This kind of narrow, zealous, and unloving thinking has a long, "rich" history. Another and much more important manifestation was the destruction of Pacific coast totem poles by 19th century missionaries who assumed without any study that the totem poles are elements of a false religion. They amount to devil worship. A website dedicated to totem poles, totempole.net, addresses this belief, writing (here),
Totem poles were never objects of worship; the association with "idol worship" was an idea from local Christian missionaries. The same assumption was made by certain early European explorers, but later explorers such as Jean-François de La Pérouse noted that: totem poles were never treated reverently; they seemed only occasionally to generate allusions or illustrate stories; and were usually left to rot in place when people abandoned a village.Still, the missionaries tried to stamp out not only the use of totem poles but also the cultures that produced them. And, evidently, they nearly succeeding. Fortunately, however, according to an Al Jazeera report (see the video clip below), the art of making totem poles is experiencing a rebirth.
This revival of an ancient art is important from an artistic perspective and from a cultural one. I know from personal experience with tribal folks in Southeast Asia that indigenous cultures give deep meaning to those who share in a local culture. They find their identity in their language, cuisine, art, folkways, and beliefs. At the same time, exposure to the their culture enriches the lives of others. All of this is one manifestation of God's creation of our world and us. We are created to live in culture, and the more of it, the greater diversity of it, the better. Amen.
