Strengths

The basic concept of globalization stems from centuries of modern advancement,

significant discoveries and expedition, technological utilizations, socio-political
innovations, interconnectedness of businesses and trade, and among many others.
National Geographic (n.d.) defined it as, “how trade and technology have made the
world into a more connected and interdependent place.” Its vast scope renders
academic scholars to study its distinctive impact to different sectors of the society such
as to modern day citizens, students, indigenous people from varying tribes, politicians,
and a lot more. Its attached notion towards free market policies, economic liberation,
global linkage, and global integration have established globalization as a reality in the
present – posing many strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, as well as threats to
varying sectors of society, and to indigenous communities particularly the Yanomami
tribe.

Globalization boasts many strengths to the socio-economic, political, cultural,

and ecological domain of the world according to You Matter Organization (2020). In
economy, the presence of globalization has steered countries in establishing financial
markets and monetary exchanges across the globe. Businesses became highly
competitive as they get involved in financial partnerships, international relations,
deregulation, and more (Pologeorgis, 2022). Different countries, like Japan – further
establishes stability in their economic domain by linking with other countries through
trade. In addition, according to a study conducted by Samimi, P., & Jenatabadi, H. S.
(2014), economic globalization has positive impacts to economic growth, especially in
countries where financial systems are well-developed. An example of this is the
economic partnership agreement between Philippines and Japan, a free trade
agreement since 2008 geared towards the trade of goods and services, investments,
and suchlike – which contributed to economic growth.

In politics, the presence of international organizations has been the result of

globalization as it influenced countries to unite with a common goal in facing problems
and uncertainties. There are also non-government organizations which cater to societal
problems as well as in addressing issues within. Moreover, these political organizations
promote the well-being and general welfare of the people. International organizations
like the United Nations caters to peace, unity, inclusivity, and strong relationship of its
member nations. It fights for equality, in solving the crisis of poverty through plans and
programs, in answering the plight of the people for sustainable education through the
use of technological modalities, in implementing sustainable development goals that
shall be rendered by 2030, and among many others. Globalization brought these
countries together in embodying unitary partnerships, in establishing law and order
through international security, and in attaining socio-economic and cultural growth (IE
University, 2020).
 Figure 1. Davi Kopenawa, Yanomami Communicating with a Device

The figure above showcases of what the globalization has brought upon to
indigenous people. In the frame above, Davi Kopenawa, a Yanomami belonging to the
Yanomami tribe is seen communicating with his brother-in-law through a device which
may seem similar to a telephone. Without technology, he would not be able to
communicate with others that gold prospectors are now raiding their rivers yet again.

In culture and ecology, globalization brought about important protection to

indigenous people through education, technology, and ecology-driven projects. People
now are more knowledgeable on the roles of indigenous tribes as they protect the
nature, embrace their cultural traditions, and guide civilization throughout many
centuries. Despite diversity of the human race, globalization brought about many
important things to indigenous tribes. The use of technology allowed them to recognize
other indigenous tribes and modern society as well as communicate with others from
farthest of distances. Education and information now teach the people the role of these
tribes so that people acknowledge them, recognize them as members of society, and
ensure their human rights. Furthermore, ecology-driven projects led by socio and
political organizations inevitably promote the welfare and protect indigenous people
because nature, their home – is being uphold, nurtured, and embraced through a
common goal (McCartin, n.d.). But despite all of these strengths, advantages remain yet
so little as indigenous people are faced with conflicts, human rights violations, and
threats to their existence and home (Rigatti, 2013).

Weaknesses

The Last Forest is an in-depth documentary featuring the history of the Amazon
rainforest emphasizing the Yanomami tribes' way of life in the wild and their subsequent
effort to preserve it – exposing from their perspective the experience of illegal activities
committed by white people on their native land. The rights to ancestral domains,
empowerment, social justice and human rights, and cultural integrity of the subjugated
indigenous people were infringed – posing further concerns for forest dwellers and their
valued environment.
 Figure 2. The Last Forest – Amazon Rainforest

According to WWF (n.d.), the Amazon Rainforest homes to biodiversity and

complex system of natural phenomena. It is labeled as the “Last Forest” because it is
the largest rainforest responsible for contributing a fraction of world’s oxygen and the
filtration of harmful abundance of carbon dioxide. It is endangered; hence, the last forest
must be protected if humanity wants to go further.

Upon watching the movie, globalization was one of the central themes to be
noted and roots of the problems faced by the Yanomami tribe. The significant problems
faced by them are the threats to their existence, their natural environment, and are
identified as weaknesses of globalization – these are (1) the gold prospectors illegally
mining the ores and drying the rivers, (2) poisoning the waters with chemicals which are
harmful for food and animals, and (3) the widespread of diseases among them such as
tuberculosis, COVID-19, and other smoke diseases.

Globalization is a seemingly inevitable result of evolution as it steers society

through a double-edged sword – benefitting the far east yet negating the far west. Janet
Viader (2020) explained that one cannot deny the fact that globalization has had its fair
share of negative impacts to vulnerable indigenous communities. This has been an
important discussion for a lot of academic scholars, scientists, environmentalists, and
modernists. With the aim of advancing economic growth through trade, businesses,
agriculture, and suchlike, the forests and its breathtaking natural features has long been
exploited in ways of illegal practices – particularly illegal prospecting or illegal mining.
This is very evident in the documentary showcasing the historical accounts of the
Yanomami tribe’s environment.

The harmonious land of Yanomami tribe was slowly destroyed by the

prospectors hoping to find gold in the Amazon rainforest. Their eagerness of becoming
rich through mining illegally, finding oil, and the like have caused great damage to the
habitat of indigenous people, the forest, animals, and natural resources that should be
protected and nurtured. In addition, aside from the forest being damaged and rivers
being polluted with chemicals, the white people are also exploiting the cultural domain
of the tribe through the baskets that the Yanomami women make.
 Taylor Rigatti (2013) analyzed that through illegal steps of attaining natural
resources, the homes as well as the way of living of the indigenous people are being
destroyed. These are serious impacts of globalization as deforestation, massive gold
prospecting, and pollution have been contaminating and harming the future of not only
the ecological world, but also 5% of the population of the world – indigenous people.
These are evident in the documentary with the loss of trees, as well as the menace of
pollution to the waters, whose illegal prospecting resulted in toxic mercury exposure.
This became a burden to their livelihood of hunting, spearfishing, and cultivating their
arable land since rivers are considered their primary water source.

With the growing economic partnership of different countries across the globe, it
is worth noting that with economic advancements comes cultural and ecological
damages which are the situations mentioned above. These are the weaknesses with
which institutions, international organizations, and ecological groups have been fighting
throughout the years. Furthermore, this is certainly what the Yanomami tribe is fighting
for – protection, cultivation, nourishment, and empowerment of their land – the Amazon
rainforest.

Opportunities

As the world accelerates into rapid modernity, it is impossible to deny that there
are still uncontacted tribes left behind in the real world. The Yanomami indigenous
people demonstrated the significance of living a simple and peaceful lifestyle. However,
when we embrace globalization which according to David Mcdonald (2017) is a
seamless integration of countries in the global market, we recognize that life is not all
about simplicity, but rather about having access to the equal and even rights that each
individual in the world deserves.

The Yanomami tribe faced numerous challenges from the underlying tenets of
globalization. They reject the notion that the development of a global consumerism
culture will be advantageous for humanity. Yanomami people are aware that consumer
societies advance and prosper at the expense of other people and the environment
because of their own tragic experience over the years. Some people view globalization
and indigenous opposite but in fact, Globalization means no one is left behind.
Globalization does not just revolve around technology, but modernity which gives
access to information for everyone – equal rights and opportunities to everyone.

In addition, for Indigenous peoples, like it does for all of us, globalization offers
both opportunities and problems. Author Mike Strauss (2022) explained that there are
positive and negative notions of globalization. On one, it brings about global cultural
universality that is promoting indigenous and customs. On the second, it poses dangers
to powerless nations and minority groups. On a side note, global marketing of goods
and global marketing of ideas are thus two potentially conflicting forces being produced
by globalization. Indigenous peoples have long valued ideas and stories highly; they
have used them as their main form of capital. They can increase production of
handicrafts and artworks to gain more profit. 

Moreover, they cannot risk additional major environmental and health

implications, such as those previously created by illegal outsiders who only bring
violence, illness, and poisons. We cannot persuade individuals to engage in modern
activities that are outside of their comfort zone. That is also why they are wary of
trusting white people. According to the Yanomami tribe, Amazon ecotourism could be
the greatest economic alternative to massive illegal gold mining. This will increase
contact between other cultures and allow exchange of ideas, information, and
resources. This point of view may also present them with an opportunity to gain global
recognition, increasing the likelihood that wealthy individuals and other organizations
will support and improve their lives. 

Furthermore, tourism can also advance globalization and this type of opportunity,
which the government may provide, will aid in the preservation of their culture as well as
the ancestral land that they have inherited. Davi said that white people are greedy,
however natives and non-natives can properly communicate for mutual gain.  It is the
privileges we believe we are entitled to that are dividing us, not globalization. We are
not immune to guilt because we choose to ignore it or disregard its effects. The only
thing we can do to empower them is to fight for their rights and provide them with the
benefits that every individual deserves. Everyone can acquire equal access to tools and
knowledge that will be beneficial to improve everyone’s way of life.

Threats

There are a lot of significant issues and problems that is needed to be addressed in the
documentary, “The Last Forest”. As mentioned earlier, the Amazon rainforest is
probably the most important rainforest in the world as it homes to biodiversity – different
species of animals, variety of insects, plants, trees, waters, rivers, breathtaking nature,
resources, and among many others. It is also noted that the Amazon rainforest is
considered the last major forest that combats global warming and is responsible for
contributing a fraction of the world’s oxygen (WWF, n.d.). Because of this, various
ecological organizations across the globe have worked and are working hard throughout
many centuries in the education, preservation, cultivation, and nourishment of the last
forest.

Globalization poses many threats to the ecological and cultural domain of

countries with special attention given to its grave impacts on indigenous people. In the
documentary, the first among many threats to the welfare of indigenous people are the
gold prospectors who are responsible for the damage to their land, mining the ores
hidden well within the ground in search for gold and oil. This is due to businesses that
warrants the need for natural resources, thereby hiring illegal gold prospectors to
accumulate the ores in exchange for wealth. Because of money and economic
development, businesses and even the government turned a blind eye to such events.
This is evident in the new government in 2019 where 20,000 prospectors raided the
land and teared down the rainforest.

Second threat as a result of globalization is deforestation. These “white people”

labeled by the Yanomami tribe are causing major problems not only for the land and
nature, but also to animals who are ceasing to exist – decreasing in numbers and
leading to food scarcity in the tribe. It is common knowledge that massive deforestation
causes natural disasters. And since the Amazon rainforest is at stake, the whole world
is also at risk of its effects and as such it is a concern to the public. The new
government in 2019 have also contributed to this problem as they believed on principles
of globalization and economic development – destroying the rainforest and eventually
poisoning the rivers and waters.

Figure 3. Yanomami Tribe Protesting Against Illegal Miners

The figure above showcases the Yanomami tribe protesting against illegal miners
with whom are the people responsible in damaging the lands and poisoning the rivers of
their humble abode. It is evident that these indigenous members of the tribe are against
the exploitation of the government and businesses of natural resources, as well as
against the gold prospectors using shotguns. Moreover, it is seen in the photo that they
are equipped with makeshift spears, bows, and arrows which they use to defend and
protect their homeland.

Third threat is the contamination of the rivers and waters in the rainforest of
mercury and other deadly chemicals which have been brought by the gold prospectors
in search of ores and oil. About 40 minutes into the documentary, viewers can see the
amount of damage in the forest with which parts of their territory were destroyed. The
tribe’s leader, Davi stated that their water is contaminated thus affecting the livelihood of
the Yanomami, their children being infected with sickness such as the spread of poison
in water as well as COVID-19 causing great conflict amongst the tribe. The gold
prospectors are threatening their extinction through machines and inconsiderate
methods in mining gold. In addition, invaders who disregarded the rule of the inhabitants
are planning to create movements where indigenous people like the Yanomami tribe –
will be forced to leave their own homeland.

Lastly, apart from the repercussions of illegal mining, deforestation,

contamination of waters, and the spread of deadly diseases on the Yanomami's
environment and habitat, commodities and handicrafts made by the Women's
Community in the Yanomami tribe aren't preserved nor promoted. People in the market,
especially government officials, do not give a chance for such a tribe's product to
provide them with exposure and recognition for their hard work and greatness in making
handicrafts from natural resources. Such cultural expressions of the Yanomami tribe
have been exploited by the very people who also destroyed the land the tribe protected
for years. This is a result of a capitalist society under globalized market where political
institutions and businesses try to capitalize the culture of their region without just
compensation.

These are among the threats that have been well rooted from globalization. From
greed of the government to capitalist society, the lives and welfare of the Yanomami
tribe are endangered. Their lands and waters seemingly crying out for protection and
preservation, their tribe needing cultivation of ores and hidden minerals, the Yanomami
fighting for human rights, and the children hoping for a better future – is a response to
these threats.

Globalization is indeed a double-edged sword. It can be beneficial in extreme,

and damaging to another. When government urges illegal activities, businesses
capitalizing on exploitation, and society turning a blind-eye towards oppression and
ecological damage, that is the time when the world should make a global decision – a
decision in upholding what is right and just on the basis of laws and moral obligation to
nature. Let us protect nature and these indigenous tribes so that we may get to live a
long life without seeing Mother Nature taking its revenge upon humanity.