Movie + Message = Movement?

So, there’s this movie out.  Maybe you’ve seen it. It’s all 3D-ish and overrun with blue cat people. Big popcorn blockbuster.  It’s also a nice little flick about the conflict between what has always been and what is coming.  It’s the eternal story of an indigenous peoples’ fight to keep their land and traditions from being usurped by invaders.

If Avatar sparked your curiosity or, better yet, your indignation, you should know that there are many organizations out there working with populations all over the world, helping to provide the tools and resources needed to safeguard their way of life.  There’s Amazon Watch working for the Amazon Basin rainforest.  Cultural Survival partners with indigenous peoples to help them defend their lands, languages, and cultures.  You can catch up on the latest news stories about these threatened populations via Current.com or MongaBay.comRainbowBody.net offers a list of organizations supporting our own Native Americans.  And a great site to learn about global issues and resources is IndigenousPeoplesIssues.com.  Needless to say, there are groups on every continent laboring to preserve these vulnerable populations.

Every one of these organizations needs volunteers, interns, staff, money, and materials to carry on with their work.  All are striving to protect what has come before.  This is a short and simple post today.  To go into someone’s homeland and attempt to alter it without consideration for the potential social or environmental impact is wrong.  This tool called the internet is changing things because the ability to spread the word and reveal the truth has expanded dramatically.  You can be a part of that change.

(And don’t forget to tell us about your experiences!)

Related Posts

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Marijane Miller

Leave a Reply