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Culture clashesThis is, unfortunately, a true story, though I took a little license with a few minor details. We have seen this general scenario enacted far too often in our travels... We spent over a month at a certain remote and seldom-visited island. The anchorage was shared for a while with a few other boats, one of whom managed to deeply offend the local people by their inappropriate behavior. This boat, which shall remain anonymous, showed a real lack of appreciation, knowledge, and respect for other cultures. Unacceptable clothingIt's easy to find out what kind of clothing is acceptable; any number of guidebooks will tell you that on most Pacific islands, it is appropriate for both sexes, but particularly females, to cover their legs, ESPECIALLY the thighs. If in doubt, look at what local folks are wearing and take the hint. In this case, the mother (and female adolescent children) on this boat showed up at church (!!!!) in shorts AND tight, skimpy tops, which bugged more than a few local people and astonished us. The males wore fairly short shorts and casual shirts. You'd never show up at church dressed like that in your culture, would you? Disrespectful behaviorA few days later, they attended another church function - a really big, formal, deal - wearing even scantier apparel. The people attending the function were shocked, though they were far too polite to mention it to the offenders.. As if the clothing wasn't enough of an insult, these folks slouched, lay down, pointed the soles of their feet at respected people across the venue (a no-no in many cultures), left early without taking their leave, and in summary, broke just about every rule in the book. Following the function there were more than a few complaints to the host church about this group. This was of course, humiliating, in a culture that avoids criticizing others. It is a further measure of the depth of the offense that our local friends approached us to ask that we tell these folks to dress more appropriately next time they ventured ashore. Ouch. ConsequencesThe sad part is this episode will taint local attitudes towards outsiders for, literally, years to come. Our local friends told us that, thanks to these people, cruisers would no longer be invited to formal functions. There was nothing we could do to rectify the situation. "Well, they're just ignorant," doesn't cut it. Just as in our culture, you're expected to find out how to dress/behave, and to do so. A glance at how others dress and behave will tell you what's acceptable. The next time there was a formal function, an invitation was quietly extended to Beth and me and we were told very clearly that it was limited to just the two of us. We were happy to be invited but embarrassed that other cruisers were not welcome. It's OK in MY culture?Mom remarked indignantly when gently criticized on another occasion, "Well! This clothing is perfectly acceptable in MY culture." Duh. I have to wonder what her reaction would be if a fellow from the Big Namba group in Vanuatu showed up at an important party she was hosting wearing (only) his penis sheath. ("Well, shucks, ma'am, it's OK in my culture on Vanuatu...") Yeah, right. Need I mention that folks in this category rarely show an anchor light, don't reciprocate appropriately when islanders give them gifts, frequently avoid contact with islanders by going ashore at uninhabited spots (but in sight of the villages, so people DO notice), rebuff islanders who want to meet them, are often afraid to eat local food or drink, and are clueless about just about everything else, including the islands and cultures they've visited to date? Why don't they just stay home?
December, 2005: Kariatebike, Abemama, Kiribati. Era, 5 year old daughter of a friend. She's a very enthusiastic and talented dancer. I love Kiribati costumes, they're very colorful. The skirt, incidentally, is 1/2 inch videotape! We saw that quite a bit here and in Tonga. |
