a simple time

We sailed 3000 nm to reach the Marquesas islands one of the most isolated places on earth. But even here on these islands in the middle of the sea the influence of western civilization can still be felt. The south pacific is one of the last strong holds of native culture and ways of life. But what do we mean when we talk of the westernization of the world? Is the concern the savages will get electricity, start wearing clothes, dinking Coca Cola and driving Fords. If this is the global disaster we are fighting then we are too late, the battle is lost.
The fact that natives are no longer paddling out to the boat, naked covered in tattoos is a bit of a disappointment. But it is a trade off for them not wanting to eat me as well. The tragedy I am talking about is deeper then Coca Cola. I worry about the destruction of culture and art in the name of salvation by those who only want to enslave or exterminate any one who dares to stand in there way or question the way they view the world. It does not mater if this destruction is done by religion or big corporations the results are the same. Once it was priest who condemned there way of life as satanic, then massacred thousand of the locals in a campaign to build cathedrals to god. Those who survive where then hauled of the far corners of the “civilized” world to serve as slaves. 95% of the population was destroyed before the French protectors arrived, they would use the area as there own little nuclear test sight until the late nineties.
Don’t get me wrong we are talking about cannibals and some changes in there why of live were defiantly for the better. I for one am glad I don’t have to worry about ending up dinner. The last feast with a side of small child was held in 1912. Luckily the Marquesans are proud, strong people, and there art, tattoos, dance, and local hospitality have survived. To understand what is at stake here I only have to think back to the start of this journey. To LA a center of western culture and way of live. Home of Hollywood with all the comforts of the west. Fast cars, free ways, malls and super stores where you can find the latest fashions and goods form all over the world. There people live in huge homes crammed in next to the neighbors who they desperately want to impress with all there wealth. We rush from place to place eating our meals in the car. Communicating by, text message, cell phone, or email but rarely face to face. People are so stressed out they need to spend there precious free time isolated for those around them with ipods, TV, and movies. Who has time to get to know the neighbors let alone help them. This is a world that could not be more different for the Marquesas.
Here an old man stops in the street to give two hungry looking strangers fruit, he just picked from his trees. It did not mater that we could not speak his language, he only laughed at the confusion that followed as we tried to figure out what he wanted even climbing in the back of his truck of a brief moment when we though he was trying to give us a ride. He we are called in off the street to look at some ones art and share a cold drink and snack. Sure the snack was raw crabs, you eat the whole thing except the shell guts and all. But it was a meal with a stranger who would instantly become our friend, we learned about each outer life’s. Before we left he would take us to pick mangos, feed us two more times this time coconut beef a bit better then crabs, and load us up with all kinds of fruit from his garden. Strangers on the street would invite me to sit and talk with them, almost always giving me some thing to eat. Here we made countless friends who feed us, took us spear fishing, invited us to play volley ball, and spent hours chatting in the shade. We taught them ultimunt Frisbee, and they gave us necklaces made of pearls, shark bone, and boar tusk. They truly where glad to know us and we them.
This is a land where they rarely wear shoes or follow the latest fashions, they eat with there hands, most of the food comes from right around them. Meals take time to prepare and are eaten with friends and family. Here they measure wealth not by what you have but what you can give. Homes are modest and shared with strangers life is slower and I think richer. Perhaps we should look at not only what we can sell to the rest of the world but what they can give to us values that we have forgotten along the way.