What do you think? Could a Primitive survive ?

Question

I always see shows on TLC and Discovery where some guy quits civilization and goes to live with some primitive tribe. I'm bored with that because a person who has lived in the civilized world can always adapt to something primative. What I would like to see is that they take a family from some jungle in South America, Africa or New Guinea and bring them to a penthouse in New York.

Do you think they would make it--why?

Do you think they would not make it--why not?

Answer 1

Yes We humans are very adaptable.we can easier adjust to cold or hot climate,city life of country,It all depends on the power of the human will.being primitive is merey a point of view.

Answer 2

Such a thing did happen 100 years ago.



Ishi was the last stone age Native American. His tribe were the Yahi and he was the last known member. Ishi was first found by a fence next to a slaughterhouse, on August 29, 1911. This was in the California town of Oroville. At that time he was about middle age, starving, his hair had been cut by burning and his clothing was a poncho made from a scrap of canvas.

In one day, Ishi moved forward in time some 10,000 years. He went from a stone age life to one in the 20th century. He accomplished this in a quiet, stoic manner and with great dignity.

Nobody could communicate with him. He spoke but it was of no known language or dialect. His picture, labeled as a "wild man" was published in the newspapers. Two scientists; Alfred Kroner and Thomas Waterman, of the Anthropological Museum of the University of California, saw the pictures and were curious.

This was not just idle interest. The area around Oroville had been the center for the Yana Indians and reports had persisted in sightings of "wild Indians'. Some collection of their language had bee done so if Ishi was a Yana or one of the sub-tribes perhaps they could communicate and learn the language before it was lost.

They discovered that Ishi was of the Yahi tribe and that they could communicate. Interestingly, the legal problems were more involved then those of language. Ishi wasn't sick, didn't have mental problems, and had no charges pending against him. At the same time. nobody wanted to just turn him loose. An arrangement was made which in effect had the sheriff release Ishi to the museum! Once at the museum he was "hired" as a janitor. In reality, his job was to teach others as much about his tribe and life as possible.

It was known that the Yanas had consisted fo some 3,000 people living in the Mount Lassen region. In 1849 and gold rush stressed the people tremendously. They fell victim to diseases for which they had no immunity and were often hunted to "protect" the white settlers. Ishi had spent his entire life hiding and avoiding the settlers. He lived with a band of 5 people but over the years he had lost contact with them or they had died. When his obsidian sources were cut off, he made arrowheads from beer bottle glass taken from trash heaps. Finally, alone, tired, and starving, he turned to the settlers, fully expecting to be killed.

Once at the museum, Ishi demonstrated just how special and unique he was. He rapidly adapted to "Civilized" society. He wore clothes (though he found shoes very uncomfortable), cut his hair and refused to wear "native" dress. Among his fan mail was even a marriage proposal!

Scientists had a gold mine in Ishi. No one knew how stone tools had been made. Ishi could show them. He used a 3 foot stick tipped with a soft iron nail and wrapped in buckskin. With this he produced needle sharp obsidian points in 30 minutes. The language, beliefs and customs of the Yana were unknown, Ishi knew them. He made his own bow of juniper wood and carried it in an otterskin quiver. His stance for shooting arrows shocked most archers. However, he was deadly effective with the bow.

In 1914 Ishi returned to the area he had lived in. There he conducted a tour of the region and reported on the sites and what had happened in each. One of the biggest obstacles to the trip was that Ishi didn't want to leave the museum. It was comfortable and he was quite happy there. He first thought that the scientists were suggesting they he move back permanently to the area

In 1915 he fell ill with tuberculosis and died March 15.1916.

Today, people continue to make stone tools. They called themselves "flintknappers." However, as an honor to Ishi, the pressure flaking tool they use is always called an "Ishi Stick."

Ishi's story is best told in "Ishi In Two Worlds " by Theodora Kroeber

Answer 3

The term "primitive" is very relative. A person living in New Guinea would not consider themselves primitive, just as we in the U.S. wouldn't either. Just the same, it would be difficult for someone who has never built a rope bridge or go on a hunt with spears. It would be equally difficult for a indigenous person to drive a car or use a computer. It's not better or worse, just two different ways to get by on the planet.

Answer 4

Australian Aboriginal people and African tribesmen frequently enter western civilization , however as with most immigration the sucess is usually dependent on youth. It can be hard to learn new languages and be assimulated into another culture.

the mistake would be to assume that they would value such a migration. Thier value and belief sytems are very diffrent.

Answer 5

We'd probably have to keep him in a cage, until he was potty-trained...