Indigenous Philosophies, Cosmologies - Indigenous Caribbean Network2024-03-28T20:39:40Zhttp://indigenouscaribbean.ning.com/forum/categories/2030313:Category:10479/listForCategory?feed=yes&xn_auth=noWhat are the implications of indigenous identity?tag:indigenouscaribbean.ning.com,2008-08-17:2030313:Topic:104802008-08-17T18:08:35.669ZMaximilian Fortehttp://indigenouscaribbean.ning.com/profile/MaximilianForte
Following from another <a href="http://indigenouscaribbean.ning.com/forum/topic/listForCategory?categoryId=2030313%3ACategory%3A43">discussion</a> in this network, I have long been wondering what, if any, are the broader philosophical and political implications of asserting or reclaiming one's identity as <b>indigenous</b>. Articulating an indigenous identity does not seem to automatically imply any one particular position -- there are some indigenous groups aligned with states, privateā¦
Following from another <a href="http://indigenouscaribbean.ning.com/forum/topic/listForCategory?categoryId=2030313%3ACategory%3A43">discussion</a> in this network, I have long been wondering what, if any, are the broader philosophical and political implications of asserting or reclaiming one's identity as <b>indigenous</b>. Articulating an indigenous identity does not seem to automatically imply any one particular position -- there are some indigenous groups aligned with states, private businesses, political party bosses, churches, etc. There are other indigenous groups that stand aside as other sectors of a society protest environmental destruction. This had me wondering if the identity issue is a superficial one, or a transformative one, and if it is not transformative, then why not? If it is to be transformative, then is speaking of autonomy, self-sufficiency, simple lifestyles, and living in harmony with the environment just a mere reenactment of a stereotyped indigenous culture? You see how confusing this can become, which is why for very long I have avoided writing anything like this.<br />
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Let me try to narrow it down a little. Being Taino in the U.S.A.: does it change how one looks at government, at consumerism, at environmental destruction, at military intervention abroad? Or is it simply a case of, "I am an American, but with this particular ancestry" and there are no implications of any kind beyond matters of personal pedigree.<br />
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This is very sensitive so please feel free to blast me for even having broached these issues. However, don't let this discussion create any antagonisms among members of the network, I would not want to know that I helped to foment any divisiveness or bad feelings when the spirit is so great in here.