Can modern industrial societies learn anything from tribal societies?

Question

Can modern industrial societies learn anything from tribal societies?

Answer 1

"Tribal societies" cuts a pretty broad swath.  Do you mean hunter/gatherer societies?  Nomadic pastoral societies?  Subsistence based agricultural societies?  You might try being a little more specific.

People in modern hunter/gatherer societies tend to have more leisure time than people in industrialized nations, tend to be more egalitarian and tend to have few diseases of modern, Western life, such as heart disease or cancer.

Pastoralists tend to practice mixed farming; farming and animal husbandry together.  This makes pastoralism quite sustainable.  When it's dry, you rely more on your herds, when there is good rain, you can grow crops.  Arguably, subsistence based agriculture can fall under this category.

We could learn a thing or two about sustainability and increased leisure time; or maybe we could finally figure out how to cut our heart disease and cancer rates.  People have been living by these means for thousands of years and continue to do so because it is practical.

Answer 2

we have already learned, from them, all we need to know.. things such as.. don't live in a tent during toronado season, don't live in a tent, dugout, igloo or cave without a toilet. Don't live in the desert without a car or truck and lots of gasoline..it is easier to get to a doctor in a motor vehicle than it is riding a camel.. Electricity is better than candles, while camping out with an open fire is fun for a while.. it is not nearly as good as having k***s to turn the heat up or down.. boats are better if they are made out of fiberglass or metal.. a chain saw beats an axe or tomohawk any day.. it is easier to dig a water well with a drill than with a shovel.. while hand made blankets are good during cold weather.. electric blankets win hands down.. the ground is hard, matresses or soft.. pillows are better than saddles, .. if someone one wants to learn from tribes.. all they have to do is move to pakistan, afganistan, india, africa and the jungle.. you can learn about farming, starving, hoards of flys, picking bananas and climbing trees.. and you will learn that the last place that you would want to live is in a tribal territory...

Answer 3

Since Adam and Eve.  Humans have come up with better ways of doing things.  From the wheel and carts to using draft horses to pull heavy loads.  To the new heavy equipment that makes pads for houses to dams to roads.

While they may have had some good points, living in tents and washing in a cold river and seeing our children die from curable diseases.  Is not my idea of learning anything.

Most tribal societys if you read the history of them were war like with other tribal societys.  So they regularilary sent out young men to hack each other to pieces.  Taking slaves and beautiful young women to abuse.

Sacrificeing some of them to false God's by ripping a beating heart out of their chest.

They have very little to offer us in the way of how to live in todays society.  Only by moving forward not back will we find the way to true peace.  When man can live together without war.

without violence, starving, illness, and inequality.

Only look back to see what we don't want to have to endure anymore.

Answer 4

the question surrounds a biased view and so does the answers.  People see tribal societies as 'primitive' societies that haven't yet 'evolved' into industrial civilisations..

this is an incorrect perception...

Firstly, tribal societies exist in many places around the world... South America, Polynesia, PNG, Australia, Africa, Europe... the list goes on...

Institutions (i.e. tribal bands or 'Super powers') need to be viewed as unique- they are reflective of the current socio-cultural practices/beliefs (and geographical context)..

Flip the Q around... What have modern-day tribal communities 'learnt' from the globalisation of industries and the subsequent effect on the environment...

So at the end of the day... my answer to the general theme of the Q is this:

Yes... each culture has adaptations/cultural practices that could be relevant to other cultures...

I can't even begin to detail the 'benefits' of living in a tribal culture...

deep attachment to the land

knowledge of bush medicine

natural understanding of environment, weather, soil, location of resourses etc

once again the list can go on...

Answer 5

How to keep a blood fuel going.

Just look at Iraq.

Answer 6

The thing I would say we have the most to learn from those societies is food preservation methods, and medicine.

other than that, most everything else those people did is inferior to modern methods of doing things.

Answer 7

Yes, how to take drugs