Preaching to headhunters

There seems to be a bit of sarcasm about the guy (a nutcase? A saint?) who tried to reach some very primitive tribes to preach the gospel.

The tribe was left in forced isolation because of the bad results of those tribal members living on the other islands, where the natives died off from western diseases, alcoholism, assimilation, or intermarriage, and lost their heritage.

But isolation? Doesn't that take away the choices of these people (and are the people chosing this, or are the leaders madmen who enjoy bossing and terrorizing those under them?). One wonders how many would escape if given the choice.

If I am sarcastic it is because this "keep them isolated so they can live in their own culture" was the idea behind Apartheid in South Africa: don't force the black African to become white, let him live in his traditional ways. Of course, what happened is a lot of them chose to change.

when two cultures meet, the problem we missionaries face is to help the culture keep their good traditions while introducing them to the good things of the new culture.

actually that cartoon is out of date: in Today's world, even isolated tribal people in the Amazon or Africa have cellphones. Here is a photo of an Amazon Indian using her cellphone to document the environment:

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Photo:https://metro.co.uk/2013/04/18/gallery-window-on-the-world-18-april-2013-3620726/

the colonial stories of horrific exploitation are many, but the pre colonial history of exploitation by locals to other locals are usually left out of the story.

You think Apartheid was bad? How about Shaka Zulu or Mzilikazi's many atrocities? (I always thought the rarely covered story of Mugabe's genocide against the Ndebeli might have been partly caused because the larger Mashona tribe remembered when they were the victims).

as to "missionaries": The press acts as if they are assholes preaching a foreign gospel, but usually they also bring modern medicine and literacy.

In Rhodesia, with a white apartheid government, we were assisted in our public health work, but on the other hand, we were greatly disliked because we also fought for the human rights of local people against the exploiters... and this is true, be it against the racist regimes in Africa, the drug cartels of Latin America, or those who exploit and steal the landn from the poor here in the Philippines. LINK LINK2

and even the gospel can change culture for the better:

This is from NatGeo about why a tribe in Nagaland became Christian:



and not just primitive headhunters can be pacified and leave their evil ways:

The Economist (UK) has an article about gang members in El Salvador leaving their life of crime and violence by joining Pentecostal (Protestant) Christian churches.