Hust soem housekeeping stuff
First, the document can be found here (URL weirdness prevented a clean link, sorry :wry:).
Second, yes, the myth is the same one; it shows up in both bon and mal variants, and is quite widespread. It has a whole slew of dangerous ramifications but, for our purposes, probably the most dangerous is the assumption that "traditional" means "unchanging", coupled with a degenerationist view of Western society. I'm sure Levi-Strauss would just say that it was the bianry opposition of the older developmental paradigm :wry:.
Third, Barsoom is a totally cool place and, if we are talking about ERB's fantasy related to war and politics, let's not forget wither the Venus series, which was tied pretty heavily to the lead up to WW II, and his last work Beyond the Farthest Star.
Tribal societies justice: a practical case study
You will find below part of a report and I found very much interesting on the question of tribal justice. To protect the people, I changed the names and locations. But still, what this reports shows, is that traditional justice is sometime not that helpful to solve problems and protect the people.
For everyone to understand, the Monyomiji are traditional youth groups who are in charge to defend the village. But unaddressed issues from the past, political miss management and decades of war have completely altered the very core spirit of Monyomiji.
It also shows the limits of traditional justice which is, most of the time, limited to a village (even in the same tribal/ethnic group area).
I hope this case study will help everyone to approach the issues raised in this threat problematic on a very practical way.
I found this report representative as it shows the limits of tribal justice, limits of modern justiceimplementation and limits and challenges of external actors in such problematic.
0n 23rd April 2010 CAD met with the Commissioner of G. The aim was to gain information on the recently reported killing incident in X. He reported that a boy (student) was killed at 0800hrs on 19th April 2010 by an unidentified gun man. It was thought to be in relation to a previous cattle raiding incidence. It was reported that following the death of this boy, the X Monyomiji mobilized and tracked the footprints of the assailant the village of Y. The X Monyomiji were allegedly ambushed by the Y Monjimji. A fire fight erupted and claimed two (02) lives from both sides, as well the injury of one X youth. The Commissioner reported that on 21 April 10, he traveled to both villages and attempted to defuse the situation. The X accused the Y for the recent killings and the Y accused the X of harassing their women. In Y village, the Commissioner gave a drive to a group of Y people who were reportedly stranded. They wanted to go to G after the end of voting process. However, while talking to some chiefs in X, local youths surrounded the vehicle with the Y passengers and started harassing them. This vehicle was guarded by the Commissioner’s police. The youth were acting aggressively but the Commissioner said that he was not directly targeted. A young male Y passenger was so frightened that he jumped out of the vehicle and ran back to Y. Upon reaching G, it was discovered that the boy was missing. The Commissioner then sent the police to Y. They confirmed that the boy was located with his family, alive and well. The Commissioner said that the situation in X is currently tense (as confirmed by the X Chief during a phone call), but fighting has ceased. Communication with Y village has not been monitored since the incident occurred. Y villagers are said to be very nervous and are fearful of a revenging attack. When asked about a special court previously established to settle long standing disputes between communities, The Commissioner indicated several problems with the process:
1) The reluctance of the people to help Police apprehend the culprits (main problem);
2) The lack of facility;
3) The fact that the Paramount Chief is based in G; and
4) Inadequate follow-up on the part of the authorities.
Police presence is sparse in X (few in number). The Commissioner vowed to send 15 Policemen in each of the two dispute locations as soon as logistics permits. It is intended for them to patrol the U, O and G roads, as well as Y and X roads. It is hoped that these patrols will act as deterrence against any potential tribal attacks. The Commissioner also stated that the tribal clashes between the two villages have violated the peace agreement reached last year. Nevertheless, this agreement still exists. The conflict is based on two major mutual grievances (stolen cattle not returned and murderers left unpunished). It is alleged that the Monyomiji are negatively influencing the problem by supporting the conflict instead of trying to help settle it. They wield a great deal of influence in the area, including the traditional authorities. The Commissioner requested UN to support a conference (under the auspices of the BLABLA Community Association) that would not only bring together representatives from Y and X, but also all other villages in X payam. Politicians should also be invited. CAD suggested that after the elections the time would be appropriate to facilitate such a gathering in order to strengthen commitment to the resolutions adopted in previous peace talks.
Some specific questions ....
re: the Lagrangian Paradise.
I gather this "district" has a number of villes (based on "roads discussion"; G is the main ville and district center with Commissioner and Paramount Chief; X, Y, O & U are subsidiary). Are all these ville folks from the same population group (e.g., common dialect, customs, etc.) ? What (if anything) differentiates folks in one ville from another ville (e.g., separate extended families or totem clans) ?
Based on this:
Quote:
0n 23rd April 2010 CAD met with the Commissioner of G. The aim was to gain information on the recently reported killing incident in X. He reported that a boy (student) was killed at 0800hrs on 19th April 2010 by an unidentified gun man. It was thought to be in relation to a previous cattle raiding incidence. It was reported that following the death of this boy, the X Monyomiji mobilized and tracked the footprints of the assailant the village of Y. The X Monyomiji were allegedly ambushed by the Y Monjimji. A fire fight erupted and claimed two (02) lives from both sides, as well the injury of one X youth. The Commissioner reported that on 21 April 10, he traveled to both villages and attempted to defuse the situation. The X accused the Y for the recent killings and the Y accused the X of harassing their women.
the X & Y Monyomiji have down such "M" stuff as force projection, tracking and meeting force with force - as well as some "I" stuff (conflicting claims re: narrated causes, with some underlying "E" stuff, a fair inference).
Despite the "sensitive" situation vis a vis X and Y folks, the Commissioner seems to have free passage in both villages. Why is that so ? Can the same be said for the Paramount Chief (also residing at G) ?
What X and Y seem to lack is an "international" dispute resolution mechanism - "D" (on an inter-ville basis) is apparently lacking in their vocabulary; although it seems that the Commissioner and Paramount Chief have been involved in this unsuccessful attempt at "D":
Quote:
When asked about a special court previously established to settle long standing disputes between communities, The Commissioner indicated several problems with the process:
1) The reluctance of the people to help Police apprehend the culprits (main problem);
2) The lack of facility;
3) The fact that the Paramount Chief is based in G; and
4) Inadequate follow-up on the part of the authorities.
Police presence is sparse in X (few in number). The Commissioner vowed to send 15 Policemen in each of the two dispute locations as soon as logistics permits.
Have these villes ever had a tribunal to settle inter-ville differences ? If so, when, what did it look like and why did it end ? More generally, how have these inter-ville armed conflicts ended in the past ? Or have they just settled down for a time until it's time for a new generation to "go to the mattresses" ?
As an alternative to a Weberian Paradise, is the Monyomiji system also suited to the local inter-ville relationships (so long as the conflict remains low intensity) by providing for "redistribution of wealth" (cattle raiding), allowing young men to prove and improve their status, get married and sire a flock of warrior kids, etc., etc. ?
Oh, and what's a CAD ?
Regards
Mike