Modern nations must value first peoples above earnings

When Hokule‘a first sailed to Tahiti in 1976 using only noninstrument navigation, it became a major catalyst not only for the Hawaiian cultural renaissance, but also for a broader awakening among indigenous peoples throughout Polynesia. Hokule‘a continues this legacy, touching many during its around-the-world voyage.

Hokule‘a is now approaching Brazil after sailing across the Atlantic from South Africa on the longest leg of its 41-year history. We are aware that our destination is home to as many as 40 tribal cultures with whom no contact has ever been made. Brazil is also home to many more native peoples who have become extinct, endangered or displaced as the result of mining and large-scale commercial farming. There remains much to be done to protect and perpetuate these first peoples. Doing so is not only the right thing, it will also help Brazilian society become healthier and more cohesive.

During the around-the-world voyage, we first visited countless friends in the South Pacific who maintain their own vital, traditional Polynesian voyaging communities. Since leaving New Zealand, we have met Aboriginal tribes in Australia, the Melanesians of Thursday Island and Bushmen of the Kalahari. I also had an opportunity to meet with Zulu and Xhosa tribespeople while in South Africa. Each offers ancient wisdom and unique insights for modern challenges.

An estimated 2.5 million indigenous Amerindians were living in what is today Brazil when the Portuguese arrived there in the 16th century. However, now roughly half of the population of 206 million is of mixed ethnicity, including many of whom have ancestors who were among the 4 million people torn from their cultural fabric in Africa and taken to Brazil as slaves. The scars of displacement and slavery are not easily healed and, generations later, have a way of making their imprint on modern society.

Like South Africa, Brazil is among the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) that, before the Great Recession, were a model for rapid economic development. Both countries promised their people that the economic bounty would be used for reconciliation and resolution of wealth disparities. Unfortunately, now the economies of both South Africa and Brazil are suffering because of a drop in demand from China for their natural resources. The currencies of both countries face devaluation, and both countries are battling high inflation and discontent among their electorates.

Brazil, in particular, had anticipated that by now the vast pre-SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) oil and gas fields beneath the ocean off the coast of Rio de Janeiro would have been tapped and that oil prices would be twice what they are today. Additionally, Brazilian politicians are accused of taking large bribes from builders in exchange for contracts to develop these oil fields. Unfortunately, while it is always a challenge to protect the rights of indigenous and disaffected peoples in times of plenty, wealth disparities tend to worsen when the going gets rough.

Its government knows that all eyes will be on Brazil this summer when it hosts the Olympics. Eduardo Paes, mayor of Rio de Janeiro, intends for the games to serve the city and its people and has developed a strategy that will benefit the underserved once the games are over. His intention is that for every dollar spent on the games, $5 will go toward improving the quality of life for Rio’s urban population, including an expansion of public transportation, environmental controls, utilities and waste management, and the creation of a new control center for emergencies. While private money will go directly toward the games, public money will be invested in education and health initiatives such as repairing dilapidated working-class neighborhoods. In fact, a temporary handball stadium built for the games will be converted into four public schools after the Olympics.

The caring spirit behind the plan to ensure that inhabitants of Rio’s urban metropolis enjoy a long-term benefit from the Olympic Games must extend to the rest of the country, including Brazil’s indigenous people and its environment. Indigenous peoples have a great deal of wisdom to offer Brazilian society, including the ability to model a respectful and sustainable relationship to the land and a cohesive cultural fabric, which is sorely needed. To care for the environment, its people and the indigenous culture is the essence of “Malama Honua,” the mission for Hokule‘a’s around-the-world voyage.

Ira Zunin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is medical director of Manakai o Malama Integrated Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global Advisory Services Inc. Submit your questions to info@manakaiomalama.com.