Ethics By Way Of A Conclusion

Is it possible to understand the difference between our feelings of a culture and how those imbedded in a culture see themselves? Attempts at bridging the cultural gaps between intellectual and political groups, economists and the masses, is challenged by the distrust of power and cultural differences. By positioning oneself within a culture, can we wipe away preconceived notions by replacing false historical viewpoints with opinions based purely on research?

Understanding cultural diversity through ethical means would require that we leave politics and economic gain out of the equation. Our own culture and sense of who we are in society affects how we view others outside our community. Those that characterize themselves by their wealth and social status will likely, not be able to understand those whose culture is based on religious beliefs and customs rather than economics. The same is true if the situation were reversed.

Taking a look back in history may indicate to the majority that politics and economic growth were dependent upon pushing ethics to the back burner. Racism was born out of the need for the acquisition of power and property: politics aka power and property aka economics.

But racism would not exist if ethics was more desirable than power and economics. It was necessary to shape ourselves to fit into certain classes of people as well as differentiate between who is human and who is less than human and even those humans who were considered closer to the animal kingdom than others. This same categorization is how some could rationalize racism in that it gave them permission to move other humans into slavery and also gave them authority over the well-being and safety of their slaves.

Diverse cultural communities will always exist within or outside the confines of politics and economics because history has shown us that the need for challenge, competition and dominance is human nature whether it be between or within cultures, politicians, countries or gender. The real challenge is to bring ethics to the top of all that is desired with greed viewed as the most horrible of all diseases.

The Sault Tribe is a mixture of cultural diversity, politics, economics, hierarchy and status. Racism is also present within members of our tribe by those who differentiate between who appears to be or acts, more Indian. But those who refer to themselves as more Indian than others are in contradition to the beliefs of their own culture. The tradition of smudging which is to cleanse an area or person of evil is performed at the Sault Tribe meetings. Immediately after, the fighting, lying and cheating begins including by those very people who refer to themselves as traditional. The teachings of the 7 Grandfathers are not honored by the leaders of our tribal community. Instead, they have taken on the characteristics of the Europeans who tried to extinquish our people. They may not maim, torture or kill but they have claimed all of the assets of their very own people for themselves.

Traditionally, what would our people have done to those who lied,cheated and stole from their very own people? We would have banished them.

Lynne Weaver
copyright April, 2009