Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 9/9/08 Section: Opinion

A group of people are "indigenous" in claiming its land first, or in occupying its land prior to the arrival of the first settlers.

The people possess their own culture of color and extravagant customs. They function under a set rule of traditions. They feed on raw insects or on the spices of their lands.

They sway to the melodies of their folkloric music.

They bow.

They walk on all fours.

They are nude or covered from head to toe.

They are individuals with characteristics unexplained and mysterious to those from the outside world. But the resources of their lands are under microscopes.

As the settlers arrive, the first encounter between the cultured and the colonizers unfolds. The indigenous are oppressed and in many cases slaughtered. Their sense of fear and protectiveness turns into hostility while the struggle over individual interests takes main stage.

The survivors of what some define as "genocide" follow the new rule on the soil of their homeland. They now walk on two, and their tongues struggle to speak a new language they communicate through among themselves.

As years go by, the indigenous people become "civilized," looking, speaking, acting as their own colonizers had planned.

Their language is replaced, and their homes are renovated - they welcome the New Age.

On the streets, citizens of the land seem to function just the same. The world is harmonious, and every son and daughter works toward fulfilling their dream of a higher education and a respectable wage.

Centuries roll by, and the new generations start to dig into their past, reminiscing on their ancestors' past life. They seek to reclaim the oppressed lifestyles of their forefathers.

They are told stories by their grandparents of men with feather hats circling around bonfires, singing in the darkness of the night, feasting on their hunted goods. They lived the indigenous life.

In the present time, a generation follows the paths of history. Searching for the roots of their origins, their sense of misfit pleads answers to what they have lost.

They are souvenirs from the past.

What makes these groups hold onto a timeline that carries with it a life they have never known? What prevents them from blending into the society that functions under law and order? And how many generations will it take to wipe clean their true identities for the sake of fitting in?

Who knows? Perhaps it's worth it after all.

In the palms of those possessing the power, the world revolves. And despite the right and value of upholding a culture and a language, the indigenous lag behind until one day, calling for their freedom in the name of genocide.

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