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Indigenous peoples are also an important source of cultural diversity: 4,000 to 5,000 of the world’s 6,000 cultures are indigenous.1 Further, approximately three-quarters of the world’s languages are spoken by indigenous peoples. These languages are disappearing rapidly due to the pressures being placed on indigenous peoples.
The forces of globalization are reducing the number of cultures around the world and strengthening ties between those that remain. This process often increases the similarities between cultures while reducing their differences. The reason all this is important to consider is that the promotion of homogenous cultures could pose a serious threat to human survival. Researchers are recognizing that cultural diversity drives changes in civilization, just as biodiversity enables biological evolution.
Importantly, a significant amount of ecological knowledge is accumulated by the indigenous peoples who live in rare and poorly understood ecologies. Their knowledge is held in their language, so with the loss of their language the world loses the intimate knowledge of the plants that could provide future medical treatments or technological advances. In fact, the U.S. National Institutes of Health concluded that “traditional knowledge is as threatened and is as valuable as biological diversity. Both resources deserve respect and must be conserved.”2
But, beyond the direct benefits that can be gained for science or industry, the protection of language and culture hold merits in its own right. Indigenous peoples’ rights seek to protect this special class of minorities that are particularly vulnerable to the encroachment of the modern state and the wider societies they support. Language and culture are key attributes that define these peoples’ identities and therefore deserve special efforts of protection.
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Bilingual Education in New Zealand The Maori are the indigenous peoples of New Zealand who signed a treaty, the Treaty of Waitangi, with the British Crown in 1840 that established British rule throughout New Zealand, but that also recognized certain rights for the native Maoris. Among those rights was the right to preserve the Maori language and culture. However, by the end of World War II, most Maori children were educated only in English so the Maori language was slowly disappearing. To reverse this trend, the Maori lobbied the New Zealand government to establish native-language education programs. The result was the creation of the Kohanga Reo in 1981, a comprehensive education program for Maori children involving Maori language immersion as well as a complete education in Maori history and culture. The program provides a parallel system of education to the traditional, English-based program used primarily by New Zealanders of European descent. Now, the Maori system includes primary schools, secondary schools, and even a university. All are funded by the New Zealand government, but curricular decisions are community based and help strengthen both the Maori language, but also Maori ethnic and group identity.3 |
1 “Leaflet 10: Indigenous Peoples and the Environment”
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