Wade Davis: Cultures at the far edge of the world

You know, one of the intense pleasures of travel

Kama ujuavyo, moja ya raha kubwa za kusafiri

and one of the delights of ethnographic research

na moja ya furaha za utafiti wa mahusiano ya kikabila

is the opportunity to live amongst those

ni fursa ya kuishi miongoni mwao

who have not forgotten the old ways,

hao wasiosahau namna za kijadi

who still feel their past in the wind,

ambao wangali wakihisi ya kale kwenye upepo,

touch it in stones polished by rain,

na kuyagusa juu ya mawe yaliyosafishwa na mvua,

taste it in the bitter leaves of plants.

na kuyaonja kwenye majani machungu ya mimea.

Just to know that Jaguar shamans still journey beyond the Milky Way,

Kujua kwamba wanaoabudu chuipamba bado wana safari kupita mbingu za mbali,

or the myths of the Inuit elders still resonate with meaning,

au imani za wazee wa Kiinuiti zinaleta maana,

or that in the Himalaya,

au kwamba huko Himalaya,

the Buddhists still pursue the breath of the Dharma,

Mabudha bado wanaifuata pumzi ya Dharma,

is to really remember the central revelation of anthropology,

ni katika kukumbuka utambuzi wa msingi wa anthropolojia,

and that is the idea that the world in which we live

na kwamba mtazamo wa ulimwengu tunamoishi

does not exist in some absolute sense,

haupo kihalisia,

but is just one model of reality,

bali ni nadharia tu ya ukweli,

the consequence of one particular set of adaptive choices

ni matokeo ya jozi moja tu ya machaguo kadhaa

that our lineage made, albeit successfully, many generations ago.

ambayo mababu zetu walifanya, japo kwa mafanikio, vizazi kadhaa vilivyopita.

And of course, we all share the same adaptive imperatives.

Na kwa hakika, sote tunashabihiana katika kufuata kanuni za maumbile

We're all born. We all bring our children into the world.

Sote tunazaliwa. Sote tunazaa watoto.

We go through initiation rites.

Tunapitia kafara za kusimikwa,

We have to deal with the inexorable separation of death,

Tunalazimika kukabiliana na ukatili wa kutenganishwa kwa kifo

so it shouldn't surprise us that we all sing, we all dance,

haitushangazi kwamba sote tunaimba, sote tunacheza,

we all have art.

sote tuna sanaa.

But what's interesting is the unique cadence of the song,

Lakini kinachosisimua zaidi ni namna pekee za mapigo ya wimbo,

the rhythm of the dance in every culture.

mahadhi ya dansi kwa kila utamaduni.

And whether it is the Penan in the forests of Borneo,

Na iwapo ni Wapenani wa misitu ya Borneo

or the Voodoo acolytes in Haiti,

au makuhani wa Voodoo nchini Haiti

or the warriors in the Kaisut desert of Northern Kenya,

au majemedari wa jangwa la Kaisut Kaskazini mwa Kenya,

the Curandero in the mountains of the Andes,

au matabibu wa Kikurandero wa milima ya Andes,

or a caravanserai in the middle of the Sahara --

au nyumba ya kuhamishika iliyopo katikati ya Sahara

this is incidentally the fellow that I traveled into the desert with

Huyu ndiye mwenzi ambaye nilisafiri nae jangwani

a month ago --

mwezi mmoja uliopita

or indeed a yak herder in the slopes of Qomolangma,

au mchunga mbuzipori wa miteremko ya Qomolangma,

Everest, the goddess mother of the world.

Everest, mungu mke wa ulimwengu.

All of these peoples teach us that there are other ways of being,

Watu wote hawa wanatufundisha kwamba kuna namna nyingine za kuwa,

other ways of thinking,

namna tofauti za kufikiria

other ways of orienting yourself in the Earth.

namna mbalimbali za kujiwekeza katika Dunia.

And this is an idea, if you think about it,

Na hili ndilo wazo, ambalo ukilifikiria,

can only fill you with hope.

laweza kukupa tumaini,

Now, together the myriad cultures of the world

Sasa, kwa pamoja tamaduni nyingi mbalimbali za ulimwengu

make up a web of spiritual life and cultural life

zinafanya mtandao wa maisha ya kiroho na kiutamaduni

that envelops the planet,

unaoifunika dunia,

and is as important to the well-being of the planet

na ni muhimu kwa ustawi wa dunia

as indeed is the biological web of life that you know as a biosphere.

hali kadhalika mtandao wa kibaiolojia wa maisha unaoujua kama biosifia.

And you might think of this cultural web of life

Na waweza kufikiria kwamba mtandao huu wa kiutamaduni kwenye maisha

as being an ethnosphere,

kuwa ni ethnosifia

and you might define the ethnosphere

na waweza kuainisha ethnosifia

as being the sum total of all thoughts and dreams, myths,

kuwa ni jumla ya mawazo na ndoto, imani,

ideas, inspirations, intuitions brought into being

mitazamo, hamasa, vipawa vilivyohuishwa

by the human imagination since the dawn of consciousness.

na mawazo ya binadamu tokea mapambazuko ya ufahamu.

The ethnosphere is humanity's great legacy.

Ethnosifia ni urithi mkuu wa utu,

It's the symbol of all that we are

ni ishara ya kila namna tulivyo

and all that we can be as an astonishingly inquisitive species.

na kila namna tuwezavyo kuwa viumbe wadadisi ajabu

And just as the biosphere has been severely eroded,

Na kwa namna ambavyo biosifia imeharibiwa,

so too is the ethnosphere

ndivyo pia ethnosifia

-- and, if anything, at a far greater rate.

--na iwapo kwa kiwango kikubwa zaidi.

No biologists, for example, would dare suggest

Hakuna mwanabaiolojia, kwa mfano, awezaye kusema

that 50 percent of all species or more have been or are

kwamba 50% ya viumbe wote au zaidi wamefikia au wapo

on the brink of extinction because it simply is not true,

katika hatari ya kuteketea kwakuwa si kweli,

and yet that -- the most apocalyptic scenario

na pia kwamba -- tishio kubwa la maafa

in the realm of biological diversity --

katika uwanja wa mtandao wa kibailojia

scarcely approaches what we know to be the most optimistic scenario

nadra sana unaangalia kwa mtazamo tunaodhania kuwa bora zaidi

in the realm of cultural diversity.

kwenye uwanja wa mtandao wa utamaduni.

And the great indicator of that, of course, is language loss.

Na kielelezo kikubwa cha muelekeo huo ni kupotea kwa lugha.

When each of you in this room were born,

Wakati nyote mliopo humu ndani mlipozaliwa,

there were 6,000 languages spoken on the planet.

kulikuwepo lugha 6,000 zikitumika duniani.

Now, a language is not just a body of vocabulary

Kwa sasa, lugha si mkusanyiko wa maneno

or a set of grammatical rules.

au mkusanyiko wa kanuni za sarufi.

A language is a flash of the human spirit.

Lugha ni mwanga wa roho ya binadamu.

It's a vehicle through which the soul of each particular culture

Ni chombo ambacho hupitisha uhai wa tamaduni fulani

comes into the material world.

kuja kwenye ulimwengu wa vitu.

Every language is an old-growth forest of the mind,

Kila lugha ni mkuzo wa msitu wa akili,

a watershed, a thought, an ecosystem of spiritual possibilities.

mgawanyiko wa vijito, wazo, bioanuwai ya mambo ya kiroho,

And of those 6,000 languages, as we sit here today in Monterey,

Miongoni mwa lugha hizo 6,000 mpaka leo tunapokuwa hapa Monterey,

fully half are no longer being whispered into the ears of children.

takriban nusu yake hazitamkwi kwenye masikio ya watoto.

They're no longer being taught to babies,

Hazifundishwi kwa watoto wachanga tena,

which means, effectively, unless something changes,

maana yake ni kwamba, kwa hakika, labda kama kuna mambo yatabadilika,

they're already dead.

zimeshakufa.

What could be more lonely than to be enveloped in silence,

Hakuna upweke unaozidi ule wa kugubikwa na ukimya,

to be the last of your people to speak your language,

wa kuwa mtu wa mwisho kabisa kuongea lugha yako,

to have no way to pass on the wisdom of the ancestors

kutokuwa na namna ya kurithisha busara za mababu

or anticipate the promise of the children?

au kutarajia ahadi za watoto?

And yet, that dreadful fate is indeed the plight of somebody

Na zaidi, kinachotisha ni hatima ya mtu fulani

somewhere on Earth roughly every two weeks,

sehemu fulani ya Dunia takriban kila wiki mbili,

because every two weeks, some elder dies

kwa sababu kila wiki mbili, kuna mzee anafariki dunia

and carries with him into the grave the last syllables

na anakwenda kaburini na silabi za mwisho

of an ancient tongue.

za lugha ya kale.

And I know there's some of you who say, "Well, wouldn't it be better,

Na najua kuna baadhi yenu mngesema,"Naam, si ingekuwa vema?

wouldn't the world be a better place

Si ingekuwa bora zaidi

if we all just spoke one language?" And I say, "Great,

iwapo sote tungeongea lugha moja?" Nami nasema "Vema,

let's make that language Yoruba. Let's make it Cantonese.

tuifanye lugha hiyo Kiyoruba. Tuifanye iwe Kikantoni.

Let's make it Kogi."

Tuifanye Kikogi."

And you'll suddenly discover what it would be like

Na wote mara mtagundua nini kitatokea

to be unable to speak your own language.

kutoweza kuongea lugha yako mwenyewe.

And so, what I'd like to do with you today

Na ninachotaka kufanya nanyi leo

is sort of take you on a journey through the ethnosphere,

ni kuwapeleka kwenye safari ya ethnosifia --

a brief journey through the ethnosphere,

safari fupi ya kupitia ethnosifia

to try to begin to give you a sense of what in fact is being lost.

kujaribu kukupa picha ya nini kinapotea.

Now, there are many of us who sort of forget

Naam, kuna wengi wetu wanaosahau

that when I say "different ways of being,"

ninaposema "kuna namna mbalimbali za kuwa,"

I really do mean different ways of being.

Namaanisha kweli kuna namna mbalimbali za kuwa.

Take, for example, this child of a Barasana in the Northwest Amazon,

Chukulia kwa mfano, mtoto huyu wa Barasana huko kaskazini magharibi Amazoni

the people of the anaconda

watu wa majoka ya anakonda

who believe that mythologically they came up the milk river

wanaoamini miujiza itokanayo na mto wa maziwa

from the east in the belly of sacred snakes.

kutoka mashariki kwenye matumbo ya nyoka walotukuka.

Now, this is a people who cognitively

Naam, hawa ni watu ambao kwa kutambua

do not distinguish the color blue from the color green

hawawezi kutofautisha rangi ya bluu na rangi ya kijani

because the canopy of the heavens

kwakuwa paa la mbingu

is equated to the canopy of the forest

linalinganishwa na paa la msitu

upon which the people depend.

ambamo watu hawa wanategemea.

They have a curious language and marriage rule

Wana kanuni ya ajabu kuhusu ndoa na lugha

which is called "linguistic exogamy:"

ijulikanayo kama ndoa baina ya lugha tofauti:

you must marry someone who speaks a different language.

unalazimika kumuoa azungumzaye lugha tofauti na yako.

And this is all rooted in the mythological past,

Na hii inatokana na imani za kale,

yet the curious thing is in these long houses,

na bado hali ya kushangaza ipo kwenye nyumba hizi ndefu

where there are six or seven languages spoken

ambako kuna lugha sita au saba zinazozungumzwa

because of intermarriage,

kutokana na kuoana,

you never hear anyone practicing a language.

hutomsikia yeyote akijifunza lugha.

They simply listen and then begin to speak.

Wanasikiliza tu na kuanza kuongea.

Or, one of the most fascinating tribes I ever lived with,

Au, moja ya makabila ya kushangaza niliyowahi kuishi nayo,

the Waorani of northeastern Ecuador,

ni Waorani wa Kaskazini-Mashariki ya Ecuador,

an astonishing people first contacted peacefully in 1958.

ni watu wa ajabu ambao walitembelewa kwa mara ya kwanza mwaka 1958.

In 1957, five missionaries attempted contact

Mnamo mwaka 1957, wamishonari watano walijaribu kuwatembelea

and made a critical mistake.

na wakafanya kosa kubwa.

They dropped from the air

Walidondosha kutoka hewani

8 x 10 glossy photographs of themselves

picha zao za ukubwa nchi nane kwa kumi

in what we would say to be friendly gestures,

kitu ambacho tunaweza kusema ni ishara ya urafiki,

forgetting that these people of the rainforest

wakasahau kwamba watu hawa wa misitu ya kitropiki

had never seen anything two-dimensional in their lives.

hawakuwahi kuona kitu chochote chenye vina viwili kabla

They picked up these photographs from the forest floor,

Wakaziokota picha hizi toka ardhini

tried to look behind the face to find the form or the figure,

wakajaribu kuangalia kwa nyuma ili kupata umbile kamili

found nothing, and concluded that these were calling cards

hawakuona kitu, na wakaamini kwamba hizi ni kadi za wito

from the devil, so they speared the five missionaries to death.

toka kwa shetani, kwahiyo wakawachoma mikuki wamishonari na kuwaua.

But the Waorani didn't just spear outsiders.

Lakini Waorani si kwamba tu waliwachoma wageni.

They speared each other.

Walichomana wao kwa wao.

54 percent of their mortality was due to them spearing each other.

54% ya vifo vyao vilitokana na kuchomana mikuki wao kwa wao.

We traced genealogies back eight generations,

Tulifuatilia vizazi nane vilivyopita,

and we found two instances of natural death

na tukapata matukio mawili tu ya vifo vya asilia

and when we pressured the people a little bit about it,

na tulipowauliza zaidi watu habari hizi,

they admitted that one of the fellows had gotten so old

wakakiri kwamba mmoja wao alikuwa mzee sana

that he died getting old, so we speared him anyway. (Laughter)

na angekufa kwa uzee, kwahiyo tukamchoma mkuki tu (Kicheko)

But at the same time they had a perspicacious knowledge

Lakini pia wana ujuzi wa ajabu

of the forest that was astonishing.

wa msituni ambao unashangaza sana.

Their hunters could smell animal urine at 40 paces

Wawindaji huweza kunusa harufu ya mkojo wa mnyama toka umbali wa hatua 40

and tell you what species left it behind.

na wakakwambia ni kiumbe gani ameuacha mkojo huo.

In the early '80s, I had a really astonishing assignment

Miaka ya 80, nilikuwa na kazi moja ya kusisimua

when I was asked by my professor at Harvard

nilipoulizwa na Profesa wangu wa Harvard

if I was interested in going down to Haiti,

iwapo ningependa kwenda Haiti,

infiltrating the secret societies

kupeleleza vikundi vya siri

which were the foundation of Duvalier's strength

vilivyokuwa ngome kubwa ya Duvalier

and Tonton Macoutes,

na majasusi wa Tonton Macoutes

and securing the poison used to make zombies.

na kupata sumu itumikayo kutengeneza mizuka.

In order to make sense out of sensation, of course,

ili kupata mantiki kutokana na uvumi

I had to understand something about this remarkable faith

ilinibidi nijaribu kuelewa kuhusu imani hii ya ajabu

of Vodoun. And Voodoo is not a black magic cult.

ya Vodoun, na Voodoo si kikundi cha uchawi wa nguvu za kiza

On the contrary, it's a complex metaphysical worldview.

Kinyume chake, ni mtazamo fulani wa ulimwengu nje ya maumbile.

It's interesting.

inashangaza.

If I asked you to name the great religions of the world,

Iwapo nikikutaka utaje dini kuu za dunia,

what would you say?

utasema nini?

Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, whatever.

Ukristu, Uislamu, Ubudha, Ujudea, na kadhalika.

There's always one continent left out,

Huwa kuna bara moja linasahaulika,

the assumption being that sub-Saharan Africa

kwa mtazamo kwamba nchi za Afrika, kusini mwa Sahara

had no religious beliefs. Well, of course, they did

hazikuwa na imani za kidini. Vema, kwa hakika, walikuwa nazo

and Voodoo is simply the distillation

na Voodoo ni mchujo tu

of these very profound religious ideas

wa mawazo haya makuu ya kidini

that came over during the tragic Diaspora of the slavery era.

yaliyokuja wakati wa uhamisho wa kikatili wa kipindi cha utumwa.

But, what makes Voodoo so interesting

Lakini, kinachofanya voodoo kuwa ya kipekee

is that it's this living relationship

ni huu uhusiano wa kuishi

between the living and the dead.

kati ya wazima na wafu.

So, the living give birth to the spirits.

Kwahiyo, wanaoishi wanazaa mizimu.

The spirits can be invoked from beneath the Great Water,

Mizimu inaswaliwa kutoka kwenye Maji Makuu,

responding to the rhythm of the dance

kuitikia mapigo ya muziki

to momentarily displace the soul of the living,

na kusambaratisha roho za wazima kwa muda

so that for that brief shining moment, the acolyte becomes the god.

ili kwa kipindi maalum na kifupi, makuhani wanakuwa mungu.

That's why the Voodooists like to say

Ndiyo maana Mavoodoo wanapenda kusema

that "You white people go to church and speak about God.

kwamba "Nyie watu weupe mnakwenda kanisani na kuongea kuhusu Mungu.

We dance in the temple and become God."

Sisi tunacheza hekaluni na kuwa Mungu."

And because you are possessed, you are taken by the spirit --

Na ni kwa sababu mnaingiliwa, mnachukuliwa na mizimu,

how can you be harmed?

unawezaje kuathirika?

So you see these astonishing demonstrations:

Kwahiyo unaona maonyesho haya ya kushangaza:

Voodoo acolytes in a state of trance

kuhani wa Voodoo akiwa katika hali ya kupandisha mori

handling burning embers with impunity,

akifukiza uvumba bila hofu,

a rather astonishing demonstration of the ability of the mind

ni kitendo cha kushangaza cha uwezo wa akili

to affect the body that bears it

kuathiri mwili unaoibeba

when catalyzed in the state of extreme excitation.

unapozimuliwa na hali ya kupandisha mori.

Now, of all the peoples that I've ever been with,

Na sasa, katika watu wote niliowahi kuishi nao,

the most extraordinary are the Kogi

wa ajabu zaidi ni Wakogi

of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia.

wa Sierra Nevada ya Santa Marta kaskazini mwa Colombia.

Descendants of the ancient Tairona civilization

Wazawa wa ustaarabu wa kikatili wa kale

which once carpeted the Caribbean coastal plain of Colombia,

ambao uliwahi kuenea uwanda wote wa Colombia katika pwani ya Caribbean

in the wake of the conquest,

wakati wa uvamizi,

these people retreated into an isolated volcanic massif

watu hawa walikimbilia kwenye safu ya milima ya kivolkano

that soars above the Caribbean coastal plain.

inayopanda juu ya pwani ya Caribbean

In a bloodstained continent,

Katika bara lililomwaga damu,

these people alone were never conquered by the Spanish.

hawa ni watu pekee ambao hawakushindwa vita na Waspanishi

To this day, they remain ruled by a ritual priesthood

Mpaka leo, bado wanatawaliwa na makuhani wa kafara

but the training for the priesthood is rather extraordinary.

lakini mafunzo yao ya ukuhani ni ya ajabu sana

The young acolytes are taken away from their families

Makuhani vijana wanachukuliwa toka kwenye familia zao

at the age of three and four,

katika umri wa miaka mitatu au minne,

sequestered in a shadowy world of darkness

na kufichwa kwenye ulimwengu wa giza

in stone huts at the base of glaciers for 18 years:

kwenye vibanda vya mawe chini ya malundo ya barafu kwa miaka 18.

two nine-year periods

Vipindi viwili vya miaka tisa

deliberately chosen to mimic the nine months of gestation

imepangwa hivyo makusudi kuigiza miezi tisa ya kukua

they spend in their natural mother's womb;

waliokaa ndani ya tumbo la mama,

now they are metaphorically in the womb of the great mother.

na sasa kilimwengu wapo kwenye tumbo la mama mkuu.

And for this entire time,

Na kwa muda wote huu,

they are inculturated into the values of their society,

wanafundishwa maadili muhimu ya utamaduni wao,

values that maintain the proposition that their prayers

maadili ambayo yanatunza maombi ya sala zao

and their prayers alone maintain the cosmic --

na sala zao pekee ndizo zinatunza maumbile --

or we might say the ecological -- balance.

au twaweza kusema uwiano wa mazingira.

And at the end of this amazing initiation,

Na mwisho wa mafunzo haya ya ajabu,

one day they're suddenly taken out

siku moja wanatolewa nje ghafla

and for the first time in their lives, at the age of 18,

na kwa mara ya kwanza katika maisha yao, wakiwa na umri wa miaka 18

they see a sunrise. And in that crystal moment of awareness

wanaona jua likichomoza. Na katika kipindi hicho cha ufahamu

of first light as the Sun begins to bathe the slopes

wa mwanga wa kwanza wakati Jua linapoangaza milima

of the stunningly beautiful landscape,

yenye mandhari ya kupendeza,

suddenly everything they have learned in the abstract

mara vitu vyote walivyojifunza kwa nadharia

is affirmed in stunning glory. And the priest steps back

vinatimia kwa utukufu mkubwa. Na kuhani anarudi nyuma

and says, "You see? It's really as I've told you.

na kusema "Mnaona? Ni hakika kama nilivyowaambia.

It is that beautiful. It is yours to protect."

Ni nzuri sana. Ni jukumu lenu kuilinda."

They call themselves the "elder brothers"

Wanajiita kaka wakubwa

and they say we, who are the younger brothers,

na wanasema sisi, ambao ni kaka wadogo,

are the ones responsible for destroying the world.

tunaohusika na kuiharibu dunia,

Now, this level of intuition becomes very important.

Na sasa, kiwango cha ufahamu kinakuwa muhimu sana.

Whenever we think of indigenous people and landscape,

Tunapofikiria kuhusu wazawa wa asilia na mandhari ya nchi,

we either invoke Rousseau

tunakuwa aidha tunamfuata Rousseau

and the old canard of the "noble savage,"

na nadharia ya ukatili halali,

which is an idea racist in its simplicity,

ambao una maanisha kwamba ubaguzi wa rangi ni urahisi,

or alternatively, we invoke Thoreau

au badala yake, tumfuate Thoreau

and say these people are closer to the Earth than we are.

na kusema watu hawa wapo karibu zaidi na Dunia kuliko sisi,

Well, indigenous people are neither sentimental

Vema, wazawa asilia hawana unyovu wa moyo

nor weakened by nostalgia.

wala hawasumbuliwi na mawazo ya kukumbuka nyumbani

There's not a lot of room for either

Hakuna fursa kubwa

in the malarial swamps of the Asmat

kwenye mabwawa ya malaria huko Asmat

or in the chilling winds of Tibet, but they have, nevertheless,

au kwenye upepo mkali wa Tibet, lakini wameweza, hata hivyo,

through time and ritual, forged a traditional mystique of the Earth

kwa kupitia ibada fulani, wameweza kutengeneza mtazamo wa Dunia

that is based not on the idea of being self-consciously close to it,

ambao unazingatia kujijua au kuwa karibu na kujijua,

but on a far subtler intuition:

lakini kwa kutumia ufahamu wa juu zaidi:

the idea that the Earth itself can only exist

wazo la kwamba Dunia yenyewe yaweza kuwepo

because it is breathed into being by human consciousness.

kwakuwa imepewa pumzi kwa ufahamu wa binadamu.

Now, what does that mean?

Naam, hiyo ina maana gani?

It means that a young kid from the Andes

Ina maana kwamba mtoto mdogo wa huko Andes

who's raised to believe that that mountain is an Apu spirit

aliyelelewa kuamini kwamba milima ni mizimu ya Apu

that will direct his or her destiny

inayoleta hatima yake

will be a profoundly different human being

atakuwa binadamu tofauti kabisa

and have a different relationship to that resource

na atakuwa na uhusiano tofauti na maliasili hiyo

or that place than a young kid from Montana

au sehemu ile ambako mtoto wa kutoka Montana

raised to believe that a mountain is a pile of rock

amelelewa kuamini kwamba mlima ni mkusanyiko wa mawe

ready to be mined.

yanayosubiri kuchimbuliwa.

Whether it's the abode of a spirit or a pile of ore is irrelevant.

Ama ni makao ya mizimu au malundo ya madini si jambo muhimu.

What's interesting is the metaphor that defines the relationship

Kinachosisimua ni nadharia inayo ainisha uhusiano huo

between the individual and the natural world.

kati ya mtu na ulimwengu asilia

I was raised in the forests of British Columbia

Nilikulia katika misitu ya British Columbia

to believe those forests existed to be cut.

na kuamini kwamba misitu hiyo ipo kwa ajili ya kukatwa,

That made me a different human being

Hiyo imenifanya kuwa mtu tofauti

than my friends amongst the Kwagiulth

sana na rafiki zangu miongoni mwa Kwakiutl

who believe that those forests were the abode of Huxwhukw

ambao wanaamini kwamba misitu ni makao ya Hukuk

and the Crooked Beak of Heaven

na lango la peponi

and the cannibal spirits that dwelled at the north end of the world,

na mizimu mumiani iishiyo miisho ya kaskazini mwa ulimwengu,

spirits they would have to engage during their Hamatsa initiation.

mizimu wanayokumbana nayo wakati wa simiko la Hamatsa

Now, if you begin to look at the idea

Na sasa, ukianza kuzingatia wazo

that these cultures could create different realities,

kwamba tamaduni hizi zinaweza kujenga mitazamo tofauti

you could begin to understand

waweza kuanza kuelewa

some of their extraordinary discoveries. Take this plant here.

baadhi ya uvumbuzi wao wa ajabu. Chukulia mfano mmea huu hapa,

It's a photograph I took in the Northwest Amazon just last April.

Ni picha niliyoipiga Kaskazini mwa Amazoni mwezi Aprili

This is ayahuasca, which many of you have heard about,

Hii ni ayahuasca, wengi wenu mmekwisha sikia habari zake,

the most powerful psychoactive preparation

moja kati ya michanyato mikali kabisa ya kuzingulia

of the shaman's repertoire.

kati ya vifaa vyote vya mashamani

What makes ayahuasca fascinating

kinachoifanya ayahuasca kuwa ya kushangaza zaidi

is not the sheer pharmacological potential of this preparation,

si kiwango cha hali ya juu cha dawa inayotengenezwa

but the elaboration of it. It's made really of two different sources:

bali maudhui yake. Inatengenezwa kutokana na vitu viwili

on the one hand, this woody liana

Kwa upande mmoja ni mti wa liana

which has in it a series of beta-carbolines,

ambao ni jamii ya beta-carbolines

harmine, harmaline, mildly hallucinogenic --

harmine, harmoline, ambayo ni nishai

to take the vine alone

Kuinywa peke yake

is rather to have sort of blue hazy smoke

ni afadhali uvute moshi mzito wa bluu

drift across your consciousness --

unaingia kwenye ufahamu wako

but it's mixed with the leaves of a shrub in the coffee family

ambao umechanganywa na majani ya jamii ya kahawa

called Psychotria viridis.

yaitwayo Psychotria viridis.

This plant had in it some very powerful tryptamines,

Mmea huu una tindikali za tryptamines,

very close to brain serotonin, dimethyltryptamine,

inafanana sana na kisisimuzi cha mfumo wa ufahamu cha dimethyltryptamine-5,

5-methoxydimethyltryptamine.

methoxydimethyltryptamine.

If you've ever seen the Yanomami

Iwapo ungaliwaona Mayonami

blowing that snuff up their noses,

wakiingiza vitu kwenye pua zao,

that substance they make from a different set of species

mchanyato wanaoutengeneza kwa mimea mbalimbali

also contains methoxydimethyltryptamine.

ambayo pia ina methoxydimethyltryptamine.

To have that powder blown up your nose

Kuingiza unga huo kwenye pua yako

is rather like being shot out of a rifle barrel

ni kama vile kuzibuliwa kama risasi toka kwenye bomba la bunduki

lined with baroque paintings and landing on a sea of electricity. (Laughter)

lililosakafiwa kwa michoro ya baroque na ukatua kwenye bahari ya umeme, (Kicheko)

It doesn't create the distortion of reality;

Haifanyi upotoshaji wa hali halisi;

it creates the dissolution of reality.

inayeyusha ufahamu wa hali halisi.

In fact, I used to argue with my professor, Richard Evan Shultes --

Kwa kweli, nilikuwa nabishana na mwalimu wangu Profesa Richard Evan Shultes --

who is a man who sparked the psychedelic era

mtu ambaye alianzisha zama za uchunguzi wa madawa yanayobadili ufahamu

with his discovery of the magic mushrooms

kwa uvumbuzi wake wa uyoga wa ajabu

in Mexico in the 1930s --

nchini Mexico mnamo miaka ya 1930.

I used to argue that you couldn't classify these tryptamines

Nilikuwa nabisha kwamba huwezi kuainisha tryptamines hizi

as hallucinogenic because by the time you're under the effects

kama vilevinishai kwakuwa wakati umezinguliwa nazo

there's no one home anymore to experience a hallucination. (Laughter)

hatokuwepo mtu mwingine akisubiri kushuhudia muweweseko wake. (Kicheko)

But the thing about tryptamines is they cannot be taken orally

Lakini kuhusu tryptamines haziwezi kunywewa

because they're denatured by an enzyme

kwakuwa zimeathiriwa na kimeng'enya

found naturally in the human gut called monoamine oxidase.

vinavyopatikana kiasilia katika utumbo wa binadamu na huitwa monoamine oxidase

They can only be taken orally if taken in conjunction

Vinaweza kunywewa tu iwapo vitachanganywa na

with some other chemical that denatures the MAO.

kemikali nyinginezo zinazoweza kuathiri vimeng'enya vya MAO

Now, the fascinating things

Na sasa, vitu vya kushangaza

are that the beta-carbolines found within that liana

ni hizo beta-carbolines zinazopatikana kwenye liana

are MAO inhibitors of the precise sort necessary

ni vidhibiti vya MAO kwa namna fulani muhimu

to potentiate the tryptamine. So you ask yourself a question.

kuizimua tryptamine. Na hapo unajiuliza swali

How, in a flora of 80,000 species of vascular plants,

Ilikuwaje kwenye mimea mbalimbali zaidi ya 80,000,

do these people find these two morphologically unrelated plants

watu hawa walichagua hii miwili ambayo haifanani maumbile

that when combined in this way,

lakini ambayo ikichanganywa kwa namna hii,

created a kind of biochemical version

inatengeneza mchanganyiko wa kemikali

of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts?

kamilifu ambayo ni zaidi ya jumla ya kila kimojawapo?

Well, we use that great euphemism, "trial and error,"

Vema, tunatumia maneno rahisi, kwamba walikuwa wakijaribu kubahatisha,

which is exposed to be meaningless.

jambo ambalo halina ukweli wowote.

But you ask the Indians, and they say, "The plants talk to us."

Lakini ukiwauliza Wahindi watakwambia, "Mimea inaongea nasi."

Well, what does that mean?

Vema, hiyo ina maana gani?

This tribe, the Cofan, has 17 varieties of ayahuasca,

Kabila hili la Cofan wana aina 17 za ayahuasca,

all of which they distinguish a great distance in the forest,

na wanaweza kuitofautisha kutoka mbali huko msituni,

all of which are referable to our eye as one species.

na zote hizi kwetu sisi zinaonekana kuwa sawa.

And then you ask them how they establish their taxonomy

Halafu unawauliza waliwezaje kuziainisha

and they say, "I thought you knew something about plants.

na wanasema " Nilidhani unajua masuala ya mimea,

I mean, don't you know anything?" And I said, "No."

nina maana, hujui chochote?" Na nikasema "Hapana."

Well, it turns out you take each of the 17 varieties

Naam, inakuwa kwamba unachukua moja ya kila hizo aina 17

in the night of a full moon, and it sings to you in a different key.

usiku wa mbalamwezi na zinakuimbia kwa mlio tofauti

Now, that's not going to get you a Ph.D. at Harvard,

Sasa, hiyo haiwezi kukupatia Ph.D. ya Harvard,

but it's a lot more interesting than counting stamens. (Laughter)

lakini hii inavutia zaidi ya kuhesabu chavua.

Now --

Na sasa,

(Applause) --

(Makofi)

the problem -- the problem is that even those of us

na tatizo -- na tatizo ni kwamba hata sisi

sympathetic with the plight of indigenous people

tunaotetea hatima ya wazawa asilia

view them as quaint and colorful

tunawaona kama wanavutia

but somehow reduced to the margins of history

lakini wamebanwa na mipaka ya historia

as the real world, meaning our world, moves on.

wakati ulimwengu halisi, yaani ulimwengu wetu, unasonga mbele.

Well, the truth is the 20th century, 300 years from now,

Vema, ukweli ni kwamba karne ya 20, miaka 300 kuanzia sasa,

is not going to be remembered for its wars

haitakumbukwa kwa vita vyake

or its technological innovations,

au uvumbuzi wa kiteknolojia

but rather as the era in which we stood by

bali ni zama ambazo tulikaa

and either actively endorsed or passively accepted

na kuunga mkono waziwazi au tu kukubali

the massive destruction of both biological and cultural diversity

uharibifu mkubwa wa urithi mkubwa wa kibaiolojia au kiutamaduni

on the planet. Now, the problem isn't change.

duniani. Kwa sasa, tatizo si mabadiliko.

All cultures through all time

Tamaduni zote wakati wote

have constantly been engaged in a dance

zimejihusisha na mchezo

with new possibilities of life.

wa masuala mapya ya kimaisha.

And the problem is not technology itself.

Na tatizo si teknolojia peke yake.

The Sioux Indians did not stop being Sioux

Wahindi Wekundu Sioux hawajaacha kuwa Sioux

when they gave up the bow and arrow

walipoacha upinde na mshale

any more than an American stopped being an American

kama vile ambavyo Mmarekani kuacha kuwa Mmarekani

when he gave up the horse and buggy.

alipoacha farasi na mkokoteni wake

It's not change or technology

Si mabadiliko ya teknolojia

that threatens the integrity of the ethnosphere. It is power,

yanayotishia uhai wa ethnosifia. Ni ubabe.

the crude face of domination.

Sura katili ya miliki.

Wherever you look around the world,

Na chochote unachokiangalia duniani,

you discover that these are not cultures destined to fade away;

utaona kwamba hizi si tamaduni tu zinazopotea.

these are dynamic living peoples

Hawa ni watu halisi wanaoishi

being driven out of existence by identifiable forces

wakiondolewa uhai kwa nguvu zinazojulikana

that are beyond their capacity to adapt to:

lakini ziko nje ya uwezo wao kuzimudu.

whether it's the egregious deforestation

Iwapo ni uharibifu mbaya wa misitu

in the homeland of the Penan --

kwenye nchi ya Wapenani --

a nomadic people from Southeast Asia, from Sarawak --

watu waishio kwa kuhamahama huko Asia ya Kusinimashariki, kutoka Sarawak --

a people who lived free in the forest until a generation ago,

watu walioshi huru mwituni mpaka kizazi kimoja kilichopita,

and now have all been reduced to servitude and prostitution

na sasa wote wamezuiliwa na kutumikishwa

on the banks of the rivers,

kwenye kingo za mito,

where you can see the river itself is soiled with the silt

ambako utaona mito yenyewe imechafuliwa kwa tope

that seems to be carrying half of Borneo away

yanayoonekana kubeba takriban nusu ya ukubwa wa kisiwa cha Borneo

to the South China Sea,

kwenda Bahari ya China ya Kusini,

where the Japanese freighters hang light in the horizon

ambako meli za Kijapani zinasubiri

ready to fill their holds with raw logs ripped from the forest --

tayari kubeba magogo mabichi yaliyozolewa toka misituni.

or, in the case of the Yanomami,

Au suala la Wayanomami,

it's the disease entities that have come in,

ni ugonjwa ambao umeingia,

in the wake of the discovery of gold.

wakati wa uvumbuzi wa dhahabu.

Or if we go into the mountains of Tibet,

Au tukienda kwenye milima ya Tibet,

where I'm doing a lot of research recently,

ambako ninafanya utafiti mwingi kwa sasa,

you'll see it's a crude face of political domination.

utaona sura ya kutisha ya ubeberu wa kisiasa.

You know, genocide, the physical extinction of a people

Kama ujuavyo, mauaji ya halaiki, kumaliza maisha ya watu

is universally condemned, but ethnocide,

kunalaaniwa ulimwenguni kote, lakini mauaji ya kiutamaduni,

the destruction of people's way of life, is not only not condemned,

uharibifu wa utaratibu wa maisha ya watu, siyo tu kwamba unalaaniwa,

it's universally, in many quarters, celebrated

unashangiliwa -- na makundi mengi

as part of a development strategy.

kuwa kama mkakati wa maendeleo.

And you cannot understand the pain of Tibet

Na huwezi kuelewa uchungu wa Tibet

until you move through it at the ground level.

mpaka usafiri kwa barabara.

I once travelled 6,000 miles from Chengdu in Western China

Niliwahi kusafiri maili 6,000 kutoka Chengdu huko Magharibi mwa China

overland through southeastern Tibet to Lhasa

kwa barabara kupitia kusinimashariki Tibet mpaka Lhasa

with a young colleague, and it was only when I got to Lhasa

nikiwa na mwenzi ambaye ni kijana, na mpaka nilipofika Lhasa

that I understood the face behind the statistics

ndipo nikaelewa ukweli kuhusu takwimu

you hear about:

unazozisikia.

6,000 sacred monuments torn apart to dust and ashes,

majengo matakatifu takriban 6,000 yamebomolewa kuwa vumbi na majivu.

1.2 million people killed by the cadres

watu milioni 1.2 wameuawa na makada

during the Cultural Revolution.

wakati wa Mapinduzi ya Utamaduni

This young man's father had been ascribed to the Panchen Lama.

Baba wa kijana huyu alitawazwa kuwa naibu wa Lama.

That meant he was instantly killed

Kwa sababu hiyo aliuawa mara tu

at the time of the Chinese invasion.

ya uvamizi wa China.

His uncle fled with His Holiness in the Diaspora

Mjomba wake alitoroka pamoja na mhashamu kwenda uhamishoni

that took the people to Nepal.

nchini Nepal

His mother was incarcerated

Mama yake alifungwa kwa sababu tu --

for the crime of being wealthy.

alikuwa tajiri.

He was smuggled into the jail at the age of two

Yeye alipenyezwa kwa siri kuingizwa jela akiwa na umri wa miaka miwili

to hide beneath her skirt tails

kujificha kwenye sketi za mamaake

because she couldn't bear to be without him.

kwakuwa hakuweza kustahimili kuishi bila mwanae.

The sister who had done that brave deed

Dada yake aliyefanya kitendo hicho cha kishujaa

was put into an education camp.

alipelekwa kwenye kambi ya elimu

One day she inadvertently stepped on an armband

Siku moja kwa bahati mbaya alikumbana na kundi la askari

of Mao, and for that transgression,

wa Mao, na kwa kosa hilo,

she was given seven years of hard labor.

akahukumiwa kifungo cha miaka saba na kazi ngumu.

The pain of Tibet can be impossible to bear,

Machungu ya Tibet hayavumiliki,

but the redemptive spirit of the people is something to behold.

lakini ujasiri wa watu hawa ni kitu cha kusisimua.

And in the end, then, it really comes down to a choice:

Na mwisho wake, inakuja mwisho kwenye uchaguzi,

do we want to live in a monochromatic world of monotony

Tunataka kuishi kwenye ulimwengu unaochosha wa utamaduni mmoja

or do we want to embrace a polychromatic world of diversity?

au tunapenda kuwa na mtandao wa tamaduni mbalimbali?

Margaret Mead, the great anthropologist, said, before she died,

Margaret Mead, mtaalam maarufu wa mambo ya kale, kabla ya kifo chake alisema

that her greatest fear was that as we drifted towards

wasiwasi wake mkubwa ni kwamba tunazidi kuelekea kwenye

this blandly amorphous generic world view

hii hali ya mtazamo mmoja wa kilimwengu

not only would we see the entire range of the human imagination

si tu kwamba tutaona uwezo mkubwa wa ufahamu wa binadamu

reduced to a more narrow modality of thought,

ukipunguzwa kuwa mawazo finyu,

but that we would wake from a dream one day

bali tutazinduka siku moja

having forgotten there were even other possibilities.

tukiwa tumesahau kwamba kuna uwezekano tofauti wa mambo.

And it's humbling to remember that our species has, perhaps,

Na ni taadhima kubwa kukumbuka kwamba kizazi chetu kimekuwepo kwa

been around for [150,000] years.

takriban miaka 600,000

The Neolithic Revolution -- which gave us agriculture,

Mapinduzi ya Kilimo -- yaliyoanzisha ukulima,

at which time we succumbed to the cult of the seed;

tulipo salim amri kwenye imani ya mbegu

the poetry of the shaman was displaced

ushairi wa shaman ulisambaratishwa

by the prose of the priesthood;

kwa maandiko ya ukuhani

we created hierarchy specialization surplus --

tukajenga daraja za umiliki ziada --

is only 10,000 years ago.

ni miaka 10,000 iliyopita tu.

The modern industrial world as we know it

Maendeleo ya viwanda kama tuyajuavyo

is barely 300 years old.

yana si zaidi ya miaka 300.

Now, that shallow history doesn't suggest to me

Na sasa, historia hiyo ya juu juu hainishawishi

that we have all the answers for all of the challenges

kwamba tuna majibu ya matatizo yetu yote

that will confront us in the ensuing millennia.

yatakayo tufariji katika hatima ya milenia

When these myriad cultures of the world

Wakati hizi tamaduni mbalimbali ulimwenguni

are asked the meaning of being human,

zikiulizwa maana ya kuwa binadamu,

they respond with 10,000 different voices.

zitakujibu kwa sauti 10,000 tofauti.

And it's within that song that we will all rediscover the possibility

Na kwa kupitia wimbo huo ndipo tutatambua uwezekano

of being what we are: a fully conscious species,

wa kuona kwamba sisi ni viumbe wenye ufahamu,

fully aware of ensuring that all peoples and all gardens

kufahamu fika kuhakikisha watu wote na bustani zote

find a way to flourish. And there are great moments of optimism.

zinapata namna ya kustawi. Na kuna vipindi vya matumaini.

This is a photograph I took at the northern tip of Baffin Island

Hii ni picha niliyoipiga kwenye ncha ya kaskazini mwa kisiwa cha Baffin

when I went narwhal hunting with some Inuit people,

nilipokwenda kuwinda nyangumi wenye pembe nikiwa na Wainuiti,

and this man, Olayuk, told me a marvelous story of his grandfather.

na mtu huyu, Olaya, alinisimulia hadithi ya ajabu kuhusu babu yake.

The Canadian government has not always been kind

Serikali ya Canada haikuwa ikiwatendea haki

to the Inuit people, and during the 1950s,

Wainuiti, katika miaka ya 1950,

to establish our sovereignty, we forced them into settlements.

ili kujenga utaifa, tuliwahamishia kwenye vijiji.

This old man's grandfather refused to go.

Babu yake alikataa kwenda.

The family, fearful for his life, took away all of his weapons,

Nduguze, kwa kuhofia maisha yake, wakampokonya silaha zake zote,

all of his tools.

na vifaa vyake vyote.

Now, you must understand that the Inuit did not fear the cold;

Na sasa, uelewe kwamba Wainuiti hawakuogopa baridi;

they took advantage of it.

walijinufaisha nayo.

The runners of their sleds were originally made of fish

Mikokoteni ya kuteleza kwenye barafu ilitengenezwa kwa samaki

wrapped in caribou hide.

na kufunikwa kwa ngozi ya swala.

So, this man's grandfather was not intimidated by the Arctic night

Kwahiyo babu yake mtu huyu hakutishika na usiku wa huko Aktika

or the blizzard that was blowing.

au upepo mkali ulokuwa ukipuliza

He simply slipped outside, pulled down his sealskin trousers

Alitoka nje, akavua suruali yake

and defecated into his hand. And as the feces began to freeze,

na kunyea mkononi. Na kinyesi kilipoanza kuganda,

he shaped it into the form of a blade.

akafinyanga katika umbile la upanga.

He put a spray of saliva on the edge of the shit knife

Akatemea mate kwenye upande wa makali ya upanga huo wa kinyesi

and as it finally froze solid, he butchered a dog with it.

na baadae inaganda na kuwa ngumu, na aliitumia kumuua mbwa.

He skinned the dog and improvised a harness,

Akamchuna mbwa na kuboresha silaha yake,

took the ribcage of the dog and improvised a sled,

akachukua ubavu wa mbwa na kutengeneza mkokoteni wa kuteleza,

harnessed up an adjacent dog,

akamfunga mbwa wa pili,

and disappeared over the ice floes, shit knife in belt.

na kutokomea kwenye uwanda wa barafu, kisu cha kinyesi kibindoni.

Talk about getting by with nothing. (Laughter)

Halafu unazungumzia kujikwamua bila kitu chochote (Kicheko)

And this, in many ways --

Na hii, kwa namna mbalimbali,

(Applause) --

(Makofi)

is a symbol of the resilience of the Inuit people

hii ni ishara ya ujasiri wa Wainuiti

and of all indigenous people around the world.

na wazawa wote asilia ulimwenguni kote.

The Canadian government in April of 1999

Serikali ya Canada mnamo Aprili 1999

gave back to total control of the Inuit

waliwarudishia mamlaka Wainuiti

an area of land larger than California and Texas put together.

kwenye eneo kubwa kuliko California na Texas yakiunganishwa pamoja.

It's our new homeland. It's called Nunavut.

Ni nchi yetu mpya. Inaitwa Nunavut.

It's an independent territory. They control all mineral resources.

Ni jimbo linalojitegemea. Wanasimamia maliasili zote za madini.

An amazing example of how a nation-state

Ni mfano wa ajabu jinsi ambavyo taifa

can seek restitution with its people.

linafikia -- au kutafuta muafaka na watu wake.

And finally, in the end, I think it's pretty obvious

Na mwisho, hatimaye, naona ni wazi kabisa

at least to all of all us who've traveled

walau wengi wetu tulosafiri

in these remote reaches of the planet,

kwenye sehemu hizi za mbali kwenye dunia,

to realize that they're not remote at all.

tumegundua si mbali tena.

They're homelands of somebody.

Ni makazi ya mtu fulani.

They represent branches of the human imagination

Yanaonyesha matawi ya mawazo ya binadamu

that go back to the dawn of time. And for all of us,

kwamba nenda nyuma kwenye mwanzo wa nyakati. Na kwetu sote,

the dreams of these children, like the dreams of our own children,

ndoto za watoto hawa, kama vile ndoto za watoto wetu wenyewe,

become part of the naked geography of hope.

zimekuwa sehemu ya jiografia ya matumaini.

So, what we're trying to do at the National Geographic, finally,

Kwahiyo, tunachojaribu kufanya National Geographic hatimaye,

is, we believe that politicians will never accomplish anything.

ni, tunaamini kwamba wanasiasa hawafanikishi lolote.

We think that polemics --

Huo ni ukosoaji wa hoja --

(Applause) --

(Makofi)

we think that polemics are not persuasive,

tunadhani kwamba wakosoaji hawana ushawishi,

but we think that storytelling can change the world,

lakini tunaamini kwamba kuhadithia kutaibadili dunia,

and so we are probably the best storytelling institution

na kwahiyo sisi ni miongoni mwa taasisi bora zaidi za masimulizi

in the world. We get 35 million hits on our website every month.

duniani. Tunapata watembezi milioni 35 kwenye tovuti yetu kila mwezi.

156 nations carry our television channel.

Nchi 156 zinarusha matangazo ya televisheni yetu.

Our magazines are read by millions.

Majarida yetu yanasomwa na mamilioni.

And what we're doing is a series of journeys

Na tunachokifanya ni safari nyingi

to the ethnosphere where we're going to take our audience

kwenda kwenye ethnosifia ambako tunawapeleka watazamaji wetu

to places of such cultural wonder

kwenye sehemu ambako kuna maajabu ya kiutamaduni

that they cannot help but come away dazzled

ambayo hawatoweza kuvumilia bali kushangazwa

by what they have seen, and hopefully, therefore,

na wanachokiona, na natumaini, kwahiyo,

embrace gradually, one by one,

kukubali taratibu, mmoja mmoja,

the central revelation of anthropology:

kiini cha uvumbuzi wa elimu ya mambo ya kale:

that this world deserves to exist in a diverse way,

kwamba ulimwengu unastahili kuwepo kwa namna mbalimbali

that we can find a way to live

na kwamba tunaweza kupata namna ya kuishi

in a truly multicultural, pluralistic world

katika ulimwengu wa tamaduni tofauti

where all of the wisdom of all peoples

ambako busara zote za watu

can contribute to our collective well-being.

zitachangia ustawi wetu sote

Thank you very much.

Asante sana.

(Applause)

(Makofi)