Are primitive cultures, like the Sawi, necessary in our present world?

I probably would have never knew they even existed if I had not read this book. But, I still think that primitive cultures are necessary in our world. They have their own way of life and the modern society can learn a lot from them as well as them learning a lot from us. There are things that the modern world would not accept such as cannibalism but not all primitive tribes value treachery and cannibalism like the Sawi. Primitive tribes show us that not everything revolves around technology. Almost everything we do these days involves technology. Primitive tribes don't use any of it and are still getting along fine, although they could benefit from medicines and more advanced tools. I think the modern world and primitive cultures could benefit from the other by learning more about the positive effects of each one and applying it to their own society.

What reflections and connections can you make with this novel?

When I first started reading the Peace Child I thought Don Richardson was being foolish when he decided to take his family into a cannibalistic tribe that values treachery. He was putting himself, his wife, and his baby son in danger by bringing them there, just to help a group of people he didn't know at all. But, as I read on I could tell that he and his wife really wanted to be there and they knew the risks they were taking but they weren't important. They were determined to help the Sawi people and hopefully change their views on what value in life. There are not many people in the world that have the courage and willpower to do something like that.

Even thought I'm not religious, I can acknowledge how having faith in God can make a person so strong and determined after reading this book. It seemed almost impossible for Richardson to persuade them to change but he didn't gave up and found a way to help them find God through the example of the Peace Child and Jesus. So, at the end of the book I changed my mind that sometimes taking risks is a good thing and it was actually worth it for Don Richardson to go to the Sawi even though it did mean taking a lot of risks.

What do traders and NGO’S do for these cultures?

Traders allow primitive cultures to advance their technology with new tools and materials that can help them with their everyday life. NGO's can do many things for these cultures. They can provide food, clothing, medical aid, etc. But, these cultures might not embrace these things because they have survived so long without any aid. They could feel happier just being left alone than recieveing help from strangers.

For the Sawi, I don't think traders and NGO's did anything for them because they had obviously had no interaction with either until after Don Richardson came to them. They had never seen a person with white skin, any mechanical vehicles, or even the simplest of man-made tools. Traders and NGO's are a good thing for primitive cultures as long as they really want to help instead of trying to take things such as diamonds or other valuable resources for their own benefit.

How different is your modern culture from the sawi tenants?

Our modern culture is not that different from the culture of the Sawi tenants if you look at it from a certain point of view. The Sawi lifestyle is based on hunting and gathering. If a Sawi person is good at hunting, they will be considered high-class. They have certain objects(bones of animals, enemies) that show their status in society. The goal for a Sawi tenant is to be the best possible hunter; being a good hunter means that you can provide food for your family, and you can fight for the tribe if there is a conflict with another tribe.

In our modern culture, education is becoming more valued as each year goes by. As a teenager going to high school, it seems that the goal of most students are to get good grades and go to a good college. Why? Knowledge is very important in the modern world. Getting good grades means going to a good college; going to a good college means getting a good job, which means getting a lot of money. In the modern world, a person's "class" is classified by how much money they have. Just as the Sawi have bones to show their status, we have clothes, cars, and jewelry to show ours.

The Sawi also value treachery and violence but it's not like there's no violence in the modern world. Murder and robbery are everyday things, and modern technology like guns make it easier for those things to happen. Just as there was hatred amongst various tribes, many countries hate each other for no good reason. What I'm saying is that even if our worlds seem very different, there are many similarities.

What concepts in the Sawi culture intrigued/reviled/saddened/angered/surprised/ you?

The Peace Child was a fun and interesting read for me because I learned so many things that I never knew before. I knew there were still primitive tribes in the world but I thought that they had at least some modern influence. The fact that the Sawi knew nothing of the outside world and valued things such as treachery intrigued me. What led them to value this? Who or what brought them the idea? When I learned that they practiced cannibalism, this surprised and angered me at first but then I started wondering the same thing; What led them to do this? It must have a deeper meaning.

The scene where the peace childs' were exchanged was a sad and touching part of the story. The screams of the mothers show how much they care for the young. The different kinds of susperstitions they believed in were also fascinating. The evil beasts and spirits in the river was odd, and it would be fun to listen to how those kinds of things originated.

How did Christianity change this culture?

Overall, Christianity had a positive impact on the Sawi culture. Some parts of their culture were destroyed, but they were going to be destroyed anyways and the things they did were just not right(cannibalism). The Sawi people can not be isolated forever, they will have to live alongside modern societies eventually. Being Christian, they will be more accepted than if they had kept to their old ways, treachery and violence.

Accepting Christianity also gives faith and strength to the people, it makes them feel united. Tribes came together and stopped fighting to pray together and honor God. The Sawi used to be violent and treacherous, but accepting God changed everything for them.

What should we do when we are confronted with other cultures?

When confronted with other cultures, I think the most important thing is to experience the culture firsthand. Many people make negative judgements about other people and their culture without knowing anything about them and their language/clothes/style. They would probably change their outlook if they got to experience that culture. One of the first things Don Richardson did after arriving in the Sawi tribe was to try to learn Sawi words. He spent many years living amongst them in the same kind of houses that they lived in. He talked with them, asked them questions about their history, traditions, and customs. He definately did not agree with their violent nature and cannabalistic ways but it didn't make him like the Sawi people any less. When learning about new cultures, there will probably be things that you won't agree with, such as cannibalism with the Sawi. But, it is best to try to understand the things they do and why they do it.

Growing up in America, a place where people from all over the world live, I experienced a lot of different cultures. Learning about different cultures is a really interesting experience for me, I like to learn about people and places that are different from me and where I live. I learned spanish for 2 years in middle school, and chinese for 2 years in high school, and would have probably learned another language if I had not come to TCIS. Those classes were really fun, because we not only learned the language but also got to experience different things like food and clothing style, customs, and traditions. It's fascinating that people from the same world could be so different. When I get older, one of the things I wish to do most is to just spend a year or two traveling around to different countries to see what they are like.