to collect and use minor forest products; to guarantee them the right to manage their forest lands; to preserve and safeguard their traditional culture, community resources, and “customary mode of dispute resolution”; to foster dialog with non-Adivasi peoples of India; and to document the cultural heritage of the Paliyans.
The CAFAT website includes many images of Paliyans.
February 2, 2012. Good Chewong Video, Great Ifaluk Video
Many lingering views of cute kids highlight a charming video of the Chewong community located at Lanchang, next to the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary in Malaysia’s Pahang State.
Uploaded to YouTube last Thursday, January 26th, the video shows scenes of the community: adults raking their gardens, kids mugging for the camera, men cutting grass with machetes, kids smiling at the photographer, people planting their gardens, folks caring for their crops, and so on. It’s an interesting production if you like grinning children.
The video, titled “Highlight of Che Wong tribe at Kuala Gandah Lanchang Pahang,” has a music accompaniment but, unfortunately, the only narration is by various academics speaking in Malaysian, with no translation. The Highlight Documentary was produced by Telunjukanan Creative Photography.
A news report nearly two years ago described the construction of a visitor center at the village, so the Chewong could more effectively attract some of the tourists who visit the nearby elephant zoo. It is good to see even a brief, 3 minute 45 second, video of the community.
A visitor to this website, Steve Goodall, recently alerted us to the existence of a video about Ifaluk Island which he put up on YouTube on December 31, 2011. Goodall is an activist and filmmaker who sailed his 34 foot sailboat to Micronesia. His video, obviously shot from the deck of his sailboat, looks down at four Ifaluk kids sitting in a small outrigger canoe singing. The work, called “Someplace with a Mountain,” is a subtle plea to stop global climate change, which is causing sea levels to rise, which is flooding out a wonderful place that produces such unbelievably charming children.
Actually, the brief video is related to a longer, 21 minute documentary on Vimeo, also titled “Someplace with a Mountain” by Goodall. He realized during his travels through the Pacific that the rising sea levels were affecting all of the low lying atolls in Micronesia and he decided to make a film to try and help out. It is a powerful documentary.
A commenter on the YouTube site wrote about the Ifaluk children, “This is one of the most beautiful videos I have ever scene. Stunning!” It is impossible to disagree. The message in the Ifaluk video is powerful, in large part because the four children are so unaffected. They are not begging, not really even smiling for the camera, though a couple of them glance briefly up at the cameraman.
One of the girls is bailing water out of the little canoe during the video—one wonders what would have happened if she had stopped. The kids are just singing a song, which gets better and better as they go along. The song isn’t translated—it doesn’t have to be. The message focuses on the kids—and on the future of humanity on the earth. Both of Goodall’s productions are quite moving.
News and reviews of publications relating to peaceful societies—and sometimes to related topics—are normally posted here on Thursday mornings (U.S. time) and are kept on this page for one week. Older news and reviews for are listed below, and ones from previous years are listed on the News and Reviews 2004-2005 page, the 2006 page, the 2007 page, the 2008 page, the 2009 page, the 2010 page, and the 2011 page. All stories are also included in the News and Reviews Subject Listing. Recent ones are listed at the bottom of each society entry in the Encyclopedia of Selected Peaceful Societies, after the heading: Updates: News and Reviews. News and reviews about peacefulness in general are referred to from the bottom of the Facts page, while news stories about this website are linked from the About This Website page. News and Reviews can also be found with the Google search bar.
January 26, 2012. Amish Supporters Look for Creative Compromises
January 26, 2012 . Nubians Chafe under Egyptian Military Rule
January 19, 2012. New Photos of the Batek
January 19, 2012. Difficulties of an Isolated Doctor
January 12, 2012. Inuit Filmmaking Struggles
January 12, 2012 . Wisdom of the Sacred Mountain
January 5, 2012. Birhor Leaves for Dinner Plates
January 5, 2012. Zapotec Festival in Central California