Tim McSheffery
Masters student in Landscape Architecture
Monkey River is a
small town, much like the small town in which I grew up. Remote, everyone
knows everyone else’s business, a few main families with generations of
history, limited employment opportunities and young people are the number
one export. But with that said, small towns can be a great place to grow
up.
I felt very much at home in the village. Perhaps speaking a common language
made things easier but it was mostly the people. These were, as I expected,
very resilient people who are very proud of their village. I’m sure the
fact that a large group of “tourist-scientists” were in town for a week
spending money had an impact on their behavior toward us (money talks) but
their openness went well beyond that point. After we were there for a few
days and it was obvious that we had no grand plans to rebuild Monkey River
in our own image, the people went about their daily lives and allowed us to
wonder around, asking questions, taking pictures and getting sunburned.
Everyone I spoke to was willing to share details of their knowledge of
Monkey River.
The community appears to be very solid and heading in a good direction.
They have done well without much outside aid or government intervention.
Although they would like to have certain things to improve the quality of
life in the village, there does not appear to be a “desperate” need for
anything. People seem to be very self sufficient and live in a climate in
which much of their needs can be attained from the land and sea.
As is always the case in small towns, the history is carried by the old and
the young people are being pulled and enticed by what lies outside the
Village. The risk of losing oral history, jungle medicine and self
sufficiency is there, but there seem to be a few younger adults who wish to
carry on these traditions. In my own experience, these types of small town
lessons stay with you throughout your life no matter where you go in the
world.
The future seems bright for Monkey River. As a community, they are aware of
larger forces such as government actions and foreign investment. Their
approach thus far is one of cautious optimism. In their history they have
seen boom and bust times, been devastated by natural disasters and have
heard many claims of great things to come. But for the village as a whole,
it appears to be more about protecting their home and making it better, one
small step at a time.
