What We Can Learn From Bruce Parry and Tribes

As inspired by Bruce Parry, of the BBC show “Tribe,” the question we ask ourselves is ‘what is the value of westerners visiting indigenous villages and cultures?’ On the program, Bruce Parry attempts to learn as much as he can while visiting indigenous tribes. While he is obviously a skilled communicator, many times he did not understand or speak their language. He developed communication with them through simple body language, eye contact, and emotion. It proved to be very effective.

Bruce Parry immersed himself in “Tribe,” as he aimed to show the world places they’ve never seen and people they may never meet. In doing so, he brought attention to some very harsh social realities: Poverty, war, and famine as well as the effect these have on the indigenous peoples of the world. “Tribe” showed warring peoples, desperate for land that sustains their people, all the while showing us the humanistic angle that we can learn from.

As a western culture, we have become accustomed to a specific way of life. Everything we want is at our fingertips. Technology and innovation has made the world smaller as contact with other parts of the world is now instantaneous. I believe it is this area of life that Bruce Parry was trying to help us examine. Indigenous people have an immensely powerful sense of community. It is necessary for survival and vital for their continued growth as a people. Sometimes it’s the simplicity that can bring them together. A simple crisis like a child’s fever rallies the entire tribe to action. There are many lessons we can take from the remote peoples of the Earth.

There is a gratitude for the things they have that is not very common in western culture. We almost have a sense of being entitled to certain things they would definitely see as luxuries. Water is a precious resource that is not a given. Often they must fight for the life-giving resource that we have at our command. An adventure to visit these people would be well worth the time and effort. The memories that these people leave will impact the rest of your life. It will give you a different outlook on the way you live your life and make you better equipped to recognize the world beyond your community.

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