The Chief of the Suri tribe, located in Brazil, has taken a fascinating tack on how to preserve his people’s way of life. He’s using Google Earth.
The Suri only made first contact with outsiders in 1969, and have struggled mightily since through violence, disease, and illegal encroachments on their land. In response, Chief Almir decided that outreach was his people’s best hope and he became an environmentalist and activist within the modern state of Brazil. When he saw Google Earth in action, he knew that he had found a tool to help his people fight illegal logging. Chief Almir contacted google, who provided equipment and training, and now the Suri document illegal encroachments with geotagged images which they upload to Google Earth for all to see. In addition to this, Chief Almir is using technology to record the stories of his people’s elders so they won’t be lost to the younger generations.
In all respects, Chief Almir is an admirable figure. He realized that contact with the outside world had already changed his people, and decided to use technology to preserve something of his people’s way of life. He is a man who took up tools in the service of his people. He seems to have been aware that doing would further change who they were, and yet accepted that as a better than the alternative of trying to stay isolated. The change was interesting. For a people who only made contact with the wider world in 1969, chief Almir has a global understanding – realizing that his efforts at reforestation will benefit not only his people, but also the entire world. This is an example the type of reflection I’d like the Church to use when taking up technological tools for ministry.