The Bushman of Botswana’s Central Kalahari Game Reserve

The reading for this weekend talked about the influence of the United States’ system of national and state parks on other countries.  Although it is wonderful that the United States has inspired other countries to protect their wild spaces, it has not been without harm, and this is what stood out to me.  The specific case of a game preserve in Botswana was mentioned, and the conflict that ensued was eerily reminiscent of the encounters between the Native Americans and the settlers.  The government could not decide if the native tribes should be considered people or wildlife.  For me this question is representative of a much larger issue.  If all people are not wildlife, then how can some people be considered wildlife?  This implies that they are animalistic and uncivilized, but this all depends on one’s definition of “civilized”.  Ultimately it was decided that these indigenous were in fact people who were simply lacking civilization, or their preconceived, singular definition of civilization.  These people were moved off of their land against their will and force-fed a custom that was not theirs.  People who had lived on the land for generations were brutally evicted so that the land could be preserved.  This pattern of removing indigenous people so that parks can be established is inhumane.  By doing this, governments are forcing people to abandon their traditions and way of life that is vital to their identities.  With every tribe that is removed in this way, the world becomes more homogeneous and flat.  So how does this relate to the Adirondacks?  Although the majority of the park system in the United States does not include people, the Adirondack Park does.  Can these new parks look to the Adirondacks as a model to include these indigenous tribes, while still considering them people and respecting their cultures and traditions? I hope they can.  Although it leads to conflict and paradox, the inhabitance of the Adirondacks has ultimately been successful and should serve as a beacon of hope for tolerance and diversity in a world that is becoming increasingly uniform.  Not only is it important to preserve the land, but also its inhabitants, tradition, and culture. 

Upon further research I found more updated information on this issue.  According to Survival International in 2006 the Bushman of Botswana’s Central Kalahari Game Reserve won “a landmark case against the government, giving them the right to return to their ancestral land after they were forcibly evicted”, but since then "the government has done everything it can to make their return impossible".  According to a BBC article from 2014, “The government says the restriction of people on the land is intended to preserve the wildlife and the ecosystems of the vast reserve, which is slightly bigger than Denmark” (Fihlani).  But there is much suspicion that the land will be use to mine diamonds, and the impact of the Bushmen on the environment is minimal.  Fihlani notes, “the Bushmen argue that their years of living in harmony with the environment prove that their ways are ecologically sustainable”.  The Bushmen are now being exposed to drugs and alcohol, AIDS, teen pregnancies, and a whole host of other issues that come with "modern" society.  Roy Sesana says, “we are now dependent on government handouts: we are being made stupid and lazy”.  Thankfully, progress has been made, but there are still battles to be won.  In our ever-expanding society, it is vital that we protect the wild lands that are still intact, but we must always keep in mind the costs of these measures and be willing to make compromises, as I believe the Adirondacks have done so well. 

There is so much more to this issue that I did not include - here are two really good sources:

http://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/bushmen

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-24821867