Like almost everyone else in America, I grew up believing the myth of the objective scientist. Fortunately I was raised on the edges of two very distinct cultures, western European and American Indian.
Vine Deloria Jr.Read
If the tribal peoples actually represented Western origins at a much earlier time, it was exceedingly valuable that they should be studied intensely for clues about the nature and origin of human society. Consequently it was an injury to science and human knowledge to allow the military to simply exterminate them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of studying indigenous cultures to understand human origins and criticizes the harm done by military actions against them.
Vine Deloria Jr. highlights the crucial role that tribal peoples play in providing insights into the early development of human society. He argues that their extermination not only represents a tragic loss of life but also a detrimental blow to scientific knowledge and our understanding of humanity's roots. By erasing these cultures, valuable information about our past and the essence of society is lost.
Themes
Tribal PeoplesHuman SocietyKnowledgeScienceCulture
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on anthropology, one might say, 'As Vine Deloria Jr. pointed out, studying tribal peoples is essential for understanding our collective history.'
More from Vine Deloria Jr.
All quotes →Every society needs educated people, but the primary responsibility of educated people is to bring wisdom back into the community and make it available to others so that the lives they are leading make sense.
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The bottom line about the information possessed by non-Western peoples is that the information becomes valid only when offered by a white scholar recognized by the academic establishment; in effect, the color of the skin guarantees scientific objectivity.
Vine Deloria Jr.Read
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