Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Antoschka - Ekaterina Moshaeva: Keep being yourselves! The precious thing is your nationality. I have never stopped being Russian. I was born in Siberia. It's a very wonderful country with very wonderful people. Of course, I meet in each part of the world wonderful people but I grew up in a clean climate. There were no bacteria or microbes because sometimes the temperature was 60 degrees Celsius below zero. Such circumstances for life are very tough but it's very good because we have "clean", decent people. You alone cannot survive there you needs friends, not wrong friends, who have smiles on their faces and talk about you behind your back or have a knife. No, those people have no chance there because if the whole community, all people see you are wrong they drive you away or influence you. Such circumstances create and form you and you cannot be bad. You must be good and you must become better because without being good you cannot live there because people cannot live alone. And it is in our power to create and form people. Of course, in different periods of life people can make mistakes. I am a clown and clowns are not afraid of making mistakes. We make mistakes but we try to profit from our mistakes. We make a lot of mistakes in our life. And now it's a time to change. Your individuality is very valuable and you have to keep it.

by Antoschka - Ekaterina Moshaeva

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Abbas Beydoun: If we look at the reality, we will find out that it is true. We are at the beginning of the twenty-first century and the term "indigenous" is still there. Anyway we can not dream of life without differences between the people, because such dreams led to passive outcomes.

by Abbas Beydoun

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Alvaro Restrepo: Of course we can still be indigenous in the twenty-first century. I believe that the origin and the consciousness of our origin is something very important. A little while ago we were talking about crossbreeding and how we all derive from different races although we know our origins and where we come from; but I think that nowadays the question concerning our provenience is watched by an enormous membership. For example today we have on the cover of the “Herald Tribune” the French Minister of the Interior raising a question. Maybe he should also attend this desk. This is something that troubles me on these kind of events. In general we attend them in order to debate, well actually on this desk we are not debating but simply reflecting about different topics in a monologue, surrounded by persons who possibly have the same views and we will never get the chance to really rub shoulders with people who have different views. These questions – Sarcozy´s question – (perfect) – September 9 - Herald Tribune – Who is European? What is the identity of a European? I think that this is a question that obviously deals with the European identity. In my opinion this continent is just as mixed as other continents.

by Alvaro Restrepo

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Ana Lucy Bengochea: Being a native person I would say yes, because on a global level capacities of the communities of natives are already being accepted, e.g. their way of preserving the environment, how they use medical plants that make changes. We believe that in the 21st century there are still native people and that the ancestors will help not to loose the native culture.

by Ana Lucy Bengochea

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Andries Botha: Well, Anonymous, I don’t know how to answer that; I suspect not. Well I certainly can’t. I can be different, but you know I’m a product of so many diverse inputs, least of all - you know I can’t be, I personally couldn’t and I can’t imagine – I believe people who – who can be unique, but indigenous I’m not too sure. And the next begging question is, is it possible in a sort of multi-layered input, where your sort of authentic or romantic idea of your indigenous culture, remains isolated from the global influence, well, I doubt that very much. I really do doubt that. So, the answer is no. Just on reflection, maybe you know we need to redefine this idea of indigeneity, indigenousness. We need to be able to transform that in some sort of way, and say that, there is a unique kind of character attached to a new emerging set of identities, and maybe that indigenousness in itself is a transforming thing. There’s a uniqueness, a difference between continents, between countries, and perhaps we’re watching culture in a rapid form of disintegration and reintegration.

by Andries Botha

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Angaangaq Lyberth: Answertext will be available soon.

by Angaangaq Lyberth

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Anthony Arnove: I think I will say that I don’t actually understand this question. And so, I would defer the answer to people from indigenous communities, which certainly still exist in the twenty-first century and are still suffering so much oppression and injustice in the twenty-first century.

by Anthony Arnove

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Anuradha Koirala: In the twenty-first century, [inaudible]

by Anuradha Koirala

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Anuradha Mittal:

by Anuradha Mittal

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Ashok Gangadean: I think, yes, we must become indigenous. In fact, if indigenous means being local and originating locally in some profound sense. The global spirituality has taught us that we have not yet arrived here and now. That as we awaken in our consciousness, the here and now opens up more profoundly. And if you can awaken to sacred earth. To where we are, we can now begin to really occupy and reside and truly become here and now. And in that respect, all the citizens of the earth are indigenous people. They are earthlings, earth people. And if we can awaken to sacred earth and our deep connection with earth, we will then become indigenous for the first time in this global way. So I think this question is hitting an important point. Can we be indigenous in the 21st century? And I would twist it and say, must we not become indigenous? All of us as earth people, in the 21st century and finally find our common roots and common origins together as human beings as one human family sharing this earth. We are all indigenous. And that’s what we need to discover again in expanding our consciousness to indigenous primal consciousness.

by Ashok Gangadean

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Avi Primor: Hm - indigenous people - I do not know what they mean by "indigenous", but I think we need a globalisation. We cannot live without globalisation any more, for sure we are not able to develop ouselves without globalisation, but we have to hold up our identity, our culture and our traditions. These different cultures are fuel for us. They activate our intellectual interests, we need phantasies and therefore we need cultures, diverse cultures. We can do so, but it will not hold up itself. We have to strive to develop and hold up our cultures and languages, to enquire and create more of them, in spite of globalisation, just because of the globalisation and to make globalisation successful.

by Avi Primor

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Benjamin Fahrer: How can we be indigenous in the twenty-first century? Well, by reconnecting with nature and our roots. To honor that inner genetic code we have a connection. We have indigenous connection, the indigeneity that is within our blood. We can conjure up. How do we conjure that up? By connection, connection with those cultures that are indigenous, connection with the ways and the practices. Not in a domineering way, not in a colonizing type of way, like “I need to come and check out your culture because I need to indigenize myself and get what I can take from you to bring into my life”. That’s always, it’s often like what can I still take from you? But no, in a honoring a way to integrate into those cultures. We can still be indigenous, we’re indigenous to this planet. We are indigenous to this planet, and we only have one planet, right? There some that think we’re not, but everything that resonates well within my heart says that we’re indigenous here. And even though my skin is white and I was not born into a culture, I’m able to create a culture, a permanent culture that has the flexibility withstand the changing times.

by Benjamin Fahrer

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Benson Venegas: I think the answer is yes. But for this to be truth, we need to have a connection to nature. We need to have, or develop a strong identity in order that our values, our local, traditional values, can be also be important as the outside, the [all] global values that comes with economic globalization. So I think yes, we can still be indigenous. And I think another important reason for this is that sometime you feel that the way we're doing politics, the way national governments or other processes are dealing with our problems, you see - or you have the feeling that there's no solutions. And I think that's taken a lot of people to re-look back, to what used to be our old traditions, the way our grandfathers used to see the world, and we're getting to the point that maybe we have to turn back a little bit to find the answers to some of the questions we have today. We have to bring the local identity as a key important part to find the answers for the future.

by Benson Venegas

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Bianca Jagger: Answertext will be available soon.

by Bianca Jagger

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Bill Joy: I think people everywhere are beginning to share more things. There aren’t many hunter gatherers left in the world, if any. Local cultures isolated from the world are not going to be very competitive. You don’t want to isolate yourself from the best health-care. You don’t want to isolate yourself from the best education. You don’t want to isolate yourself from the truth about what’s going on in the world. But I think a movement towards localization can also give people the opportunity to retain their culture, import what they need and continue with their local traditions if they choose to do so. Difficult trend here is that most people are moving to cities and there’s lots of opportunities that are available really only vicariously in the countryside. And so indigenous cultures which exist in a scale that’s smaller than a modern city will have trouble I think providing the vitality for their people that a culture that exists in a city can provide. So I think the answer is a qualified yes, but definitely indigenous culture will survive in a more limited form I think in the 21st century.

by Bill Joy

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Bora Cosic: How much is human being an indigenous phenomena on this world in which he/ she plays the role of intruder? Everything that is indigenous on the planet earth, that is animals, plants, and stones, is on the edge of disappearance. I don’t know how the future citizens of this planet will save it’s authentic.

by Bora Cosic

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Brian J. Weller: Absolutely – absolutely, but it does mean, of course, that we have to return to a sense of place and keep our sense of place alive. Strangely enough, the global trends, often we express that in terms of globalization; you know big international travel, the use of fossil fuels to power international transport of goods around the world. All of that’s becoming more and more expensive and less and less tenable as we use up more of the world’s resources. So in a way, history may be showing us in the next maybe not too distant future, the next few years, that returning to a sense of place is actually not just a cultural necessity, but an economic necessity. In many ways, I think we’re going to be happier for it.

by Brian J. Weller

Sep 9, 2006 4:05:00 PM cite

Catherine David: I think that it is not a .... question. The answer is not “yes” or “no”. It is neither “there is...to do”, “we have to ...”, all this. I believe that the 21st century will tell us if a certain number of subjects, those who are still living, still consider themselves as indigenous. Somehow, I would tend to say…That is really not… The only question is how to guarantee, that no compelling measures are taken against communitarian minorities and against their desires to live together, to have a common history and a common project. I think the only further question is who is an indigenous, why and how one can stay an indigenous. Anything further is not arranged by law.

by Catherine David