permaculture

[Rain Tenaqiya <raincascadia@yahoo.com>]

In the hyperindividualistic and isolating culture of Industrial Growth 
Societies (IGS), many people go to the opposite extreme by supposing that 
humuns used to live communaly and by trying to "recreate" such communities.  
However, my understanding is that in most pre-industrial societies, including 
foraging and horticultural cultures, the basic social unit is the extended 
family.  While people may live relatively intimately in large groups (50- 
500), the extended family is the group primarily responsible for procuring 
food, creating shelter, and bringing home fuel.  Even in places like India, 
today, most people decide upon a career and a partner based upon family 
networks and expectations and live in households with extended family.  
 
In IGS cultures where the individual is superceding even the nuclear family 
as the basic social unit, it is tempting to try to create a "tribe" and 
expect that everyone will pitch in equally together and follow the motto 
"from each according to one's ability, to each according to one's need."  
However, we did not grow up with such an expanded sense of self, and with all 
the choice and mobility of the dominant culture around us, there is little 
pressure to truly develop such a sense of self.  Most alternative communities 
don't last very long, or have very high turnover rates, partly because of 
this situation.
 
It would be an interesting study to recreate the setting of the permaculture 
design course that Toby Hemenway mentioned a couple weeks ago (where placing 
names on tea cups determined whether or not they would be maintained) in 
several different cultures to see how the tea cups were taken care of.  One 
pattern that emerged among alternative communities in IGSs was for people 
with caretaking personalities (usually womyn) to take over the maintenance 
jobs, while others (often men) took care of the "important" things (such as 
socializing and making decisions).  How would it be in rural Mexico, India, 
or Cameroon?
 
There is no right way to organize cultures, but I believe that a balance 
between communality and individuality is crucial, and will depend upon the 
cultural backgrounds of the people involved.  The "tragedy of the commons" 
occurs on a wide scale in societies where a culture that respects the commons 
has broken down.  On the other hand, numerous "communist" states and 
intentional communities have demonstrated the problems created when 
individuals or families do not have some kind of "ownership" of materials, 
space, jobs, or whatever, that enables them to express choice, initiative, 
diverse methods, and responsibility and the ability to reap the rewards for 
their stewardship.  Humuns are not cows or sheep.  We need to be able to 
express our individuality in the wider context of belonging to society.
 
Rain



                
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