h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The destruction of cultures is one of them. Visiting Canada was fantastic but sad because wherever I went I was reminded of how the First Nations have lost so much.

When I roleplay my current Maelstrom character I spend just a weekend trying to prevent the destruction of native peoples and their ways of life, and just doing it for three days is sad enough; were it my way of life I would have given up by now. No wonder alcoholism is so high among these affected peoples.

From a BBC article I read today, this extract reminded me of how sad it makes me and how it's already too late. We've lost the knowledge and we can't just re-discover it. It's gone.


"I ask Ms Nyamihanda whether she feels proud of her origins.

"I am proud of my education, but I am not proud to be Batwa because they have lost their culture - the culture has gone," she says.

The low-impact use of forest resources meant the Batwa way of life was sustainable over thousands of years.

In today's world of climate change, there is perhaps some wisdom to be drawn from these ancient tribes.

But the rich heritage of her forefathers has almost vanished - and it seems Ms Nyamihanda and her generation would now be as lost in the forest as anyone else."

--from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11601101