Can't remember where it was? It was everywhere!
Chinese tore up rail-roads to make Da-dao, africans to make machetes, etc. Spring steel is and was used by a LOT of people all over the world. Recycling is key!
I think a perfect defensive counter to foreign invasion is guerrilla warfare. That is one military doctrine that had amazing results against invaders with superior technology. At the very least you give 'em hell before they can take your land and your people. At most you bleed them dry and retake what was yours. It's almost a modernized form of tribal warfare. Small bands of soldiers infiltrating enemy territory to inflict casualties and/or take prisoners, and stealing back into the wilderness. I can think of plenty of parallels in the traditional style of warfare of many native americans, africans, and southeast asian peoples. While many Indian armies, the Zulus, and the Orientals often met the enemy in the field of battle, that is where the out-dated military doctrine and technology showed itself...
some examples of locals adopting the counter tactic (guerilla) would be...
Whenever the Mayans charged the Spaniards with their nobles and richly attired warriors... they almost always got defeated, despite a valiant battle. They knew that they couldn't afford to make the same mistakes as their neighbors and they sought to exterminate the invader... and yet, they failed. Of course, they were charging cavalry, war dogs, swordsmen, pikemen, firearms, and Mexican auxiliaries. But why did it take the Spaniards so long to conquer the Maya DESPITE modern military tech. and newer military management? Well, the Mayans were divided into many different tribes, chiefdoms, and kingdoms. Take out one, you still have a bunch to conquer. The Mayans traditionally fought a hit-and-run forest warfare, resorting to field combat only for the decisive battles. They knew their jungles and how to hunt their prey with ambushes and traps... and there were times when they came damn close to driving out the Spanish. Even today the area is unstable.
The Chinese in WW2 were under-equipped, not as well trained, and led by a less unified political entity. Yet, by controlling the countryside, maximizing firepower when able to, and using Da-dao troops to ambush Japanese supply lines at night, the Nationalists were able to wage a war against communists and Japanese, and pretty much beat the Japanese. The KMT gov't had to unite warlords and petty dictators, quell rebellions, suppress communists, and rally a nation. They also had to gain international support and produce weapons. They almost pulled it off. Now don't get me wrong, I greatly dislike the KMT and the way they massacred my ancestors, but then again I can say the same about the Communists - no one's good in war or peace. Point is, they adopted western military technology, and re-used old traditional weaponry for when it was best - in an "unconventional" hit-and-run ambush style of warfare.
We can get into Ho Chih Min and Vietnam, Philippines under Aguinaldo, the Chichamauga Cherokees, Manco Inca's resistance against the Spanish, Afghans against the USSR, the Germanic warriors at Teutoburgwald, etc.etc. You guys get the point.
but despite all the credit I am giving to these native people... we need to recognize that the Europeans usually prevailed, or was able to recruit locals to fight locals and find a favorable political situation. The Mayans are a marginalized large minority in a land ruled by the descendants of the Spaniards. The Chinese are now under a suffocatingly powerful Communist regime, and suffered the death of millions from the fall of the Ming, through the Taiping and Boxer rebellions and Opium Wars, and wars with modern powers... The Vietnamese have had a history of staunch defiance, and they succeeded, but at a terrible cost. The Philippines (and Moros) eventually came to accept and even prosper under American rule, though divisions and tensions are very strong even today. The Cherokees were eventually displaced, and Manco Inca was eventually defeated. The Afghani militants have been ;argely crushed in recent times or fled to Pakistan. The Germans did eventually conquer Rome, but it was not only due to arms - Rome was a declining empire. So yes, in recent times, the 'Western World' or its military capabilities kicked ass... and yes there was valiant resistance on the part of the conquerees, but could you expect any less?