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Documente Cultură
by Richard Sidaway
We do not inherit the earth from our on them twenty years later, only 300
ancestors, we borrow it from our children. survived. The last Tasman died in 1905.
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new President of Bolivia. He is only 46 years land and natural resources. In Colombia, a
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old and openly supports the production and hundred years of oil extraction has resulted
use of the coca plant. He also wants the in the pollution of rivers, soil and drinking
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state to take control of the profitable natural water. The story is repeated in Ecuador and
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gas industry. But what is really significant is Peru. In Brazil, the government plan to build
where he comes from. He was born into a five large dams on the Xingu River. These
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farming family in the Andes and spent much will flood thousands of square kilometres of
his life campaigning for the interests of the tribal reserves and destroy much agricultural
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There are perhaps 370 million indigenous the way. In Botswana today it is happening
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peoples in 70 countries around the world. because of diamond mining and tourism. In
They live on 20% of the worlds land, and the islands of Diego Garcia, in the Indian
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they contribute 80% of the worlds biological Ocean, the entire population were banished
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and cultural diversity. For the last few forever in order to build an airbase.
hundred years, however, European Land has a spiritual significance for
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which they had no defences, suppressed returned ownership of Uluru (Ayers Rock) to
their culture and language, and tried to the Pitjantjatjara Aborigines. In the USA,
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Sometimes they almost disappeared from Nevada, unaware that it is a sacred site for
history. Few people today have heard of the the Shoshone nation.
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Herero of Namibia. Eighty per cent of their Businesses often try to take possession of
population died from starvation a century indigenous cultures. Multinational
ago at the hands of German colonisers. In companies wanted to become the owners of
1803, there were 10,000 people living in traditional knowledge in areas such as food,
Tasmania, but after the British declared war farming and health. They have tried to
2016 British Council. The United Kingdoms international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are
registered in England as a charity. http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/magazine/indigenous-peoples 1
create patents on plants and medicines that own representation. There is a Smi
indigenous people have used for centuries. parliament in Sweden and an Assembly of
First Nations in Canada.
Native languages are also disappearing.
They were banned in schools for decades. Formal Apologies were passed in several
Parents stopped using them to communicate Australian State Parliaments in 1998 for the
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in the home, and so they were no longer past mistreatment of the Aboriginal
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Sometimes families have been affected in Treaty of Waitangi Act has made it possible
more dramatic ways. In Australia, it was for Maoris to claim back land, fisheries and
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government policy from 1900-1972 to forest in special courts where they have
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forcibly remove children from their parents equal representation with non-indigenous
and bring them up in institutions. people. The Miskito Indians in Nicaragua
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indigenous life. The writer Paul Theroux, become extremely wealthy because of a
travelling in the Pacific, noted that most change in the law. They can now start
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islanders diets nowadays consisted of junk casinos on their own land. Some people
food and canned fish imported from Japan worry about the morality of this, but some of
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thousands of miles away - despite the fact the profit has been used for improvements in
that they were surrounded by water, and education and health.
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things are finally getting better? Various happy one, but perhaps there is hope yet for
peoples around the world now have their the continued diversity of humankind.
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2016 British Council. The United Kingdoms international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are
registered in England as a charity. http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/magazine/indigenous-peoples 2
Exercises
Task 1
Match a place from the first table with a fact from the second table.
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a. There are no longer any indigenous people b. Indigenous people have got their land
living there back
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c. The government are moving many people d. The local governments said sorry for what
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e. An indigenous person became leader of the f. Indigenous people are now rich because of
country gambling
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g. The government may destroy a lot of h. Indigenous people have their own
indigenous land representatives
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Answers
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Task 1
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1. d; 2. e; 3. c; 4. g; 5. i; 6. b; 7. h; 8. a; 9. f
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2016 British Council. The United Kingdoms international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are
registered in England as a charity. http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/magazine/indigenous-peoples 3