“Progress Can Kill”

Survival International has released a new short report, “Progress Can Kill,” which describes how well-intentioned attempts to bring modern society to isolated tribes can in fact destroy those tribes through obesity, suicide, AIDS, starvation, addiction and loss of life expectancy.

As the authors summarize:

If they are to survive, indigenous people must control the changes they want to make to their own lives. The key to tribal peoples’ futures is to ensure their land remains under their control.

In an echo of Nationalist movements of the last century, Survival International emphasizes control over land, including the ability to exclude outsiders, and self-determination or control of destiny as essential to the survival of these tribes. The report illustrates how modern lifestyles destroy these tribes by altering their lifestyle to one that is alien to their needs, all under the guise of “progress” that enables their lands to be exploited for economic gains.