Culture and conservation

Dear Sir, I apologise if I have offended Timeon loane’s sense of the sacred. I meant the phrase “to bury one’s head in the sand”

purely figuratively.

Otherwise, loane grossly distorts my argument. I did not say that killing turtles for food was mindless. I pointed out that people are killing turtles of all ages and eating eggs at a rate that will destroy the

species.

When we do this, humans are not exer

cising the capacity for thinking ahead

which differentiates us from other animals.

Nowhere do I imply that “many I Kiribati qualify as animals”. The destruction of the environment is a worldwide problem and over the centuries Europeans have been guilty of a great deal more mindless destruction.

It was loane himself who brought up the issue of man’s relation to animals in his criticism “of the mentality that puts ani mals, fish ... on a par with people”. My let ter went on to suggest that, traditionally, man did not regard himself as superior and

still clans ‘connect’ with animals. Only the other day over supper with a Wan Smolbag actress, a cicada landed on the table. She believes it is an ancestor and had to call out ancestors’ names until it flew away. I’ve a romantic idea that in pre-industrial soci eties, man often did see himself as equal to animals.

They needed them for food and relished killing and hunting them. In return man respected animals’ intelligence and feared

their strength.

Today, with a larger population, demands for cash and equipped with speedboats, spearguns, dynamite, huge nets, man is not interested in that balance.

I believe in traditional practices too but they operate in a different world today.

Chiefs often tell us that taboos are hard to maintain; youths come back from town, churches divide, people need money.

In his first letter, loane says “islanders know what’s best for them, including the protection of the environment”.

Often true, but can he explain why in every village we visit, many do not know that turtles do no* breed until they are at least 20 and that only two out of every 100 eggs survive?

If passing this knowledge on plays a part, along with traditional taboos, in safe guarding turtle nests and the food source, can loane tell me why this is “culturally imperialistic”?

Of course, if people say they need the cash/food now, it is not our place to dictate what they should do and how dare loane make such an accusation without seeing the group work?

Perhaps he should spend time with us looking at the reactions of audiences and workshop participants before judging us.

As for colonialism, I would argue that today’s colonialists are those who destroy the resources of the region in search of a quick profit and who have no interest in seeing the environmental damage they leave behind.

Lastly, loane implies that I am a fly-by night expatriate. Well, I’ve been here nine years so far and feel accepted here. I don’t see the need to ask loane’s permission to express my views which happen to be the same as many Pacific Islanders’ I work with.

Peter Walker,

Wan Smolbag Theatre, Vanuatu