In actuality, the word indigenous describes the original group of people who inhabit a specific area. For instance, Native Americans are the indigenous people of the United States. Therefore, indigenous does indeed carry with it the weight of describing a group of people that could be seen as “old,” but what it really describes is a group that can be considered the “original” people from an area. Bruce Parry, on his programme “Tribe” often speaks of the people he encounters in his travels as being “indigenous” to the area he is in, and this is where a lot of people get confused. Many of the tribes that Bruce Parry visits are in fact much more primitive than other societies in the world, and since they are also identified as being “indigenous” to the area, the two words often become intertwined and confusing.

The reason why it is important to clarify this misunderstanding is that, in essence, this is no different than a stereotype, and most people agree that stereotypes are harmful and unhelpful. This is not necessarily Bruce Parry’s fault, as his show does nothing to confuse the term “indigenous” with the term “primitive.” Rather, the problem is on the viewer’s end, as this is where the confusion originates. If we as a society can learn to remove the association between these two words, then perhaps we can work to break down the stereotype that indigenous people are also “below” us in any way, shape or form. The bottom line is that this confusion must be cleared as soon as possible.

Congratulations Bruce!

Our very own MD Rob Murray John (left) has been friends with Bruce Parry (right) since working on expeditions together for over two years in SE Asia.

All of us here at S2Si would like to say a big WELL DONE and wish Bruce all the best for the future.

Bruce and Rob have worked together on a number of projects such as Serious Jungle for CBBC, and Bruce’s ethos for his tribal work is refelcted by S2Si’s own: Each episode of Tribe saw Bruce living alongside local local people, in a bid to gain a better understanding of their way of life. This is an underlying principle in Sky2Sea International’s own operations overseas.

The early days of Rob and Bruce’s expedition-based life has firm roots, with support from Bruce, even now, having reached the dizzy heights of stardom. In a note he writes: ‘So long as the people at the helm remember the ethos of those early days, I will be there at least in spirit until the end. I see the indefatigable Rob Murray John and Ed Swales as exactly those sorts of people.’ We look forward to seeing and hearing more from Bruce soon, and are proud that his support and friendship are as strong as ever.