Serish ThakkerMr. CainWorld Civilizations 1October 12, 2014Guarani Modernization and IntegrationThe integration of indigenous Guarani people into modernization has been a continental controversy since the Paraguayan independence in 1811. During the 20th century, it was predicted by the government that it was to the tribe's advantage to become a part of the urban community and abandon the traditional, cultural life (http://www.sim.org/index.php/content/guarani). Some countries have prospered from this action whereas others, not as much as it was assumed. Time has shown that indigenous people have thrived from this kind of exposure. For instance, amongst the aborigines of Australia, ...view middle of the document...
As Nakashima, D., Prott, L. and Bridgewater, P. stated that, "Sophisticated knowledge of the natural world is not confined to science. Human societies all across the globe have developed rich sets of experiences and explanations relating to the environments they live in. These 'other knowledge systems' are today often referred to as traditional ecological knowledge or indigenous or local knowledge" (Nakashima, D., Prott, L. and Bridgewater, P. (2000) Tapping into the world's wisdom, UNESCO Sources, 125, July-August, p. 12). On the contrary, formal education systems disrupt common factors of the Guarani knowledge and ways of learning, replacing the old wisdom with abstract academics. There is a critical risk that a lot of this old knowledge is getting lost together with many valuable methods towards living more sustainable lives, and this wisdom is proven very constructive when the Guarani move towards integrating swiftly with the city center. The government of Paraguay needs to get involved with preserving the culture as well as mixing the indigenous tribe with modern civilians without eradicating the proud and artsy culture.The Paraguayan democratic government as well as other authorities plays a major role in the preservation and integration of the Guarani. Since the Guarani tribe of Paraguay face systemic discrimination and exclusion from political and economic power, government involvement will eradiate inequality between citizens. Raising awareness as well as starting charitable campaigns will lead to relocating the Guarani people after several conflicts and environmental calamities. These people have the worst health status and mortality rates in South America (IC Magazine, https://intercontinentalcry.org/peoples/guarani/) and bringing in health services to the remote areas where there is a high population of the Guarani, would benefit them greatly as they won't have to travel miles for an antibiotic or a small wound dressing. In Italy, some of the sacred sites for indigenous groups are guarded with warning signs put up by the government to ensure that rituals are still followed especially in ancestral land. This should be implanted in places where Guarani people dwell; Argenti...
