I recently had the privilege of interviewing Guy Laramee for my latest venture on web. He is known widely for his book art but also he is an interdisciplinary artist who undertook anthropological studies.
Guy said that in one of his journeys to Peruvian amazon, he found out that the Shipibos don't have a word for 'imagination'. For them everything that they can perceive is true / real.
It got me thinking. Is it really necessary to have a word for imagination to support an atmosphere that fosters creativity? What is the level of ingenuity being shown by such cultures/tribes in their daily lives or in specifically designed "in vitro" experiments? Or is it that the language which expresses the collective knowledge of the people speaking it is a true reflection of their 'creative' being as well?
He goes on to say that they believe any creative act is spurred by some outside factor, and that they don't play any part in the process. While an outside "locus of control" may often be cited as a reflection of poor belief in self, but is it really true for any and every population that mirrors the Shipibos in this respect?
What is your feeling in this respect? Does a rich language reflect the richness of the creative endeavours in a population?