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'All the years of calling the Indian a savage has never made him one.' Luther Standing Bear, Lakota Sioux.

Survival's Stamp It Out campaign aims to challenge racist descriptions, however unwitting, of tribal peoples in the media.

What's the problem?

Terms like 'stone age' and 'primitive' have been used to describe tribal people since the colonial era, reinforcing the idea that they have not changed over time and that they are backward. This idea is both incorrect and very dangerous. It is incorrect because all societies adapt and change, and it is dangerous because it is often used to justify the persecution or forced 'development' of tribal peoples. The results are almost always catastrophic: poverty, alcoholism, prostitution, disease and death.

How can I help?

Survival would like you to be on the lookout for terms like 'stone age' and 'primitive' used to describe tribal peoples in the media today. When you spot one, please fill in one of our Stamp it Out postcards or e-cards with the information given below and send it to the editor.

How do I get my free, colour Stamp It Out postcards?

Email info@survival-international.org, phone (+44) (0)20 7687 8700 or write to our postal address and Survival will send you some.

How do I send Stamp it Out e-cards?

Fill in the form with the information given below and click "Send postcard to editor".

Dear Editor 

Your recent article/programme  dated  

referred to the 

as

Use the suggested text in the box below, or write your own message  Terms like 'primitive' and 'stone age' have been used to describe tribal people since the colonial era. They reinforce the idea that these peoples have not changed for generations. But this is not true. All societies adapt and change - not just ours. Tribal people are no more 'savage' than the rest of us. The idea that tribes are backward leads directly to their persecution. For example, it is claimed that forcibly developing tribes is 'for their own good', and helps them 'catch up' with the 'civilised' world. The results are almost always catastrophic: poverty, alcoholism, prostitution, disease and death. I hope you will refrain from using such terms in the future.

Signed  

Email address * (required)  

Who can I send my Stamp It Out postcards or e-cards to?

Below is a list of recent articles or programmes you may wish to take action on. Please fill in your postcard or the e-card form above with the following information:

Sunday Telegraph, 23 March 2008. An article called 'Amazon Grace' referred to the Zo'e as 'Stone Age.' Read the article in full.
Send a postcard to Ian MacGregor, The Editor, Sunday Telegraph, 111 Buckingham Palace Rd, London, SW1W ODT, UK.
Email: danielle.wall@telegraph.co.uk

* Daily Mail (UK), 26 October 2007. An article called 'Public School Savage' referred to tribal peoples as 'Stone Age'. Read the article in full.
Send a postcard to Paul Dacre, The Editor, Daily Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry St, London, W8 5TT, UK.
Email: paul.dacre@dailymail.co.uk

* La Nacion (Paraguay), 13 September 2007. An article called 'Indians in Uruguay Square' referred to the Aché as 'Neolithic', 'out-of-date' and 'filthy'. Read the article in full in Spanish or English.
Send a postcard to Oswaldo Dominguez Dibb, Editor, La Nacion, Av. Zavala Cué 2da y 3ra/Fdo. de la Mora Zona Sur - Paraguay
Email: redaccion@lanacion.com.py

* Daily Mail (UK), 21 July 2007. An article called 'Face to face with Stone Age man' referred to the Hadzabe as 'Stone Age.' Read the article in full.
Send a postcard to Paul Dacre, The Editor, The Daily Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry St, London, W8 5TT, UK. Email: paul.dacre@dailymail.co.uk

* The Australian, 6 January 2007. An article called 'The good, the bad and the ordinary' referred to tribal peoples as 'primitive.' Send a postcard to Chris Mitchell, Editor-in-Chief, The Australian, 2 Holt St, Surry Hills, NSW 2010.
Email: editor@theaustralian.com.au

* 60 Minutes (Australia), 17 September 2006. A program called 'The Last Cannibals' referred to the Korowai tribe in West Papua as 'Stone Age.' Read the transcript of the program in full on the 60 minutes website.
Send a postcard to Executive Producer, 60 Minutes, PO Box 27, Willoughby, New South Wales, 2068, Australia.
Email: 60minutesmailbag@nine.com.au

* Daily Star (UK), 14 May 2006. An article called 'Stone Age tribe in 21st century plea' referred to the Nukak-Maku as 'Stone Age' and 'primitive.' Click here to read the article in full. Send a postcard to Dawn Neesom, The Editor, Daily Star,The Northern & Shell Building, No. 10 Lower Thames St, London, EC3R 6EN, UK.
Email: dawn.neesom@express.co.uk

* Sunday Express (UK), 14 May 2006. An article called 'Stone Age tribe pleads: Let us join 21st century' referred to the Nukak-Maku as 'Stone Age' and 'primitive.' Click here to read the article in full. Send a postcard to Martin Townsend, The Editor, Sunday Express, The Northern and Shell Building, 10 Lower Thames St, London, EC3R 6EN, UK.
Email: martin.townsend@express.co.uk

* New York Times (USA), 11 May 2006. An article called 'Leaving the wild, and Rather liking the change' referred to the Nukak-Maku as 'Stone Age.' Click here to read the article in full.
Send a postcard to Bill Keller, The Editor, New York Times, West 43rd St, New York, 10036, New York State, USA.
Email: dianec@nytimes.com

* The Observer (UK), 12 February 2006. An article called 'Survival comes first for the last Stone Age tribe' referred to the Sentinelese as 'Stone Age.'
Click here to read the article in full.
Send a postcard to Roger Alton, The Editor, The Observer, 119 Farringdon Rd, London, EC1R 3ER, UK.
Email: roger.alton@observer.co.uk

* Daily Express (UK), 11 February 2006. An article called 'Life among the savage Stone Age tribesmen' referred to the Sentinelese as 'savage', 'primitive' and 'one of the last Stone Age tribes.'
Click here to read the article in full.
Send a postcard to Peter Hill, The Editor, Daily Express, The Northern and Shell Building, 10 Lower Thames St, London, EC3R 6EN, UK.
Email: peter.hill@express.co.uk

* The Age (Australia), online edition, 9 February 2006. An article called 'Stone Age tribe kills fishermen' referred to the Sentinelese tribe as 'Stone Age' and 'pre-Neolithic.'
Send a postcard to Peter Jaspan, The Editor, The Age, 250 Spencer St, Melbourne, 3000, Australia.
Email: peter.jaspan@theage.com.au

* The Times (UK), 9 February 2006. An article called 'Stone Age killers keep law away from bodies' referred to the Sentinelese tribe as 'Stone Age' and 'one of the most primitive tribes in the world.'
Click here to read the article in full.
Send a postcard to Robert Thomson, The Editor, The Times, 1 Pennington St, London, E98 1TA, UK.
Email: robert.thomson@thetimes.co.uk

* The Daily Mail (UK), 9 February, 2006. An article called 'Fishermen killed by Stone Age tribe on remote island' referred to the Sentinelese tribe as 'primitive' and 'Stone Age.'
Click here to read the article in full.
Send a postcard to Paul Dacre, The Editor, The Daily Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry St, London, W8 5TT, UK.
Email: paul.dacre@dailymail.co.uk

* The Sun (UK), 8 February, 2006. An article called 'Primitive tribe kill 2' referred to the Sentinelese tribe as 'stone age' and 'primitive.'
Click here to read the article in full.
Send a postcard to Rebekah Wade, The Editor, The Sun, 1 Virginia St, London, E98 1SN, UK.
Email: rebekah.wade@the-sun.co.uk

* NOW magazine (UK), 1 February 2006. An article called 'Real Life: I've breast-fed my kids for 10 years' referred to the Yequana (from Venezuela) as 'a Stone Age people.'
Send a postcard to Jane Ennis, The Editor, NOW magazine, IPC Media Limited, King's Reach Tower, Stamford St, London, SE1 9LS, UK.
Email: jane_ennis@ipcmedia.com

* Marie Claire (UK), November 2005. An article called 'Growing up with cannibals' referred to the Fayu (from Papua New Guinea) as 'a stone age tribe' and 'underdeveloped.'
Send a postcard to Marie O'Riordan, The Editor, Marie Claire, 13th Floor, King's Reach Tower, Stamford St, London, SE1 9LS, UK.
Email: marieclaire@ipcmedia.com

* Daily Telegraph (UK), 26 November 2005. An article called 'Guardian of the Stone Age Tribes' referred to Brazilian tribes as 'Stone Age'.
Send a postcard to Michele Lavery, The Editor, Daily Telegraph Magazine, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DT, UK.
Email: michele.lavery@telegraph.co.uk

* Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), 22 November 2005. An article called 'Ancient Traditions, community help tribe spring back swiftly after tsunami' referred to Andamanese and Nicobarese tribes as 'stone age tribes.'
Send a postcard to Mary Sheppard, Executive Producer, CBC ONline, P.O. Box 500 Station A, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5W 1E6.
Click here to read the article in full.

Can I download Stamp it Out postcards in PDF?

Yes, you can..