This paper examines the lessons of indigenous peoples in an overview of Millennium Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World by David Maybury Lewis in five pages. Seven sources are cited in the bibliography.
Name of Research Paper File: AM2_PPtribal.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Modern mainstream society is far removed from the sociological functions exhibited in the so-called "primitive" societies such as those which exist among Australians aborigines, various African tribes, certain remnants of
Native American groups, and various other non-mainstream traditional groups. In "Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World" author David Maybury-Lewis searches for the reasons modern society has transgressed
so far from our primal units of societal organization. Having lived with his family among the Xavante people in central Brazil, and having traveled extensively seeking out contact and
interaction with numerous other indigenous peoples, no one is better suited to explore the differences which exist between the societal organization of mainstream groups such as our own and
indigenous peoples such as the aboriginals. Maybury-Lewis contention that our modern contemporary societies have much to learn from the simpler lifestyles and societal organization of these indigenous groups is
one which deserves our full consideration. Indeed, Maybury-Lewis contention is supported with even just a casual observation of the many shortcomings of our modern world. As one reviewer
of Maybury-Lewis book notes, the basic traditions which characterize the indigenous societies examined by Maybury-Lewis may indeed prove useful in preventing:
"humans from destroying themselves in the next millennium" (Ingram, 2002).
While far too many consider the societal organization of indigenous groups such as those examined by Maybury-Lewis a form of
anarchy, nothing could be further from the truth. While these groups exist in the absence of complex governmental oversight, they do have societal provisions in place to take care