The Effects of First Contact; Cargo Cults

[Arrowheadology Staff]

Imagine the scene when native peoples of North America first saw ships approaching from the east. Monstrous, floating structures with bellies full of strangely dressed men emerging with highly develo... Go read the full article HERE!

[manoman]

My first impressions are disturbing. Watching a tribe of indeginous natives scanning the skies for something that will never come again, and if it did come, would likely ruin their known ways of existence.

Cargo Cult is a sad name compared to what religions were in existence before first contact. What a huge loss to humanity that we will never know what types of natural or supernatural images made up their pre-contact beliefs, credos, education, lifestyles...just about everything they knew and did was tied into their original, but now lost, life beliefs. It is just another sad indicator of technology moving too fast. The computer and then the internet has done the same thing on a global scale.

I also couldn't help wondering how their health has changed. Staring at the skies probably caused cataracts or macular diseases. Not to mention the mental illnesses that might have developed after these peoples began to realize that their deity's were ignoring them.

[Big Ed]

Nice article, Shannon. I think you were meant to be a journalist in another life.

And an interesting comment from Manoman, who has been doing some serious pondering!

[texas cache]

Wow, this makes me want to be more careful about the impressions that I make on others. This is just one more example of how whatever we do someone is watching and imitating our every move, and that what we do affects more than just ourselves. Our lives impact others!

[kentlangreder]

you hit the nail on the head TC thanks for that quote !!!!!!

kent langreder

[sandkicker]

Originally Posted by texas cache

Wow, this makes me want to be more careful about the impressions that I make on others. This is just one more example of how whatever we do someone is watching and imitating our every move, and that what we do affects more than just ourselves. Our lives impact others!

Well said.

[uniface]

The sets of assumptions and expectations that people have toward the unknown are, probably, worldwide. They attach to different objects and ends, but the patterns are essentially identical.

It's easy for us to see this in the case of the cargo cultists, because we have the benefit of information they didn't have, and were not receptive to when presented with it.

It might be that, with the perspective of additional information, we could see the same patterns operating in our own body of inherited assumptions and beliefs.