First contact (anthropology)

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First contact is a term used to describe a first meeting of two previously unknown cultures.

It is clear from the historical record here on Earth between societies of the same species that the disruptive nature of first contact generally favors the more technologically advanced side, often with dire consequences for the less advanced side. It is nearly impossible to predict what the first interactions between two different intelligent species might be. Beyond the language barrier, physical differences might make a common basis for shared experience impossible, or perhaps even repugnant.

One notable first contact is Christopher Columbus's contact with the Arawak living in the West Indies.

First contact (anthropology)

See also