Indigenous Cultures Disappearing:

What would it be like to travel to one of the most exotic places on planet earth…only to have a McDonald’s on every corner?

Because we do business in an industry where it becomes immediately apparent a microcosm of the world and its varied cultures are present and accounted for, all of us at Gem Marketing Pearls do not think that would be such a great thing. Hence, we are specifically committed to doing everything we can to help the Polynesian culture on the Islands of French Polynesia maintain its unique place in the world. We do everything possible to provide opportunities in the pearl culturing industries which are historically significant to that island nation. We feel this is our responsibility and obligation in return for the Tahitian people continuing to protect and face the challenges on behalf of the Tahitian Cultured pearl, on which all our livelihoods depend. We want to shed light on the challenges the Polynesian people face. Pearl culturing represents one of the greatest opportunities an indigenous person of Polynesian descent can have.

“Tahiti” has traveled to enough far-away places and interacted with enough indigenous people even right here in his backyard (Northern Arizona) to see the common threads that appear to threaten and challenge most indigenous cultures of the world. Does the gentrification of indigenous peoples represent another travesty of our time? Because these many varied indigenous cultures ARE the spice of life they uniquely represent the diversity of man. What would our world be without the Hawaiian culture, for instance?

What “Tahiti” speculates is the pressure indigenous cultures are facing can be summarized in the following questions:

• 1) Does it begin with inadequately educating the indigenous youth at school and at home of the basics, in addition to their history and culture?

- Is a child’s sense of who they are, the language they speak and where they came from virtually lost to time?

- Are the marketable skills taught in these schools almost always sub-par?

- Because these people were usually invaded or overcome, were they treated accordingly when it came to considerations of social equality, and, services intended to help lift them out of their condition?

- Are many indigenous people without the skills to become employed in the new global marketplace? Industries they once knew have been lost forever or have fallen under the 21^st century emerging-country business model of, “produce it cheaply and exploit your labor”. Hence, can the compensation for their labors provide enough to survive without tremendous hardship? Is it enough to provide for the children a stable, quality, traditional family life?

• 2) Are the children lost in the appeal of the West?

- Without the skills or guidance to get what they see and desire, does their culture and history hang in the balance.

- Do they have feelings of servitude to those who “have” for purely survivals sake?

· Is there a palpable, underlying sense of animosity towards these “invaders” of their island/country/ land? Even the few who had something passed down from their ancestors are usually willing to let it go because the value of that asset has become so great they take the bird in hand.

· Are they overwhelmingly challenged to be able to do what we all consider our rights? For example, buying a home. Has the arrival of the “ex pat” priced their dream out of attainment? Do they become the poor because that is what they are, compared to these new arrivals.

- Have they ever been taught how to plan for the future? Was it a concept that was present in their culture, historically?

Hence, is the indigenous culture present only in the ways modern marketing represents it? Is it basically non-existent in the neighborhoods of the people whose ancestors lived it? We invite you to consider the possibility of these disturbing trends- and get involved if you are so inclined in any way to help stem the tide of indigenous culture debasement.