Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Crude, Cash and Culture Change: The Huaorani of Amazonian Ecuador

2010; Columbia University Libraries; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.7916/d8r78fk9

1948-3074

Caitlin Anne Doughty, Flora Lu, Mark Sorensen,

Mining and Resource Management

In the Ecuadorian Amazon, the Huaorani are the indigenous group most recently assimilated into the country’s social, political, and economic order. With vast reserves of oil located under Huaorani land, this Native Amazonian population has quickly become integrated into national and international markets. The focus of this study is on one Huaorani community, Gareno, which is located along an oil road a few hours from the town of Tena, the capital of Napo Province. Community members were interviewed in order to better understand why they lived along the oil road and how they felt it impacted their daily lives. Responses showed that the residents have chosen to live and stay in Gareno specifically because of the health and education opportunities the road provides. The fact that they have chosen these benefits and economic opportunity over a pristine forest refutes the idea of the “noble savage,” which has been ingrained into Western society ever since Europeans first stepped on New World soil in the 15 th century. The image of the noble savage portrays indigenous people living in a so called “wilderness” as romanticized innocents in ecological harmony, isolated from the outside world, and uncorrupted by civilization. This view is inappropriate for groups like the Huaorani because it places them on an ecological pedestal and distorts their true condition. Rather than perpetuating this romanticized Western view of indigenous peoples, studies need to be conducted to better understand their contemporary challenges, responses, and opinions. As the people of Gareno look to further improve their quality of life through development, it is important to consider sustainable methods by which this can be completed as well as how national and international non-governmental organizations can facilitate such progress.