Your Grandfather says "Be Afraid"

 It's fear of the unknown or misunderstood that makes us hostile.

What if other cultures, including uncontacted tribes, wanted to integrate with others? Why don't they? According to Kim Hill, that is exactly what they want. Hill states that when tribes come out of isolation, it is common that they state that they wanted to make contact earlier, but were afraid to do so (1). Hill goes on to state "There is no such thing as a group that remains in isolation because they think it's cool to not have contact with anyone else on the planet.".

So it this fear warranted? In most cases these tribes are afraid of their more advanced neighbours due to past atrocities committed against them. This information is passed down and so too is fear. In addition to that, every time a modern society comes into contact with an uncontacted tribe, sickness and death spreads among the tribe via viruses and bacteria (2). When these tribes finally do make lasting and meaningful contact with the outside world, it's at the cost of their culture. Modern society and its comforts will swallow a long history of culture passed down within these tribes.

So if we avoid interacting with these tribes in order to protect their health and culture, what would a more advanced society do for us? Could contact with more advanced society without the proper safeguards result in sickness, cultural loss, or even advancement at a rate that we are not prepared for?

This week's research provided some interesting insight on communications between uncontacted tribes and modern society. There is still plenty to research going forward including comparison of animal societal evolution against humans', cultural identification theory and communication accommodation theory, as well as researching scientific experts and their theories about communication with a more advanced society.

Some progress was made on the visual part of the final Genius Hour project. I have included a concept sketch below that might make more sense at the point of the final submission.

Dewar, J. © 2023