Dorobo
You are Dorobo, part of the hunter-gatherer tribe. Since your parents are no longer alive, you occasionally hunt with your brother to help provide for the other members of your tribe. Your main means of getting food, however, is fishing. Your tribe travels very close to the shore of many waterbeds, and as a skilled fisherman, you are able to provide many fish for your fellow hunters and gatherers. You are so skilled, in fact, that you are often recognized for your outstanding work for the tribe. You feel very appreciated by the community you're in, and you enjoy the company of all your tribe members. For you, everything was great, until some of the members discovered a new means of attaining food - agriculture. They began to grow a small amount of wheat which turned out to be a great food source. They also discovered that it is possible to grow it in much larger quantities - large enough to support the tribe, and to change their entire lifestyles by making it their primary food source. Now, a debate is going on about whether or not they should switch to this new lifestyle or not. A firm believer that the change is completely unnecessary, you voice your opinions, trying your best to prevent the tribe from making the switch.
Hunting and gathering is all we've ever known - we would be taking a big chance depending on a whole new means of food for survival. We have not done much growing of plants in the past, especially not in such large quantities. We are inexperienced, and it seems to be quite a big risk to take. Also, our current means of hunting and gathering continue to work very well for us. Everyone is fed, and we are always moving. We are constantly learning more about the different lands we come across and are expanding our knowledge about the world we live in. Our new experiences and constant movement also provide us with problem-solving skills; we come across various different problems all the time, and through trial and error we are able to learn not only about handling such problems, but how to avoid them in the future. Our current situation continues to be beneficial to us.
Farming, on the other hand, will make us more vulnerable to other tribes; we will attract the attention of others because our food will be easier for them to get. Instead of having to forage for it, others will be keen to hunt...us. We will no longer be mobile if we adapt this way of life, but there will still be many mobile tribes coming across new land everyday. This movement will inevitably bring some of these tribes our way, and we will become a target: a living, rich in food, easy to capture, target. Think about it - if YOU saw someone else with lots of food, wouldn't you want to take it through brute force? These people would also be used to being on their feet and hunting all the time, a skill that we may lose if we stop using it. Our safety will be threatened by the other tribes who are making the RIGHT DECISION and continuing to practice their hunting and gathering ways.
Farming just seems like too large a risk. I believe we should continue our current way of life.
Farming, on the other hand, will make us more vulnerable to other tribes; we will attract the attention of others because our food will be easier for them to get. Instead of having to forage for it, others will be keen to hunt...us. We will no longer be mobile if we adapt this way of life, but there will still be many mobile tribes coming across new land everyday. This movement will inevitably bring some of these tribes our way, and we will become a target: a living, rich in food, easy to capture, target. Think about it - if YOU saw someone else with lots of food, wouldn't you want to take it through brute force? These people would also be used to being on their feet and hunting all the time, a skill that we may lose if we stop using it. Our safety will be threatened by the other tribes who are making the RIGHT DECISION and continuing to practice their hunting and gathering ways.
Farming just seems like too large a risk. I believe we should continue our current way of life.