From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflondon@mindspring.com>
To: permaculture
Subject: Re: language, meaning and nature
Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 11:48:23 -0500
On Wed, 28 Nov 2001 23:26:00 +0800, BOb Howard
<rmhoward@omninet.net.au> wrote:
>>Michael Dean wrote:
>> What really interests me is the difference in the European and the
>> Aboriginal attitudes. You seem to be closely aquainted with the
>> Pitjantjatjara Aboriginies
>> who have a different notion of the self to that of the European and these
>> differences manifest themselves in their attitudes to exchange, fairness,
>> reciprocity and selfishness.
>>
>> Please tell me more! The Aborigine has been in Australia for about 40,000
>> years and has influenced the landscape extensively. Are you able to
>> explain how he interprets the world and in what ways this is different
>> from that of the Europeans?
>I don't want to overstate my acquaintance with Aboriginal people - I only
>have worked briefly with Pitjantjatjara people although I have spent many
>years (30) working with Aboriginal people in more urban environments. But
>the persistence of
>notions of fairness, generosity and mutual obligation even within groups
>whose society has been subject to genocidal attack is a measure of their
>heroic courage in the face of cruel adversity.