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When cultures collide

At first glance you might be thinking that the title of this particular photo is not accurate. The scene does not initially exude the notion that a tremendous force has forged something new. Instead, it seems as if the Yup'ik culture has passively accepted the truths of a facet of mainstream America.

However, taken again it becomes clear to even the poorest of basketball students, that the Yup'ik people have, in their own special way, made this game their own.

I inquired as to why they had chosen to play a 10 person game with 13 people. To this inquiry I received the reply, "because that's how many wanted to play". 'Tis a simple response which serves as an indication of collectivist thought.

This mode of thinking, though markedly different than our own, has its benefits and these are clear to see. The collectivists look out for one another, include one another, and possess a propensity to share unlike any I have ever seen. But to a person entrenched in individualism, the collectivists have a striking similarity to the far-gone hippies found at any and every performance. These individuals are those who attempt to endear you by calling you brother, speaking of the unified field, and the truth that we are all one, while simultaneously seeking to receive without payment or barter. At first you may be tempted to help this individual; be it from true altruism or the chance to tally up another point on the karma board of life.

However, it is wise to exercise caution in situations such as these. For, when you do choose to lend a helping hand, your new hippie friend will undoubtedly sing your praises to a crowd of like-minded passers-by. Soon after you may find yourself amidst a handful of red-eyed hippies, speaking straight from empty stomachs, while eyeing your munitions like an illegal alien who sets his eyes on gallons of water for the first time after spending days trekking across the Sonoran Desert. Nevertheless, you remain calm while rationally explaining the impossibility of the situation. You declare, "My fair hippies, it is clear to see that you are many and I am few. If I were to give to you all, I would find myself in a most precarious situation". Satisfied with your sound logic you rest assured that reason has prevailed and that an understanding has been attained.

Then you leave for Fairbanks for a couple of days to attend a salmon hatcheries in-service and return to find that all your Nutri-Grain bars have been stolen. You wonder: Were these the acts of the starved? Should I be upset that those more needy than I robbed me to fill their stomachs? Should I be concerned that I have been violated, that the violators roam freely, and that they are now aware of my vulnerabilities? Is the notion of theft a universal one? Do the collectivists understand our notion of private property? Is this blatant disrespect or merely a lack of understanding that results from the collision of world views?