What Should We Do When We're Confronted With Other Cultures?

Culture is a unique characteristic that a particular people has. Many are sensitive when it comes to cultural differences, because they tend to be proud of their own culture, even though it is not necessarily right.

For this reason, dealing with cultural differences is sometimes difficult. However, there are several ways to minimize the conflicts and to lead to harmonious intermingling of cultures. First, before trying to judge its morality or propriety, we should "put outselves in their shoes." Every culture has its origin and purpose, and it requires some efforts to understand it. By looking at the culture in view of others, we can find out what virtues their culture has that ours do not.

Also, we should not assume that our culture is always right. The Sawi, for instance, once believed in things that do not really make sense to us. Before they were taught about Christianity and how Christians lived, their faith in superstitions, like natural spirits or existence of souls, was so strong that, to them, their belief was absolute. We, too, cannot be sure whether what we believe and practice is always right, because culture has its own meaning and purpose to the people who live in that culture. To force other cultures to take what we believe without considering their views can aggrevate them, whether or not they express being offended.

Understanding is the key. It is natural that there are cultures different from ours. When we do get to face with the differences, we have to treat them just like the way we want to be treated by others.

What should society do for uncivilized cultures like the Sawi?

First of all, Sawi people is one of many tribes that we call "uncivilized cultures."; there are so many other tribes that are have not developed that just a group of people cannot visit every single tribe to help them with civilization. That is why we need societies to find ways to help uncivilized people like the Sawi.

There are many ways that societies can help those people, like sending missionaries or physicians to first make their lives more comfortable. Uncivilized people usually believe in superstitions rather than treatment, and what they need immediately is proper foods, clothes and home for people. They tend to move from place to place, without definite source of foods or comfortable clothes. This kind of assistance, although it should not be forced on them, can help them live better lives. After providing them with the basest necessities, we also can "enlighten" them. Missionaries can go to these tribes and teach them not only about their religions, but basic things, too, such as why it is better to eat cooked foods instead of human brains, or how they can build firm houses with wood. Societies, however, should not dismiss uncivilized cultures as wrong. They might think that their cultures are better and refuse to accept our norms. We have no right to invade their cultures, then; what we should do is to introduce them what kind of cultures we have.

How Different Is Your Modern Culture From The Sawi Tenants?

Even though it seems that many countries, or societies, have almost the same phase of developments today, there are still many countries far behind in terms of civilization. A wide gap is between modern culture and "uncivilized" culture, as the growth of a society we live in - whether it is of economy or technology - is becoming increasingly rapid. Sawi people, who believes in cannibalism, treachery and spirits in nature, is one of the examples of people that has significant difference us. Don Richardson describes his own experience in Peace Child, where he narrates his adventures in a primitive, barbarian village. He struggles with extreme cultural differences including languages, traditions and especially beliefs. While Christianity is what most modern, civilized people believe in, Sawi people, instead of worshipping God, praise treachery and consider it as an "elixir of the Sawi legend." I found it very unique and interesting at the same time, because the difference between our society and their society is so huge that there seems to be nothing in common except that we are all human. While in one part of the world we worship God and try to live according to what He said, Sawi people have their own culture as complex as our culture is. Waness, for example, portrays how systematized the Sawi people are about some traditions. The idea that someone asks for a favor by risking humiliation and that there is certain thing that one must exactly do for this procedure called waness is pretty unique; I doubt if there is any other people who has any rituals that are similar to that.

Another noticeable difference is the practice of treachery. To me, it seemed contradictory for people in the same community to praise treachery, because deception leads directly to distrust among the people. If one does not even believe his relatives, how can he be sure that his own family is not trying to plot treachery? It is probably scary to live in Sawi culture, where everyone is a potential enemy. Sawi culture is different from our culture not only in that it is uncivilized, but that it also takes much more risks to live in.

A representative passage from this novel that holds particular significence to me.

Don Richardson writes on page 186:

"For moons without umber your ancestors gave their children to establish peace - not knowing Mayo Kodon (God) has already provided one perfect Peace Child for all men - His own Son! And because your children were not strong, peace could never last. The children died, and you lapsed back into war again. That is the reason Mayo Kodon sent me - to tell you about the Peace Child who is strong - the once-for-all Tarop (peace child), Yesus! From now on, let Sawi mothers keep their own babies close to their breasts - God has given His Son for you! Lay your hands upon Him in faith and His Spirit will dwell in your hearts to keep you in the way of peace!"

I paused to renew my dependence upon the Holy Spirit before exclaiming, "If your tarop children, who were weak, could bring you peace, think how much greater will be the peace God's perfect Tarop will bring!" When the Sawi people exchanged their child as a representation of peace, I was shocked by the similarities made by Don Richardson between Jesus Christ and the peace child. How do the Sawi people, whom we consider primitive and barbarian, have such a complex and efficient procedure of making a peace agreement? And how come is the concept of peace child so similar to the meaning of Jesus Christ on this world?
In my opinion, "peace child" was not an idea of an individual who coincidentally came up with giving up a child to attain peace. All the Sawi people probably had debated on how they would maintain peace in a world where treachery is prevalent and had finally come up with trading their child, which is more valuable to them than any other wealth, as the subject of compromise.
What surprised me the most, however, was the connections between peace child and Jesus Christ. As Don Richardson says, they both epitomize peace and are meant to be sacred to us. In Sawi tribe, if one of peace children dies while the peace agreement is valid, the two tribes go war again, and the other peace child might be dead already. In other words, man-made pace child is not perfect, but can be another creation of conflicts. In this view, the difference between Jesus and peace child is that: Jesus is perfect. We now live because of Jesus, who sacrificed himself for the sins of His own people. In this view, I found that this passage reminds us of Jesus, the ultimate peace child.

Peace child

Peace Child
by Don Richardson