Imagine...

IMAGINE that you're born into the Murut tribe in the early 1900s. You live in a small community of shifting cultivators of hill padi and tapioca. The men within the tribe hunt with their blowpipes. Sometimes if they're lucky, they might catch a couple of large wild boars and deer — enough to feed the entire tribe for a few weeks. When the supply of meat is exhausted, then the men will have to hunt again; and the cycle continues. Everyone stays together in longhouses which are normally located close to the rivers.

Now imagine that you're the Chief of this tribe. You and your people have never seen modern civilisation — no motorcars, electricity, and piped water.

Then one day a loud giant bird comes down from the sky and lands in the river just beside your longhouse. You have never ever seen such a creature in your entire life before. You are shocked. Everyone goes into hiding. Then the noise from the giant bird dies off and a person emerges from it. The latter makes a friendly gesture. And then slowly everyone comes out from their respective hiding places. The person does not speak your tongue, but uses sign language to invite you, the Chief, into the giant bird. You are scared, but eventually take up the challenge.

Soon you are airborne in the giant bird together with your new friend. What an unbelievable experience! Who would have thought that men can fly! After a few minutes, the giant bird descends and eventually lands in the river again. You are very happy, and your people are ecstatic.

Then the new friend — still using the sign language — offers to trade off the giant bird with the entire year's food supply of your tribe. You don't really know how to operate the giant bird; neither do you know if you will ever figure out what creature it is. Still, y'know, it makes a good souvenir. But damn! taking up the offer means your people might just go hungry for the rest of the year. Imagine the decision you have to make...

What do you think, would you accept the offer? Of course you are the Chief of the tribe, so for better or worse, presumably your people will go along with your decision...

Now you get into a time-travel machine and go 100 years into the future to the year 2007. Still as the Chief of your people, how would you decide on this offer?