Tanna is an island in the South Pacific where people live a very traditional lifestyle. They are an agricultural society wherein men hunt and gather and woman care for the children, all the while rejecting modern technology. The five men who embark on the journey, Chief Mangau, Keimua, Sam, Kuai, and Namus, bring an outsiders look into our culture and bring to light points of view most Americans probably haven’t thought of. Their characters and positions in their community also help us paint ourselves a picture of what their culture is like.
At the age of 65, Chief Mangau is known as a “figure of authority, guidance, and wisdom” (Nat Geo). Keimua is the village’s head dancer; Sam is the local medicine-man while Kui is simply known as the “happy man.” Namus, the translator conveys the ambassadors’ remarks and opinions.
It was amazing how these men picked up and commented on certain parts of our culture. The most astonishing was their shock and concern about homeless in New York City. When they saw an old, scruffy looking man sleeping on a bench, they were shocked to find out he was homeless. “There are so many buildings,” Mangau states. “How can there be people living on the streets? That man must not have anybody who loves him.”
The show cut to a scene of Chief Mangaus’ village. The tribe was gathered to build a house for one of its members. The who community joined in and built the house and made a celebration out of it. the men remarked how in their culture you don’t need money for a house, you just need family and friends. They said with sullen looks on their faces, “America is too busy chasing money.” They took a taxi ride for their example. The taxi rides are nice and convenient, but they cost money. “So the people with jobs get to ride the taxis. But if you do not have a job you have to walk.”
The Tannesian men seemed almost confused by the way we lived. They have found a way to live and thrive in peace and happiness, all without any money, cars or electricity. America has taken the opposite route, and some are growing skeptical of this way of life. In 2007, Nicholas Carr posed the question: “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” He describes how he feels the internet and other such technology is dumbing down America. He tells how media and technology reflect who we are as culture and also shape the way we think. Fast paced internet searching has lead to a thought process that has grown less in depth, and more in skimming and paraphrasing. Perhaps humans have reached their evolutionary limit, but instead of coping with that we create external databases that use high-tech complicated software and technology.
Philip Dick also depicts bleek outcomes concerning America. In the Golden Man an instinctual species of man that can see into the fourth dimension takes over the human race. Pay for Printer conveys a future where aliens take over the planet but eventually die off and humans need to relearn how to build a society from the ground up. Technology is often a key part in the downfall of humans in Dick’s short stories. Ironically, in both stories Dick brings humans back to a primitive way of life, with an instinctual species in the Golden Man and a society that needs rebuilding from the ground up in Pay for Printer. It is this same primitive state that the Tannesian Natives have been living in since their existence. On the island.
One main theme in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is that geography plays a heavy role on species and their evolution, and isolated geographic regions lead to isolated and unique species and cultures. Charles Lyell describes this theme by stating "the disposition of the seas, continents, and islands, and the climates, have varied; the species likewise have been changed; yet they all have been so modeled…to indicate throughout a perfect harmony of design and purpose" (Darwin 52). Tanna’s location in the Pacific Ocean has isolated it and its people, creating a culture long lost in America and most of Europe. Luckily they have been given a chance to spread their messages and hopefully give American’s a little insight to what we have lost sight of.
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Works Cited
Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid? - The Atlantic." The Atlantic: Breaking News, Analysis and Opinion on politics, business, culture, international, science, technology, food and society. 6 Feb. 2007. Web.
Darwin, Charles. Darwin (Norton Critical Editions) (3rd Edition). New York: W. W. Norton, 2000. Print.
Dick, Philip. The Philip K Dick Reader. New York: Citadel, 1987. Print.
Lyell, Charles. Principals of Geology. New York: W.W. Norton, 2001. Print.
"Meet the Natives | Programmes | Nat Geo AU & NZ." National Geographic Channel Australia and New Zealand. National Geographic. Web.
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