What should Society do for “uncivilized cultures” like the Sawi?

The first thing that the “civilized” society should do is to realize that “uncivilized cultures” such as the Sawi are not uncivilized. Technology-wise, modern society is indeed superior to such societies but the status of “civilized” is not wrought through technological breakthroughs bur rather sociological and political ones. The Sawi culture, although it does not have a central government as does most countries, has the equivalence of a municipal government in the form of the manhouse. Though this is not elaborated on in the book as no problems are mentioned that are directly related to the said government, we can construe that the government is at least not the source of all the conflict which is more than can be said of many other governments in the supposed “civilized” nations.

As for what course of action modern society should take, we should first send “diplomats” to these societies along with provisions, gifts, and most importantly, ideas in the written form. One key mistake that many people made in the past when explorers found foreign land was that ideas and philosophies were told, not taught. To tell someone of a way of thinking is the same thing as telling someone of your way of thinking. To teach is to present the same materials that are presented to everyone and let the people of that society interpret the information for themselves. Any society worth its own salt should be open minded towards new ideas. At the same time, we should also dispel some of their beliefs that they have but only if it concerns concrete subjects such as science or medicine. Especially when you are introducing something new to the society such as electricity, it is best to tell them exactly how it works instead of letting them believing in something completely incorrect which leads to complications later. If we do not correct their flawed ideas, they think that their ways are correct because a foreigner at least did not show disapproval. Ideas are the fundamental basis on which society thrives and so a correct set of ideals and philosophy is the first step in the right direction.

The final step is then to take someone from their society and invite them to our society. A word from a foreigner, no matter how revered, is still nothing but an outsider’s perspective. Hearing from one’s own people is far more effective. This will help solidify the relation between this society and the rest of the world; instead of bringing the world to them, we bring them out to the world. Ultimately, it is the duty of modernized societies to help developing societies catch up and connect with the rest of the world.