Comparison of Indigenous Cultures and Social Structures with Those Of
Incongruence of Indigenous Cultures and Social Structures vis-à-vis Those of
Industrialized Societies
Source: Abbreviated version of Jerry Mander, In the Absence of the Sacred: The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations, San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1991, pp. 215-219.
Technological PeoplesIndigenous Peoples
ECONOMICSConcept of private property
a basic value. Incl. resources / No private ownership of
resources.
No concept of selling land.
No inheritance
Goods produced mostly for
sale, not for personal use / Goods produced for use value
Surplus production and
profit motive are essential.
Sales techniques create
“need” / Subsistence goals; little surplus.
No profit motive.
Economic growth required,
especially in capitalist
societies. / Steady-state economics;
no concept of economic growth
Currency system (abstract
value) / Barter system (concrete value)
Competition (in capitalist
societies)
Production for private gain / Cooperative, collective production
Average work day: 8-12 hrs / Average workday: 3-5 hrs
View of Nature: a resource / Nature viewed as “being” and
humans seen as part of nature.
POLITICS AND POWER
Hierarchical political forms / Mostly non-hierarchical; ‘chiefs’
have no coercive power
Decision-Making:
by executivepower, majority
rule, ordictatorship / Decisions usually based on
consensual process involving
whole tribe
Democracy: spectrum from representativedemocracy to autocratic rule / Direct participatory democracy;
rare examples of autocracy
Political modes: communist,
socialist, monarchist, fascist,
or capitalist / Anarchist, communist, or
theocratic
Centralization: most power
concentrated in central
authorities / Decentralization (exceptions
include Incas, Aztecs, and some
others).
Power resides mainly in the
community.
Laws: codified & written.
Adversarial process.
Criminal cases judged by
strangers / Laws transmitted orally.
No adversarial process.
Criminal cases settled by persons
known to the accused.
Laws interpreted for individual
cases.
“Natural Law” used as basis.
Concept of The State: exists / Identity as “nation”
SOCIO-CULTURAL
ARRANGEMENTS &
DEMOGRAPHICS
Scale and Density: large
scale, high pop. density / Small scale, all people acquainted,
low pop. density
Lineage: mostly patrilineal / Mostly matrilineal, with some
variation; family property runs
through the female
Family: nuclear two- or one-
parent families; some singles / Extended families; generations
live together
Orientation Toward Young:
revered / Revere the old
History: written in books / Transmitted in oral tradition and
carried through memory
ENVIRONMENT
Nature’s Limits: Living
beyond nature’s limits is encouraged;
Conquest of nature is a
celebrated value;
Alteration of nature desirable;
Anti-harmony;
Resources exploited. / Living within natural ecosystem
encouraged.
No permanent damage to nature.
Only mild alteration of nature for
basic needs.
Harmony with nature the norm;
Impact of Technology: high.
Scale of developmt: massive
Weaponry: One-to-millions
ratio / Low-impact technology.
Small scale development.
One-to-one ratio in weaponry
View of Humans: a superior
life form / Humans not superior. Entire
world viewed as alive, incl. rocks,
plants, animals, & people.
ARCHITECTURE
Construction Materials:
transported from a distance / Usually gathered locally
Life Span: buildings
designed to survive beyond
the individual builder(s) / Buildings designed to eventually
dissolve back into the land (excpt
pyramids);
Materials biodegradable in one
lifetime.
Design Purpose of Space:
for separation and privacy / For communal activity
Forms: hard edged;
Earth covered with concrete / Soft forms;
Earth not paved
RELIGION/PHILOSOPHY
Degree of Integration:
Spirituality separated from
rest of life (excl. some
Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist
states);
Church and state separated / Spirituality integrated with all
aspects of daily life
Dominant Philosophy:
materialism / Non-materialistic
Theism: either monotheistic
concept of single, male God
OR atheistic / Polytheistic concepts based on
nature; male and female forces;
animism
Concept of Time: linear /
futuristic concept of time;
de-emphasis of past / Integration of past and present
Orientation to the Dead:
regarded as gone / Regarded as present
Ways of Knowing: from
media, schools, authority
figures outside their
immediate community or
experience / Individuals gain information from
personal observation and
experience.
Measurement of Time:
By machines;
Schedules dictate when to do
things / By awareness from observing
nature;
Time to do something is when the
time is right
Orientation to Distribution:
saving and acquiring / Sharing & giving are emphasized
NOTE: The characteristics on each side of the chart form an internally consistent logic.
Implications for Indigenous Survival:
- These two broad cultures are incompatible. Indigenous people do not want to join ‘the technological experiment’ and become like non-Indigenous people (assimilate).
- These differences put Indigenous peoples’ survival in jeopardy, due especially to industrialized society’s expansionism and violent technologies.