Page 267 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol V

2044 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

The Iroquois View of Western Civilization

The Iroquois are an indigenous nation of the northeast (Akwesasne Notes 1978, 69–70).The Iroquois have
in the United States and southeastern Canada.As part a “geological kind of perspective,” which sees mod-
of their expression of their political, cultural, and eco- ern whites as young children “committing incredible
nomic rights over the last several decades, some Iro- destructive folly” (Akwesasne Notes 1978, 70).
quois have set forth a revisionist view of their own The historical critique is also a cultural critique.
history and the history of the world.The following text What the position papers call the “Iroquois Way of
sets forth the views on Western Civilization of Life” is a spiritual consciousness which acknowledges
Mohawk Iroquois traditionalists in the community of the interdependence and equality of all living crea-
Akwesasne (St. Regis Reserve/Reservation) on the tures, and recognizes the necessity for gratitude to the
U.S.-Canadian border. Creator (Akwesasne Notes 1978, 72). In contrast,
other peoples in the world began with a spiritual con-
The third and most important element in the narra-
sciousness, but have lost it. When humans domesti-
tive is its construction of history—worldwide in
cated animals they “assumed the functions which
scope, from beginning to end—as a struggle between
had for all time been the functions of the spirits of ani-
destructive colonial powers and oppressed indige-
mals.” When Semitic peoples developed irrigation
nous, or “natural” peoples. This colonial-indigenous
technology, they “reproduced a function of Nature”
dichotomy not only structures the historical world
(Akwesasne Notes 1978, 73–74).Technology led to
process but also serves as an explicit indigenous cri-
cities which led to stratification, imperialism, and
tique of the West.The position papers are a message
laws. Christianity became the servant of the new
. . . which identifies the process of that abuse of the
technology and “imposed itself exclusively of all other
planet as Western Civilization...What is presented
beliefs.” All remaining tribal European peoples with
here is nothing less audacious than a cosmogony of
pantheistic religions were “de-spiritualized” by becom-
the Industrialized World presented by the most
ing Christian (Akwesasne Notes 1978, 75).The the-
politically powerful and independent non-Western
oretical perspective at work in this analysis is cultural
political body surviving in North America [the Iro-
evolutionism with a devolutionary emphasis—the
quois League] (Akwesasne Notes 1978, 69). The
non-Indian cultures of the world have increasingly
position papers undertake an analysis of Western
degenerated into destructive materialism.
Civilization from the perspective of a natural and
Exploitation of the “Natural World” by Western cul-
ancient culture. They see this task as imperative “in
tures has meant the extinction of species of birds and
the age of the Neutron bomb, Watergate, and
animals, forests levelled, waters polluted, and Indians
nuclear energy plant proliferation...” Iroquois tra-
“subjected to genocide” (Akwesasne Notes 1978, 76–
dition, unlike Christianity, Mohammedanism, or
77). “Western technology and the people who have
Judaism, reaches back to at least the end of the Pleis-
employed it have been the most amazingly destructive
tocene....People who are familiar with the Hau de
forces in all of human history.” Having exhausted all
no sau nee beliefs will recognize that modern sci-
other sources of energy,Western Civilization has now
entific evidence shows that the Native customs of
“settled on atomic energy. . . which has by products
today are not markedly different from those prac-
which are the most poisonous substances ever
ticed by ancient people at least 70,000 years ago
known to Man.” The Indian “Way of Life,” which is
cultural heritage and invited them to pick and choose By the 1960s this constellation of circumstances
what to accept and what to reject from it. As such West- altered and Western civ courses soon lost their preferred
ern civ courses came alive for innumerable college stu- place in most American colleges. Their dismantlement
dents and helped them to shape a meaningful world from arose mainly from the discontent of young instructors
which the majority of humankind was tacitly excluded. who objected to teaching hand-me-down Western civ