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5 Values for Repairing the Harms of Colonialism | Jing Corpuz | TED

Indigenous wisdom can help solve the planetary crises that colonialism started, says lawyer Jennifer “Jing” Corpuz. Her ancestors, the Kankanaey-Igorot people of the Philippines, are known for creating the Banaue Rice Terraces: centuries-old irrigated mountain terraces that illustrate the magic of humanity living in harmony with nature. Corpuz shares five values that have guided her…

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Indigenous wisdom can help solve the planetary crises that colonialism started, says lawyer Jennifer “Jing” Corpuz. Her ancestors, the Kankanaey-Igorot people of the Philippines, are known for creating the Banaue Rice Terraces: centuries-old irrigated mountain terraces that illustrate the magic of humanity living in harmony with nature. Corpuz shares five values that have guided her people as they successfully fought against development aggression and invites everyone to pursue a more just, sustainable world.

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40 Comments

  1. Lhakka Daisal

    February 15, 2023 at 1:43 pm

    Capitalism is one of the biggest harm of colonialism. While there are some aspects that are positive to the welfare of these so called colonies, these are not justifications to colonizing a land with people of culture.

    • LegendLength

      February 19, 2023 at 6:32 pm

      How many CPUs did communist countries produce?

  2. Secret EyeSpot

    February 15, 2023 at 1:45 pm

    This is why the Buxom mining in the Moore territories of Jamaica and other parishes must *Stop*. Vice has already gathered testimony of citizens surrounding the mines as affected by asthma and kidney issues due to metals in the air and water now harvested from the locally grown food. We indigenous people ask that new materials be created to match the resources you seek to mine. Chemistry and Material science has plenty of grassroots initiatives where the innovation of new substances can be created without mining. Ethics going forward would be managing waste from our resource creation so that Earth’s balance can be upheld while the industrialization of energy and material resources can occur at minimal cost. This is our goal as a species is it not?

  3. Robert Meyers

    February 15, 2023 at 1:55 pm

    At the root of colonization and capitalism, is the large population expansion in some parts of the world. The “how” is open to criticism, no doubt. However the why is fact. It is not a fault of colonizers to want to feed and protect their culture and loved ones. What would be interesting is to learn not only about sustainable living but also how did the indigenous peoples keep population from extending beyond their means?

  4. Hirmuinen Trolli

    February 15, 2023 at 2:27 pm

    European colonialism brought more good than harm to the colonies.

    • Shauwn Hines

      February 15, 2023 at 2:34 pm

      Give me some of what you smoked today!

  5. FuzzyFennec

    February 15, 2023 at 2:35 pm

    All sounds good on paper, but the sad reality is if you go to a lot of places in southeast asia they don’t have clean drinking water (you will contract something serious), no toilet paper (have to use a bucket and your hand) and there are cockroaches everywhere. People defecate in open sewers, even in major cities. On a long enough timeline, you will want to have more civilized standards or go somewhere that does. Either that or you will save enough money so your kids can. So if you talk about values and repairing things, you should start with basic standards of living. Kudos to her for speaking out on over industrialization — that’s a problem, but you’re not protecting some virginal paradise, sorry but that’s not the reality, you would not even want to live there if you really knew

  6. first last

    February 15, 2023 at 2:45 pm

    As a matter of perspective, colonization is the people expanding into an area and developing its natural resources to be used by the people who moved in. In a sense, your people colonized the mountains they lived in. Colonization is how your indigenous peoples got to move out of huts and sleeping on the dirt….

    • Let's Go Brandon

      February 15, 2023 at 3:49 pm

      Well stated. Who were there before “ her people.”

  7. Aritz

    February 15, 2023 at 2:53 pm

    Nice speech, but you ain’t getting the gold back.

  8. Monalisa Gomyde

    February 15, 2023 at 2:55 pm

    Great video, beautiful presentation. It’s absolutely scary to read these comments by a bunch of wanna be primal guys defending the violence and destruction of European colonialism and patriarchy.

  9. dncbot

    February 15, 2023 at 3:08 pm

    Everyone complaining about capitalism forget the impact of population growth. The old ways are easy to romanticize, but might not work very well with larger populations

    • 1goldinga

      February 15, 2023 at 4:41 pm

      You don’t need to worry about population growth right now. Have you not been keeping up with the “science” still or did everyone stop that. There is a massive increase in excess mortality globally. A massive decrease in sperm counts and viable eggs. Massive increases in failed pregnancies. We have some areas with 60-75% aged population. That pendulum is swinging in the other direction now. Not to mention the younger generation being filled with promiscuous narcissists who don’t want children or stable relationships for that matter. Yolo lemme take a selfie.

    • 1goldinga

      February 15, 2023 at 4:45 pm

      Also how we farm is for presentation. We throw out bruised fruit for no reason. We feed animals that eat grass,corn. Then we simultaneously poison every insect bird and field critter in order to do so. Destroying the ecosystem that made the area good for farming forcing people into needing excessive fertilizer. Everything has a cause and effect friend. Population is not it. Ignorant populations are. Maybe branch out more and look up, research more topics. You might be able to change the group your in one day friend.

    • dncbot

      February 15, 2023 at 4:55 pm

      @1goldinga my point is that the old ways would not be able to support larger populations. Not that everything is good today.

      Since we’re billions of people, we need to get more for less. The opposite of effectivity is wasting – destroying more nature for less gain. It’s not romantic in any way, but it’s necessary.

  10. HubrisNaut

    February 15, 2023 at 3:24 pm

    Children’s story praises clapping seals.

  11. Gage

    February 15, 2023 at 3:43 pm

    I know this comment will offend people but it’s also the truth and any denial is simply denying reality. I think we have bigger problems; the planet is suffocating and even if we go back to hunter gatherer tech we will all have to do it to save out place on Earth. I think she’s also trying to re-write history since the indigenous peoples burnt the land for agriculture, decimate the large fauna, and burned wood for cooking and heating. If the colonization hadn’t happened they may have developed the same technologies all on their own. Most of the indigenous also had slaves, concurred their neighbors, and had some awful spiritual practices that were gruesome.

    If she did follow what her grandfather said, It’s an outlier from the rest of North and South American indigenous.

  12. JT

    February 15, 2023 at 3:46 pm

    disliked

  13. aristochat3

    February 15, 2023 at 3:47 pm

    The Bantu did nothing wrong!

  14. MELIANA VICTORIA PERALTA

    February 15, 2023 at 4:13 pm

    Obviamente los Pueblos Originarios tuvieron q adoptar otras culturas, sin olvidar las suyas.
    Y defienden a ultranza sus conocimientos culturales, incluso académicos, espirituales, económicos, naturales, etc.

  15. आदित्यAditya मेहेंदळेMehendale #BringBackDislikes

    February 15, 2023 at 4:17 pm

    Oh boy.. the trolls are in love with TED these days…
    Before ranting in the comments’ section, please introspect, whether you understand the concept of “consent”.

    • LegendLength

      February 19, 2023 at 6:30 pm

      Damn people are disagreeing with you? How dare they.

    • आदित्यAditya मेहेंदळेMehendale #BringBackDislikes

      February 19, 2023 at 8:35 pm

      @LegendLength Whatever gives you _that_ idea? Quite the contrary is true – I like a well reasoned and thoughtful disagreement. Would you like to offer one?

  16. THATMOFODIRT

    February 15, 2023 at 4:45 pm

    Chronic victimhood is a dead end mentality.

  17. Ancin47

    February 15, 2023 at 5:23 pm

    Western Culture can’t really admit the harm that colonialism has cause arrogant the world. That’s because Western culture is predominantly Christian and likes to see itself as the worlds savior. “I want your land and all your resources and look… I’ll give you heaven. Fair trade?”

  18. OneManWolfPack

    February 15, 2023 at 5:42 pm

    “you asked us if we own the land, and mock us by asking ‘Where is your title?’ ” – “How can you own something that will outlive you?”
    We have the concept of ownership. You do not get to infringe upon it and then complain you aren’t getting compassion for breaking the rules of said society. “But you are invaders and the land was originally ours”, and guess what, before you the land was owned by someone else whose skulls your ancestors bashed in.

    Every country invaded and stole land before we established international rules, and we can complain now that it happened but just because you’re on the losing end now doesn’t mean that your people weren’t just as guilty. These laws like ownership were made very much to end that cycle of murder and theft. To try to threaten and undermine those rules for the sake of your own benefit is one of the most selfish things one can do.

    Times have changed, thank the lord, now it is time for you to change with them. You don’t get to complain about not getting the land you stole from others anyways. We can either end this cycle or end up murdering each other to steal land again. Because one way or another the conflict of who gets to have what needs to be resolved, and when it isn’t done through law it is done through violence, as has happened so many times before.

  19. bj0rn

    February 15, 2023 at 6:15 pm

    The best way to repair the harms of colonialism is to leave people alone to do their thing.

  20. dirtsky

    February 15, 2023 at 6:36 pm

    complaining gets liberals nowhere but behind.

  21. IronMongoose1

    February 15, 2023 at 6:53 pm

    “Go outside into a field. Ask yourself: “To whom does this field belong?” And you will reply to yourself: “It belongs to me” or “It belongs to so-and-so.” Then ask yourself: “To whom has this field belonged in the past?” If you know the history of that field, a list of names will appear in your mind. Then you will realize how little ownership means. That field has seen countless generations of people claiming ownership of it. Countless generations of feet have trod on it, have plowed its soil, and have sown and harvested grain. If the field were sentient, do you think it would feel owned by the person who claims ownership? Of course not. The field would feel that it owned itself and was welcoming the person who claimed ownership merely as a visitor. That is the way we should always think of ourselves on this earth: we are merely visitors, here for a short span to learn virtue; then after that span we shall continue our journey toward the kingdom that lasts forever.” – John Chrysostom

  22. Russell Todd

    February 15, 2023 at 7:19 pm

    Well stated, thank you for sharing this perspective.

  23. cutefairykiller

    February 15, 2023 at 7:40 pm

    Too bad colonialism has been used all willy nilly as a sorry excuse for anything. Math is colonized, apparently.

  24. Zerojoshua

    February 15, 2023 at 9:03 pm

    Indeed, one can not own anything, the deception of colonialism… A culture is no better than how well it treats its most vulnerable, and it’s mothers…

  25. Gaasuba Meskhenet

    February 15, 2023 at 10:12 pm

    bless. stay safe

  26. linuxisbetter0

    February 15, 2023 at 11:30 pm

    Wtf happened to TED? Unsubscribed

  27. Starry Cruz

    February 16, 2023 at 1:19 am

    Thank you Ate Jing Corpus for this wonderful message. I think, this talk is not just for the planet… we can actually apply this talk in the problem our country (Philippines) and other colonized countries face.

    The Philippines’ colonizers (such as Spanish and Americans) had really ruined good qualities Filipinos once had- such as bayanihan, respect to women, respect to elders, being honest, and hospitability. The colonizers sadly manipulated and changed their True Filipino culture we once had.

    The 5 values she presented (reciprocity, spirituality, not taking more than you need, obligation to future generations and collective decision-making) are values we can practice in our everyday lives.

    As she fights for the identity of Indigenous People, may we also fight for our own identity. Who am I?

  28. Grace Madison

    February 16, 2023 at 1:23 am

    $32,000 weekly profit Our lord Jesus have lifted up my Life!!!

  29. Christopher Wellman

    February 16, 2023 at 9:01 am

    Ironic all this talk about colonialism while China is actively doing this right now… nobody mentioning that… oh wait, I just did.

  30. Willie Lee

    February 16, 2023 at 2:10 pm

    @They’re ahead of the curve. Greed kills surely and certainly even the earth is speaks out against greed.
    One catastrophe after another catastrophe speaks to us all.

  31. ismael assil

    February 16, 2023 at 2:49 pm

    Big 💙 from Morocco Africa

  32. Tomorrow will be better

    February 16, 2023 at 6:44 pm

    Amazing message.

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