permaculture

[1earth permaculture <permaculture1@start.com.au>]

A couple of days ago I posted a nice simple story about how an
aboriginal woman was protecting the corporatisation of her tribal
medicine knowledge by reverting to her cultural custom of passing
knowledge through word of mouth.

Most of the responses here have been less than supportive of her, with
many being outright disrespectful of her and her culture.

Toby, I'll single your comments out mainly because I'm so suprised and
disappointed that you made them.

You're right, context IS everything, so I ask you, if a Native
American Medicine Man was in one of your classes and said he that his
custom was to pass his knowledge by mouth, would you say to him:

>"If a drug corporation withheld access to a new and promising
medication because they might lose control over it, we'd be screaming
bloody murder. But when an indigenous person does the same, we bow our
heads in respect."

(You are comparing a drug corporation to an old aboriginal woman?? She
doesn't use the internet or even a phone, she has no team of lawyers,
hasn't received a formal education, and she has a well-founded
mistrust of institutions).

>Toby says: "it seems like a claim that her people are more worthy and
right-minded than others are. Who is wise enough to decide when
unknown others are "ready" for knowledge?"

(That is their custom, Toby, that's how they pass their knowledge,
step by step.  Do you teach the last section of the Permaculture
Manual first, or do you introduce ethics and design principles, then
go through the book making sure they understand each chapter before
moving onto the next?)

>or would you say to the Medicine Man, your "actions certainly go
against the precepts of caring for people and sharing the surplus."

(Toby, if the Native American Medicine Man smacked you, I'd understand
his anger for you saying that.  That goes against the very heart of
what the medicine teacher is all about).

Do you accept people where they are at, or do your try and force them
to become what you want them to be, to think and act like you do?

When teaching, do you try and find out your students learning styles,
oratory/visual/etc, or do you expect them to all to be technocrats or
have college degrees and live in institutions?

When doing permaculture consultancies, do you first observe how a
person's culture operates or do you rush in, make value judgements
based on your own views, and villifying them if they don't fit your
'model'?

I'm hardly putting this woman on a pedestal, but at least I respect
her for who she is and the way she conducts herself.  She teaches by
word of mouth as her way of foiling the pharmecutical companies. More
power to her I say.  Those that listen are hearing her story.

Marcus


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