CULTURE FOR SALE: CHIANG MAI AND THE HILL TRIBES
So this post will bypass my usual spiel about all things that matter not. Instead, I'm going to touch on something that really affected me recently.
Chaing Mai, Thailand is a wonderful place and I will write in detail and perhaps more favourably about it soon.
There are things that I noticed that do... upset me, though. Tourism in Chiang Mai is not like tourism in Sydney. Which should be obvious to anyone with half a brain, of course. But there is a very subtle underlying current that is hard to catch for someone who hasn't had the opportunity to be in both places in such a short time. I suppose I see it because I was in Sydney just a week or so back.
It's hard to describe. I suppose the easiest way to do so will be this. Sydney is a masculine destinations. The typical Western destination- it is an unpretentious, take it or leave it sort of place. It says, here is what I have, and you can decide whether you want it or not. But this is me. Salt of the earth, and not a thing more. Whether this is true or not is not for me to decide. But that is at least in a nutshell, the cultural attitude that exists in Sydney.
Then you have Thailand. Nobody in their right mind could ever classify Thailand as a masculine destination. With its high emphasis on personal and intimate service ( and here I mean the Thai massage, not the 'Thai massage), the country of seventeen different smiles, the focus on a simple yet exotic people, the use of women in major promotional campaigns- the cultural projection is so feminine it hurts. Which is not necessarily bad everywhere. But here, its different. The economical difference between the local and the tourist leads to a very significant power difference which changes the whole paradigm. Service becomes servitude. And anyone who denies it, need only come here to see the difference. Quite simply, people here need the money more. One Euro is forty Bhat. Forty Bhat is a lot of money for a cab driver, a masseuse, a tour guide or a restaurant owner.
Let's talk about Hill Tribe Tourism. For the uninformed, tribal tourism of any sort means observing the tribes in their local environment and to learn more about their culture. The tribes are compensated in money and occupation. Its the tourism dream. Everyone wins.
Wrong.
The Lisu people have been part of this hill tribe tourism for quite a while now. They play their part as the quiet, simple nonchalant hill folk and welcome tourists in their midst. Why wouldn't they? The good people bring money to their village. The tour goes further on into the territory of the Padaung- known more famously as the Long Necked People. Out come the cameras.
How very exotic.
And this ladies and gentlemen, is where hill tribe tourism shows its true colours. Call it what you will. It is a zoo, and auction where culture is on sale to the highest bidder. Enter their houses, touch their belongings, take pictures of anything and everything...go ahead, they wont stop you. Enjoy the traditional and authentic tribal experience.
It's exotic.
Inadequate recognition by the government, no major income source and this image of the 'exotic' leaves the tribal people virtually powerless. Is it a surprise then that they are so accommodating to tourists?
Hypothetical situation: If a Lisu mother sees a tourist photographing her six year old, she may or may not like it. I certainly wouldn't. If she had any real say, she could tell him to stop and leave. But she is rendered powerless by the dollar. A dollar would pay for a few meals at the very least. She takes the money 'for her trouble' and watches in silence as the stranger continues to click pictures of her family.
You may ask, is this so bad? Its just a picture.
Yes. But what if it becomes worse? What if, just by some strange play of chance a case emerges like the one in India a few months ago where a Jharava woman was forced to dance for tourists in exchange for food? Who will do anything about it? The government's lackadaisical response is not enough. There's your answer. Nothing can be done. The government will do nothing. They dont care. The people will do nothing. The dollar is too powerful. The hill tribe is at the mercy of the tourist's money.
So what? They get money and after all, money is power. Maybe it will lead to progress for them.
Is that so? What power does a Paduang woman have when she is being stared at and pointed at and photographed for her appearace? What power does she have when the pictures are put on Facebook under the caption of 'exotic'. 'Exotic' becomes a polite way of saying 'freak'. Different. And different is never powerful. Never. Power comes from assimilation and acceptance. Money earned by positioning a people as 'exotic' will never enable them to progress. Because they will continue to be exotic wherever they go. They will be labelled. And so will their children. Children who were never given a chance to assimilate at all.
I sat there and watched children dance for our amusement. Its called a 'cultural performance' in sophisticated circles. Those children should be in school. To foist the burden of cultural promotion on their shoulders is abhorrent. Culture should be a choice, not an obligation. And certainly not the means of livelihood for a ten year old. Still, we sit and let this happen.
Some say that it is both good and bad. I disagree. Tribal tourism is bad. Particularly bad, where the community in question has no power. Its not service, its servitude. Only the masters have changed. Initially, it was other people. Now its money. Colonialism all over again.
What am I suggesting we do? I don't know. Should this be stopped altogether? I can't say, and its not for me to say anyway. But culture for sale is wrong. Its unacceptable. The secrets of the shaman should be for those who seek them, not for tourists looking for a snapshot and a good package.
The exploitation of a people for our entertainment is frankly, the oldest and most abhorrent practice in the world and it needs to stop.
If you still think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, consider the promotional picture below.
It was captioned 'Hill Tribe Kids Love to Have Fun'
Make up your own minds.
Image source: http://www.1stopchiangmai.com/culture/hill_tribes
Chaing Mai, Thailand is a wonderful place and I will write in detail and perhaps more favourably about it soon.
There are things that I noticed that do... upset me, though. Tourism in Chiang Mai is not like tourism in Sydney. Which should be obvious to anyone with half a brain, of course. But there is a very subtle underlying current that is hard to catch for someone who hasn't had the opportunity to be in both places in such a short time. I suppose I see it because I was in Sydney just a week or so back.
It's hard to describe. I suppose the easiest way to do so will be this. Sydney is a masculine destinations. The typical Western destination- it is an unpretentious, take it or leave it sort of place. It says, here is what I have, and you can decide whether you want it or not. But this is me. Salt of the earth, and not a thing more. Whether this is true or not is not for me to decide. But that is at least in a nutshell, the cultural attitude that exists in Sydney.
Then you have Thailand. Nobody in their right mind could ever classify Thailand as a masculine destination. With its high emphasis on personal and intimate service ( and here I mean the Thai massage, not the 'Thai massage), the country of seventeen different smiles, the focus on a simple yet exotic people, the use of women in major promotional campaigns- the cultural projection is so feminine it hurts. Which is not necessarily bad everywhere. But here, its different. The economical difference between the local and the tourist leads to a very significant power difference which changes the whole paradigm. Service becomes servitude. And anyone who denies it, need only come here to see the difference. Quite simply, people here need the money more. One Euro is forty Bhat. Forty Bhat is a lot of money for a cab driver, a masseuse, a tour guide or a restaurant owner.
Let's talk about Hill Tribe Tourism. For the uninformed, tribal tourism of any sort means observing the tribes in their local environment and to learn more about their culture. The tribes are compensated in money and occupation. Its the tourism dream. Everyone wins.
Wrong.
The Lisu people have been part of this hill tribe tourism for quite a while now. They play their part as the quiet, simple nonchalant hill folk and welcome tourists in their midst. Why wouldn't they? The good people bring money to their village. The tour goes further on into the territory of the Padaung- known more famously as the Long Necked People. Out come the cameras.
How very exotic.
And this ladies and gentlemen, is where hill tribe tourism shows its true colours. Call it what you will. It is a zoo, and auction where culture is on sale to the highest bidder. Enter their houses, touch their belongings, take pictures of anything and everything...go ahead, they wont stop you. Enjoy the traditional and authentic tribal experience.
It's exotic.
Inadequate recognition by the government, no major income source and this image of the 'exotic' leaves the tribal people virtually powerless. Is it a surprise then that they are so accommodating to tourists?
Hypothetical situation: If a Lisu mother sees a tourist photographing her six year old, she may or may not like it. I certainly wouldn't. If she had any real say, she could tell him to stop and leave. But she is rendered powerless by the dollar. A dollar would pay for a few meals at the very least. She takes the money 'for her trouble' and watches in silence as the stranger continues to click pictures of her family.
You may ask, is this so bad? Its just a picture.
Yes. But what if it becomes worse? What if, just by some strange play of chance a case emerges like the one in India a few months ago where a Jharava woman was forced to dance for tourists in exchange for food? Who will do anything about it? The government's lackadaisical response is not enough. There's your answer. Nothing can be done. The government will do nothing. They dont care. The people will do nothing. The dollar is too powerful. The hill tribe is at the mercy of the tourist's money.
So what? They get money and after all, money is power. Maybe it will lead to progress for them.
Is that so? What power does a Paduang woman have when she is being stared at and pointed at and photographed for her appearace? What power does she have when the pictures are put on Facebook under the caption of 'exotic'. 'Exotic' becomes a polite way of saying 'freak'. Different. And different is never powerful. Never. Power comes from assimilation and acceptance. Money earned by positioning a people as 'exotic' will never enable them to progress. Because they will continue to be exotic wherever they go. They will be labelled. And so will their children. Children who were never given a chance to assimilate at all.
I sat there and watched children dance for our amusement. Its called a 'cultural performance' in sophisticated circles. Those children should be in school. To foist the burden of cultural promotion on their shoulders is abhorrent. Culture should be a choice, not an obligation. And certainly not the means of livelihood for a ten year old. Still, we sit and let this happen.
Some say that it is both good and bad. I disagree. Tribal tourism is bad. Particularly bad, where the community in question has no power. Its not service, its servitude. Only the masters have changed. Initially, it was other people. Now its money. Colonialism all over again.
What am I suggesting we do? I don't know. Should this be stopped altogether? I can't say, and its not for me to say anyway. But culture for sale is wrong. Its unacceptable. The secrets of the shaman should be for those who seek them, not for tourists looking for a snapshot and a good package.
The exploitation of a people for our entertainment is frankly, the oldest and most abhorrent practice in the world and it needs to stop.
If you still think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, consider the promotional picture below.
It was captioned 'Hill Tribe Kids Love to Have Fun'
Make up your own minds.
Image source: http://www.1stopchiangmai.com/culture/hill_tribes