Sky Burials

The Discovery Channel created a beautiful six part series named "Human Planet".  The series follows people from all over the world in extremely diverse environments.  One episode titled "Mountains" follows a group of Tibetans who have just lost their father and shows what happens when there is no firewood for cremations.

 A majority of Tibetans are Buddhist.  This religion teaches rebirth and there is no need to preserve the body.  Buddhist in lower elevations often burn the bodies of the dead, but since there is no firewood high up in the Tibetan mountains, these people practice something known as sky burials to dispose of the dead.  In the episode I watched, the body of the dead man was wrapped up in a colorful cloth.  His body was carried up the mountain and his family was allowed time to say their goodbyes then leaves.   The man who preforms the sky burial is not a Buddhist and mentions before he does the "burial" that he has done many in his life but he still needs some whiskey to preform it.  The sky burial begins by unwrapping the body. Then the man proceeds to cut the body into many parts.  The remains are left on the mountaintop and left to the elements.  In the episode, vultures are on the scene immediately and eat the remains of the man.  Seeing this was slightly horrifying, but this funerary practices makes sense for these people.  It allows them to get rid of the body so that it does not spread disease.  And following Buddhist tradition, the body is an empty vessel after death, and this practice allows the remains to be given back to nature.

Inuit Gather Mussels Under Sea Ice

Discovery Channel's "Human Planet" series showed an incredible act preformed by Canada's Inuit people in an episode titled "Arctic".  The people of Kangiqsujuaq, near the Hudson Strait, go to incredible lengths to add variety to their diet of seal meat, seal meat and more seal meat.  This group of people are able to collect mussels from under the sea ice during extreme low tides which happen only twice a year, during the Spring and Fall equinox.  During this time, the sea ice drops by 40 feet which opens fissures in the ice and exposes the seabed.  Then, with nothing more than a bucket and a lantern, a group crawls down below the ice and collects as many mussels as they possibly can before the escape hole closes and the sea returns.  "We all know stories of mussel hunters who didn't make it out in time. If you can't get out, you die," Mary Qumaaluk told the Human Planet team. 

This tradition goes back generations, but the Kangiqujuaq people say it is getting harder and harder to find places safe enough to go beneath the ice, which freezes later and melts earlier than it did even a few decades ago.

Psychological Anthropology

Psychological Anthropology is based primarily on the nature vs. nurture debate. Psychological Anthropologists attempt to attribute behavior not only to biological causes, or personality, but also as a result of the influence of social environment and a person's culture. I found this field tremendously interesting, as I am a declared Psych major (subject to change.)

This means that even though members of this field may study the same problems as traditional psychologists, they do so from many different angles, and can indeed form perspectives and conclusions that maybe a traditional practicioner would miss.

Both of these are noble professions, designed to help with the human condition and better existance for patients (or research subjects). They just take different approaches. Psychological Anthropologists take a wholistic point of view, attributing cause not only to traditional psychological reasoning, but also to many other aspects. I think that the mental health community as a whole could benefit greatly from more people in this field.

Anthropology and Nursing

Closely related to Medical Anthropology, anthropology in nursing concentrates mainly on the understanding and respect that must be given while providing health care for people of other cultures. Cross cultural differences in medicine, traditional and non traditional, are wide and vast from on society to the next. Many nurses with backgrounds or some formal training in anthropology believe that ethnocentricity has no place in their field. One must be as neutral and unbiased as possible, in order to give the best care possible.

Ideology and cultural diversity must be taken into account in this field. Culturally sensitive healthcare is a relatively new idea, butmost involved see the benefits of taking such a stance. Many members of a different culture will not seek westernized health care specifically for the reason of lack of understanding or respect for an "unpopular belief." This leads to untreated conditions, and a lower quality of life for many immigrants and foreigners, not only here in the United States, but in many other more developed countries. Nurses, who generally have the most personal interaction with patients, are experiencing this and taking steps to institute measures that will provide a universal approach, teach understanding, and ultimately, revamp the status quo of health care cross culturally.

Two Spirit

The berdache is the two spirit native american. Some reffered to them as a male prostitute. Its odd that cultures had this so many years ago. I think that is just proof it is something biological that makes people have the opposite sex type of traits. This can be seen in many aspects of the world.
These people were accepted by some, and rejected by others. This can happen due to many different things. How we were raised. How we were brought up religiously can play a part in it as well. Though they were different, they were also healers and gave a lot back to the tribe. I think it should be noted that discrimination can push us away from many good aspects in life. I'm sure they fought their way for respect in the tribe.

Limitations to the Comparitive Method

The Comparitive Method is similar in many ways to Ethnocentricty. It is a school of thought that subscribes to the belief that comparison between cultures and societies fosters more pure knowledge, and a further basis of understanding communites and cultures in light of one particular frame of reference.

This seems to me to be a biased approach, and perhaps even an easy way out for practicioners of this belief. While it may have it's advantages, such as providing a basis for understanding for the layperson, as well as easily communicated conclusions and observations, there are several limitations and shortcomings to this type of approach. Some that I found in my research are listed as follows:

It is impossible to account for similarities in various cultures due simply to the similarites of the physiology of the human mind.

Similar traits may have developed for very different purposes or reasons.

The view that cultural differences are of minor importance is baseless.

Limits contextual understanding of a culture.

Many researchers and anthropologists alike subscribe to the point of view that an unbiased, ehtnogrpahic and unobtrusive methodology is best to truly understand a culture. And I agree.

Berdache

The Berdache, or two-spirit, is a term used by Native Americans to refer to many mixed gender roles that are present in their culture. Although the origin of the word is up to some debate, some say it is derived from the French Bardache, which references a male prostitute or catamite. Others say the word itself is middle eastern in decent, referring to a captured one, or a slave.

Frequently, in native culture, these individuals did not experience the same prejudice and discrimination that their contemporary American counterparts have. On the contrary, they were often embraced and treasured, thought to have special powers and insights, and included in the native community.

They occupied positions as healers or medicine persons, they were conveyors of oral traditons and songs, they were integral parts of the ceremonial sundance, they foretold the future and bestowed names upon children, they made pottery, and were nurses in times of battle.

Some, even among this culture, saw these individuals as social failures. But the majority embraced them for who they were, and saw them as an asset to the tribe.

Goodness, Gracious, Gobs of Goats.

The Milawi goat project, though not widely supported, has proven to be a resounding success. Milwai is one of the world's poorest countries, with epidimic levels of malnutrition in both children and adults. AIDS has taken it's toll in Milawai, with estimates that 14-30% of the population is infected. One aspect of this travesty is what is reffered to as "AIDS orphans." These are the children left orphaned after their parents die from this horrible disease. In an area where finances are already almost non existant, this adds to the burden of their care takers.

So in late 2009, several anthropologists, including Dr. Anne Drew, instituted the goat project. They provided to the native women goats, who could thrive in such a sparse environment, and also provided not only a food source, but a source of milk, a valued and rare commodity in those parts.

The women raised and bred the goats, and used the fruits of their labor to better their living conditions, to provide much need nutrition for their families, and to stave off malnourishment.

It is good to see this type of beneficial interaction in a field such as this. We usually reserve thoughts of altruism for fields such as social work and missionaries, but in this case, the anthropologists came through.

Irving King Jordan

Irving King Jordan was the first deaf president of Gallaudet University, the world's only university geared completely to facilitate the learning of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was 1988 when the students and staff gathered together to protest the election of a hearing president. It seemed obvious to those involved that their, representative, their policy maker, their president, should be a hearing imparied individual.

He could better understand their wants and needs, their struggles, their very communication. So they protested. This protest, called Deaf President Now, lasted a week and was monumental for deaf people and hearing impaired worldwide. At it's conclusion, the school's board named Jordan the president of Gallaudet, the first hearing impaired ever.

Jordan remained president until 2006, when he stepped down into retirement. His influence and respect among his peers was greatly diminished when he recommended and supported Jane Fernandes as his successor. A champion of the deaf community, he lost standing and respect for this action, because many considered Fernandes to be "not deaf enough."

Oralism

Oralism came into play in America in the late 1860's, and is reffered to by some as the dark ages for the hearing impaired. It incorporated the use of lip reading, speech, and mastered breathing techniques to attempt to facilitate the communication of deaf people. To this day, it is still a controversial topic, and the argument as to how to best educate the hearing imparied rages on.

Oralism did not allow hand movements or gestures, and looked down upon signing, even though this was by far the most effective way for the deaf to communicate. Manualism, another available method for teaching the deaf to communicate, proved to be more effective, and cited reasons for the ineffectuality of oralism including the limiting nature of the communication itself, the frustration and anger experienced by the pupils, and the unnatural way in which it was tought and recieved.

Oralism eventually failed. The education of young deaf students was spent completely and totally on speech. No math, no science, no literature or other subjects of study were even available. Students would often say, in frustration, "Talking just isn't that important to me."

Matrilineal/ Patrilieneal

As we studied the differences between matrilineal and patrilineal I noticed that my family has traits of both. We generally spend holidays with my moms side, but we have many other members on my dads side that we keep close contact with. We have a lot of family reunions, and a lot of different family gatherings. Matrilineal I think is more common in most families. Mothers have a lot of say in families. Especially when it comes to finances. Generally, they have the control of budget, and say in how the home account is spent. Of course that is not in all families, there are some where it is more patrilineal and the income is generally revenued from the father figure. I think that happens in many traditional families.
Income can be contoled from either side, but a lot of family functions are blended together. Many of us are close to both sides of grandparent, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I think this depends on the relationship that our parents have with their families. Rather then how it is with some countries, we are more dependent on relationships in America. I think America is rather un traditional in their thinking. We are rather dependent on opinion then anything else. Some countries are so opressed that they have no choice on who they spend their time with. In a matrilineal situation they are required to live with the mothers side of the family. I think this would be extremely diffucult if they didn't get along with the mothers side. I feel like when socities put such a strict standard on their citizens they cannot make choices for themselves. Tradition is important, its the backbone of many peoples morals and thoughts. It can be both good and detrimental in the same kind of light.

Cargo Cults, Unbelievable but True

Cargo Cults developed mainly in New Guinea and Melanisian areas, and generally occured only after some type of interaction with outside influence, namely war. This phenomenon can be described breifly as follows: These populations, generally pre-industrial tribes, become exposed to outside and more developed nations. This usually happens with an influx of material things, and especially during war time.
They see great ships, and airplains, and all the technological advancement that war brings. These are items and ideas that they have been unexposed to, and they believe that their Gods have meant these items and material wealth for them. They grow to covet these items, and then, when the conflict ends and the influx of new materials stops, they practice magic and rituals in an attempt to restore the flow of goods. These include making crude imitation landing strips to appease the gods, radio and communication equipment are replicated, and the behavior of the military men once present is immitated. All in an attempt to regain the "prosperity" brought to them by war.
After a time of conflict ends, most of these cargo cults die out, eventually. But one is left to wonder, how did they see things this way, and why would the material realm have such an influence on the metaphysical? Studies have shown that nearly all cultures and divisions of humanity have relatively similar IQs. These were not stupid people, but they chose to believe in an idea that seems absurd to most of us today.

Polygamy

I was starting to realize today, how society would interpert a polygamous family as I watcheTLC. Sister Wives is a new series about a polygamos family and how they function. Not only was it just a marriage, it was also a family. In todays society we think of family kinship being one mother and one father. To them, that is their norm. I think its so interesting how everyones take on family can differ. They are a fully functioning family. They have dinner together, go on trips together, and spend holidays together. The kids seem completely used to the lifestyle, and the wives seem to be happy. Its interesting how when we grow up we form opinions on how a family should be. As we grow up, we are told what the normal is, and we figure that to be the way it is. I think this is a form of mental containment. They are a fully functioning family and even though, they may not be an "average" american family, they still have love in their home.
I think thats what is most important. Whether we care or not as a family. Whether or not we have love in our home. I am happy that they are happy, and I think the kinship pattern differences are important but can be dully noted. Life is about being happy, and love in a home.

Sunni vs. Shiite

I've often wondered about the differences between Sunnis and Shiites, and why the conflict and confrontations occur between the two. After researching the issue, several truths became apparent. Sunnis and Shiites both follow the teachings of the prophet Muhammed, and are practitioners of Islam.
The main argument between the two sects seems to be the murder of Ali after the death of the prophet Muhammed, and the dispossession of the Caliphate from those who are believed to be the rightful heirs. Despite their differences, the two sects have lived together in peace for the majority of 13 centuries.
There are differences, but what religion doesn't have them? Catholics and Protestants have been fighting since before history, most notably in "The Troubles" of Ireland. Many Schisms have occured over the course of time: The Protestant Revolution, being one of them. But perhaps no other sect, or sects have been subject to outside influence like the Sunnis and Shiites. It is a volotile situation, and one that has been taken advantage of by political adversaries. Divide and conquer. Take a look at present day Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan. All of these countries are populated with Muslims, and all have experienced or are experiencing foreign prescence and occupation. A nation divided against itself will fall, which is a lesson the United States has learned, and taken advantage of.
Reconciliation , or at least peaceful coexistance of these two sects of Islam could be possible, if outside forces and influences didn't seek to drive them apart.

Minangkabau

The Minangs are the world's largest matrilineal society, in which properties and belongings are inherited through the female, or mother's lineage. The males of this society traditionally leave home as early as the age of 7, to learn religious and cultural teachings. When they are teenagers, they often leave their hometowns so that they can experience the world, learn trades and abilities, and then return home to be "useful" members of society.
This is quite different then a lot of cultures we see today. India, for instance, cherishes and values their male offspring so much more than female, that frequently female offspring are either aborted or abandoned. Patrilineal societies make up the majority of the world's population, so one is left to wonder how the Minangs differ, how this cultural phenomenon occured, and what are the differences and similarities between these Indonesian people and their customs, and the rest of the world.
The men still handle religious and political affairs, and the Minangs are mainly Muslims, but aslo have traces anamtism that even the most devout adhere to and believe in. Rich in culture, these people value education and knowledge highly. Many Minangs occupy the majority of the educated positions in Sumatra, as well as holding high political offices as ministers and advisors.

American Anthropological Association

The American Anthropological Association is the largest orginazation of Anthropologists today. It was founded in 1902 and was formed, according to it's mission statement, "to promote the science of anthropology, to stimulate and coordinate the efforts of American Anthropologists, etc."
From an initial membership of only 175 souls, it now boasts over 10,000 card carrying members. The AAA has remained the central society for the discipline of Anthropology, and interacts with state and federal governments, private institutions, individuals interested in the discipline, and the public as a whole.
As with most professional societies, the collective power of the AAA is astounding. Combining resources and knowledge, and working cooperatively to better address the needs and desires of it's membership, it serves a purpose and meets a need that no individual researcher ever could.

As with many true anthropologists, the society embraces the application of their combined studies and knowledge to the solution of human problems, both present and future. The collective power, influence, and resources of this organization help to enable anthropologists of all types to communicate with their peers, discuss potential research and projects, and join together in a spirit of academia quite unparallelled.

Modern Egyptians

In Modern Egypt, the political system was controlled by the upper class of the wealthy and most powerful rulers. This upper hand class relied on the Egyptian social system to regulate the labor force, administer resources, and the taxation of products. Those who were part of the lower class consisted of Egyptian workers and peasants who struggled to survive this diverse system. The only way in which one could move upward in the social system was to achieve a particular skill, achieve in literacy, or becoming part of the military career. For example, a peasant could teach their sons to learn trade apprenticed by priests or by artisans. Those boys who learned skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics could become scribes or work for the government. Another way to progress their social status would be to study an occupation such as obtaining knowledge of architecture, medicine and engineering. Leadership and adjudication played a significant role in the Egyptian society and government.

Today, the sociopolitical organization of modern Egypt can be identified as a republic leadership with 26 territorial governorates. The most powerful person that controlled and represented the state was the president. A multicandidate would elect the president by popular vote. Egypt had a tripartite government constitution that consisted the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Leadership and adjudication are practiced together and interconnected. Modern Egypt’s legal structure was developed and based on the Islamic law, English common law, and Napoleonic law codes. This legal structure is still enforced and practiced to this day.

http://www.all-about-egypt.com/social-structures-of-ancient-egypt.html

Can you be an anthropologist?

Anthropologists examine, analyze, report on, and compare different cultures and how they grow, develop, and interact. How people live offers insights into modern life and how significantly, or how little we have changed and how similar we are in our basic systems of interaction. Anthropologists can travel to exotic lands and spend time in primitive conditions or work in developed countries.
Cultural anthropologists may compare the culture of the medical world to that of the financial world, or the culture of professional athletes to that of legal professionals. Some anthropologists take a cross-disciplinary approach to the field, studying linguistics, chemistry, nutrition, or behavioral science, and apply the methodologies of those disciplines to their study of culture.
Qualities that encourage success in this field include a nonjudgmental, inquisitive mind, patience, and the ability to make conclusions from incomplete information.
Anthropology is associated with archaeology, writing, sociology, history, and even geology. Many former anthropologists choose to specialize in one of these other scientific fields. Linguistics and ethnology are major fields of choice for the anthropologist who finds physical anthropology less exciting.

Medical Anthropology

Medical Anthropology is one of the most highly developed disciplines in Anthropology. A subfield of both social and cultural anthropology, it examines ways in which culture or society is centered around, influenced, or organized by issues of health, healthcare, or medicine. Anyone that has been to a hospital could easily observe the difference in societal interactions from everyday life. There is a definite established hierarchy, from administrators and physicians, to nurses and assistants. But aside from modern day medicine, historically, healers have held certain status and respect among various populations. Observing these present and past interactions, anthropologists in this discipline focus on several major areas.

First, the development of systems of medical knowledge and medical care. Secondly, the doctor and patient relationship. Thirdly, the integration of alternative medical systems into culturally diverse areas. Fourth, the interaction of social, biological, and environmental factors which influence health and illness in individuals and in communities as a whole. And finally, the impact of biomedicine and biomedical technologies in non western civilizations.

Medical anthropology is concentrated on mainly by western (namely American) researchers and methodologists. Though studies have been made by our foriegn counterparts, the majority of this type of study is conducted right here in the U.S.

Koneki

Koneki is the Japanese version of menopause, but has slightly different symptoms. Koneki is a more holistic approach to the female aging process, and can be tied loosely to how different cultures, especially females, view medicinal treatments, and the process of aging. There are huge differences between the American treatment of menopause, and the Japanese, once again demonstrating both cultural and gender differences in the East and West.
Hormone based medicine is a chief concern for Japanese women, which is another significant difference. They fear the side effects, namely cancer, and thus chose to participate in Koneki as a more natural approach.

Needle Exchange

Exchanging needles and needle exchange clinics have been a controversial issue since their inception. The basic premis is this: an IV drug user may exchange old or dirty needles for new ones, thus limiting the chance of spreading HIV and various other blood borne pathogens. It has been documented that many IV users "share works" or use already used needles and share them with fellow drug users.
Needle exchange has been implemented in several major metropolatin areas and has shown a drastic impact on the transmission of HIV.
Still, naysayers rant that programs like these advocate drug use, and even go so far as to take the position that if you're a needle junkie, you deserve what you get. Despite these protests, legislation is now in place to provide federal funding for such clinics.

Revitalize!!!

Revitalization movements can be defined as an organized attempt by a culture to create a more satisfying culture, often molded after preexisting modes of living. Nativistic, Revitalistic, Utopian, messianic, and millenariun are all forms of revitalization movements. Anthropologist Anthony Wallace is given credit for coining the term.
Generally, these movements are a cultures response to excessive stress or poor living conditions. They can also be political or religious in nature, or the result of a less than good standard of living or opression. The Ghost Dance of the Native Americans can be seen as a revitalization movement, in an attempt by the Native Americans to restore their old ways, free themselves from the white man's opression, and regain the prosperity of old. Christianity, too was a revitalization movement.

Stimulus Diffusion

Stimulus Diffusion can be loosely defined as the spread of a better idea from culture to culture. Though closely related to expansion diffusion, stimulus diffusion can be seen, in laymen's terms as this : Something is a better idea or concept than an existing one (usually from another culture or society) and even though it's not quite perfect, it supercedes that status quo in terms of usefullness, practicality, or simplicity, and thus is adopted by a culture, and diffuses through.
A very basic example of this is the process of agriculture. It has been sumrised that agriculture originated somewhere in the Middle East, and then spread to all of Eurasia, and then to all of the world.
It could be said then, hypothetically, that as long as cultures continue to interact, and exchange ideas, the best, most useful way of doing things will eventually transfer, and reduce some of the cultural differences that we see today.

Here, You Can Have this "Reservation," We'll Just Take the Rest.

The land rights of indigenous people worldwide have been abused, exploited, and downright stolen. Generally speaking, the native peoples of a land have vaguely established boundaries, share common ownership or usage of land and resources, and are otherwise unestablished. Although legal safeguards in recent years have established protection for indigenous people and their land, this regulation is most likely too little too late. All over the globe, native and historically peaceful people have been abused and taken advantage of by more established, devloped, or more numerous cultures. In the rich history of the United States, this can be seen with the treatment of the Native Americans. The people who lived here before we got here. Our government, in the name of progress, stole their land and placed them in certain areas, restricting their movement and indigenous rights. Then we renegged on those contracts and took even more land. When they protested, they were slaughtered and left dead in the prarie. The United States is not the only country guilty of these attrocities. Australia, Africa, and Southeast Asia have all seen their fair share of violating the land rights of indegenous peoples.

sister wives

There is a show on TLC called Sister Wives. This show illustrates the life of a polygamist family. The man, Kody is married to four wives and between the four wives has sixteen children. I watched a few episodes of this and found it very interesting. The idea of polygamy seems so foreign to me. When learning about this I could only make connections to distant cultures but this show proved that it is happening right under my nose.

When thinking about these ways, it is often thought in a negative way. Often people imagine this as a greedy man but this show shed it in a positive light. It showed the connection he shared with all the wives and children. In no way would I consider as a lifestyle choice for myself but it did put a new perspective in my head.

Law of Similarity

Some great examples of law of similarity are famous superstitions in baseball. The law of similarity states magical that similar things have a certain connection and acts done to one will have effect on it likeness. A great example is the curse of the Bambino, aka Babe Ruth. Back in the day the Boston Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. If you follow baseball you know that the Red Sox and the Yankees don’t see eye to eye. The Red Sox were given this curse and this was thought of as reason why the Red Sox hadn’t won a World Series in 86 years. But in 2004, 86 years after the trade, the Sox finally won the World Series and broke the curse.

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

According to Matlz and Borker, striking differences can be seen between the language and communication styles of male and female, particularly at a younger age. Although this topic could be expounded on for pages and pages (as seen in current pop-literature), I will focus mainly on the purposes of language in boys and girls, according to Maltz and Borker. They would sumrise that boys use language in a more assertive and agressive fashion then girls. (This could be a culturally specific conclusion, as gender roles are most deffinitely learned and not inherent). They will often times attempt to speak when someone else is talking, interrupt, and draw attention to themselves. Girls, on the other hand, attempt to create and maintain relationships of closeness and equality, to criticize others in acceptable ways, and to interprut accurately the speech of other girls.
While this may seem basic and common sensical, much can be derived from these conclusions. Watch the interaction in any egalitarian society, such as we claim to be, and the differences in gender communication almost certainly line up with these claims.

Foot Binding...These Shoes are Too Tight!

For a thousand years in Japan, women had their feet bound to inhibit growth. Documented as early as the 10th century, and ending no later then 1911, this culturally specific exaggeration of a woman's body was practiced widely and seen as incredibly fashionable.
One theory behind the purpose for this wickedly cruel practice is that it would help to control independent women. They were so physically deformed, that any prolonged amount of travel by foot was excrutiating. Another theory, and this one slightly more accepted, says that Japanese men found the small foot extremely attractive. Parents would bind their daughters' feet in an attempt to gain favor with a wealthy suitor, and thus, bring fortune and stability to their families. A third theory states that this could be seen as a status symbol for the family of the girl with the tiny feet. They were able to have a member of their family who was unable to work, to support her. They could afford to not utilize her in the workforce. This implied success for the family.

The way my family works

I would consider my family more on the matrilineal side than the patrilineal side. From watching how my family works, I would consider my mom the head of the house hold. When referring to using the family credit card, it is often referred to as my mom money. When it comes to making financial decisions it usually is up to my mom. My mom is the one who balances the books and keeps everyone in line. By no means does my mom walk all over my dad but this is what I have noticed. I think it comes from how they were raised. In my mom’s family she grew up being in charge of shopping and feeding four kids, while my dad had a typical childhood. It’s not in my family to be either, but I think it just ended up matrilineal.

Cultural Anthropology As Seen in Film

Perhaps one of the most valuable tools that we have available to study Anthropolgy in recent times is film. The audio and visual recordings of cultures worldwide have been made readily available through the use of mass media. Though some might see this as "armchair" anthropology, I have found that this attitude is dismissive and obtuse.
When studying cultures and societies of the past, researchers have been incredibly limited. They must rely on oral histories and related narratives, archealogical remains, ethnographic studies of ancestors and the like. History can and is often times distorted, and only a partial view can be obtained, the accuracy of which can come into question.
Through film, interaction, daily life, rituals, habits, and cultural differences are documented clearly and precisely, leaving little room for debate. The study of the human culture and society has been made vastly more accesable through this medium. This is not to say that other forms of study are obsolete or not valuable. Before the onset of recorded visual history, in prehistoric socieites and cultures of yesteryear, we must still rely on the methods mentioned above. That is all we have, and we must embrace and cherish the work of anthropologists past, and learn from their observation and interaction. But today, film, that wonderful concrete documentation, is a tool for all who study humans, who study culture, who study society...to embrace.

Linguistic Anthropology

Linguisitc Anthropology focuses on human perception and communication, and draws a connection with how people percieve their world and the structure and formation of their language. Interesting information on this, and perhaps the most valuable that I have come across, comes from discussion in lecture about the deaf, and sign language. But I digress, that is another topic. Regularities between how people percieve and categorize or structure their world can be seen in many different cultures. A societies closeness to nature can be seen in the detailed descriptions of numerous plants and animals. Likewise, a society based on a more technological foundation will have language geard more specifically to that structure.
Linguistic anthropology originated from the endeavour to document endangered languages. Researches soon discovered how much could be learned from language structure and use as pertaining to particular societies and cultures. Social identies, the use of the narrative, and ideologies have all been further explained by linguistic anthropology, which has been and is used as an incredible tool to help further understand other areas of anthropology itself, as well as human history.

The Anthropology of Food.

The anthropology of food differs from many other sub-disciplines because it focuses on the study of food within a culture, as well as cross culturally. Food requires hunting, gathering, distribution, storage, serving, disposal, preperation, and display as well as a thousand other aspects. ALL of these are social activities, the study of which can reveal volumes of information pertaining to interaction within a society or culture.
There are also direct coorelations that can be seen with agriculture, native diet, technology, feasts and festivities, cross cultural influence, and so on. Who would have thought that so much knowledge and information could have been derived from something so simple as eating?
I must admit, when I first heard of the anthropology of food, I laughed a little under my breath. After further research though, I became aware of how valuable this field is. Eating, and everything that it involves, is an excercise and practice that every single culture on the face of the Earth shares. It is the differences, the subtle nuances, the similarities that can be seen which provide a basis for comparison for nearly every culture. So much can be learned from this field, I am suprised not more focus has been given to this oasis of knowledge.

Careers in Anthropology...Hmmm...

I often find myself still wondering, what do I want to be when I grow up? This is ridiculous, because I am 32 years old, have succeeded and failed at many career endeavours, and still fatasize about taking my beat up old six string on stage in front of millions of adoring fans. This is all well and good, except that I only play 6 songs, and I sing like a South American Tree Frog baking away in the sun. Every class I attend, I try to visualize where a career in that field might be. Cultural Anthropology is no different. Is there a call for this kind of work? Are there jobs in this field, outside of teaching? What is the money like? Will the Trobrian Islanders,( who have, almost certainly by this point grown tired of the various ethnographers and researchers who customarily seek them out) accept me with open arms as I go to write yet another dissertation on them?
So I did a little checking, and one survey in particular caught my eye. It was conducted by UC Berkley in 2007. 34% of those surveyed were working (not necesarily in their chosen field). 26% were looking for work. 19% were continuing with post graduate studies, and 21% were pursuing other activities (probably doing late night blogs in a shameless attempt to escalate their GPAs.) Anthropology students were just as likely to be employed in education or non profit work as they were in other indeavours. The average annual salary reported for these graduates was $34,000. That figure is well above the national poverty line, as long as you don't plan on having more than two kids!
Though I find this subject enthralling, and feel that a career in this field would be not only challenging but also rewarding, I will stick with my aspirations at becoming a rock star, because that's just how I roll.

An Example of Syncretism

Syncretism is when a culture adopts certain aspects of a foriegn culture, and incorporates it or changes it according to their own culture. This assimilation can take many and varried forms, from religion to education, from agriculture to industry.
Perhaps the best known example, as far as anthropology is concerned, of syncretism is the Trobian Islanders form of Cricket. Initially, the game of Cricket was introduce to the Trobian Islanders in 1903, by Christian missionary William Gilmore, who was attempting to curtail tribal warfare and conflict. The competitive nature of the game appealed to the natives, and the soon took to the matches with increasing fervor and determination.
Not long after, they had formed their own specialized and unique version of the sport. The Trobriands cast aside traditional British aspects of the game, and incorporated their own unique twists. Such changes included a new war-like aspect, ritualistic clothing and dances, a permanent home field advantage (the home team always wins) and scoring and equipment differences.
Trobrian Cricket is now a highly valued part of Trobrian culture, but not, exactly, as the British and the good Christian minister intended.
This is an example of Syncretism, perhaps at it's most basic form, but also, in it's most understandable.

Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism can be defined as the view that one's own ethnic or cultural groups is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured in relation to that particular group. As I continue to research various topics in cultural anthropology, I find myself falling victim to an ethnoceric point of view. My previous topics, including Rwandan marriage, polygamy, female genital modification, etc. all have drawn or inferred comparisons to the culture I know. That of a middle class American white man.
I find myself wondering, is this okay? After all, this is my frame of reference, and the only one I have, so if comparisons are to be drawn, they must be with what I know, how I think, and who I am. Attempting to remove this bias, even though I am aware of it, is difficult to say the least.
I wonder about anthropologists as a whole, spread to the four corners of the Earth, and contemplate how they "cleared the slate" so to speak, to try and gain a perspective other than the one they have always known.
Ethnographic field work, attempts at both cultural relatavism and functionalism, as well as other methods have been employed to try and limit the influence of Ethnocentrism, especially and particularly in studies "in the field."
Those these attempts are noble, and may provide for a slightly less biased perspective, this author wonders if we, as researchers, as scientists, as anthropologists, or even as people, can ever truley get away from our inherent tendency to incorporate our perspective, our cultural and societal norms, and the lives we have lived.

Female Genital Modification

Female genital modification, or FGM, is often times performed as an unnessecary surgery, with the intent being to decrease a woman's sexual desire and preserve virginity. In many cultures, especially in Africa and the Middle East, virgin girls are highly valued and the only females available for marriage. Since marriage is seen as a way of joining families, creating kinship ties, and bolstering wealth, many mothers and fathers consent to having their daughters "modified."
These procedures include, but are not limited to, clitoridectomy, or the removal or cutting of a woman's cliteros, or infibulation, which is the sewing shut of the vagina.
There are many and varried reasons for partaking in this type of surgery. Be it cultural or religious, the WHO (World Health Orginazation) has found that in the majority of these cases can be harmful to the recipients. Often times excessive bleeding, sexual dysfunction, or infection results. As the majority of the participants in this type of practice reside in third world countries with sub-standard medicinal practices, it is not rare to see fatal operations.

The Commercialization of Traditional Medicines.

Bioprospecting is the process by which individuals or groups involved in the international drug trade (medicinal) attempt to discover new and useful ways to utilize biological resources to create new medicinal remedies and drugs. Often times, the knowledge of an areas indigenous people is sought after and utilized, and then marketed. The folk-medicine of certain cultures is explored, tested, and often times exploited. I remember twenty some years ago, my mother, a registered nurse midwife, grew her own goldenseal plant, and harvested the roots to cure ailments of all types for me and my three siblings. To testify to it's effectiveness, not one of us ever spent the night in a hospital. Back then, it was not widely available, or accepted as a means of treatment. Now, you can find commercialized goldenseal on the shelves of any Walmart, Walgreens, or local drug store. This is just a small aspect of how bioprospecting hit home for me.

Biopiracy is a common occurance. This is when a company exploits the folk medicine or indigenous knowledge of an area, often times without any thought of recompence or compensation to the indigenous people. Huge drug corporations like Pfizer and Eli Lilly have been partaking in this practice for years. There are very few laws governing acts like these, which often take place internationally, and so huge companies and conglomarites, in their quest for the almighty dollar, unabashedly exploit native cultures and resources.

Polygamy

I once heard an old joke. Polygamy is having too many wives. Monogamy is the same. Polygamy can be defined as having multiple partners in a marriage. It can be found in three seperate forms, polyandry, where a woman has more than one husband at the same time, polygyny, where a man has multiple wives at the same time, and group marriage, where there are multiple husbands and wives.
Suprisingly to me, according to the Ethnographic Atlas Codebook, of 1231 societies studied, only 186 were monogomous, 453 practiced some polygyny, 588 had more frequent polygyny, and 4 were polyandrous.
These statistics were staggering to me, in my westernized point of view. I had always thought that polygamy was a rare and infrequent occurence, even in other cultures. I guess that shows what I know.

Hawaaiin Kinship Structure

Hawaaiin kinship structures are one of the main types of kinship structures found today. They are quite different from the kinship structures that we find in most parts of the United States. In Hawaaiin kinship structures, the extended family is concentrated on with much more importance than most of us are used to.
Aunts and Uncles are called mom and dad, and cousins are reffered to as brother or sister. This difference is seen more than just in name. Child rearing, shared expenses, and familial support that we as United States citizens are most likely unaccustomed to are shared within the extended family, and close knit circles are formed.
Mutual support in this particular familial structure is expected and reciprocated, and the benefits of a wider spread family can be seen quite obviously. As the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, and the Hawaaiins, as well as those who practice Hawaaiin kinship structures, seem to have taken this to heart.

Rwandan Marriage vs Western Marriage (U.S.)

After researching various Rwandan marriage practices and institutions, I found it interesting the cross-cultural differences between their rituals, their resonings, and there methodology compared to ours here in the United States.
Here in the U.S., we seem to take for granted the idea of marrying the one we love, the one we want to be with, the one for us. In Rwanda, though mate selection is now an accepted practice, arrainged marriages and family approval of a wife or husband is still wide spread. Rwandans see marriage as a means to an end. A union is generally designed to further kinship and societal ties. By the age of 45, 90% of all men are married. Being married, as well as having a large family structure, is seen in Rwanda as a sign of wealth.
It strikes me the difference in our culture today. While it is true that being married is a sign of stability, at least in some circles, being single is not looked down upon or considered strange as it is in Rwanda. Marriage here, as there, is a sacred rite, and taken very seriously, but for very different reasons.

conversations and grammas

It is important how language is and how it can connect people together. When two people from different countries who speak different languages meet, only the same language can connect them together. When I just came to the US, I was concentrated in how I would present myself, connect my idea with other people's ideas and after all, it's a communication between two minds, they don't really care that my English is not so well and stuff. But eventually I came around to find that gramma is actually a very importatn aspect in communicating also. Because without grammas, you wouldn't be able to understand what other people is saying and everythins. So gramma is important. but My advise to people who travel to a different country is, they still should concentrate on themse, ideas they want to get across to different people, no concentrate on grammas. because in that case, gramma become a distraction taht distract you from the real things you want to concentrate on. Language is imporatant but gramma is important also. Differnet case is represented in writing, in writhin, gramma is second important compared to language. language is theme protrayal, gramma makes peopole understand more what you are saying. and if people speng too much time figure out what you are trying to say, it distract them from what you really want to say

stululus diffusion

stimulus diffuson is when ideas travel across culture boundaries, how sequoia got the idea for the cherokee alphabet, how cricket got introduced to the trobriand islands. stuimulus diffusion, is see, is everywhere. in china, peopel ofgtn tend to borrow ideas from various interests of groups. McDonals, KFCs are borrowed and are dominating the chinese society right now. a movie i recently watched is borrowed form 'Devil Wears Prada, almost the scenes are similar where I find very intriging because I saw both movies and they are so similar. when CoCo Chanle went to Shanghai, she was shocked by women in Shanghai, how elegant they are, their hair so tight and neat at all times with many oils hair oils on their head and such. Stimulus diffusion is good because it spread good ideas around, causing people to look at differnet good things in different cultures. Stimulus diffusion is a bad thing, because when people don't know what they are and what they mean and just follow the ideas mindlessly is bad for people's mind and culture. Bring bad cultures to people having to do that.

Maltz

Maltz and Border see as the source fo differne cultures fo rmen and women, the separtate single gender play grounds boys and girls play in when they are children. I think it is true in the case of boys and girls, when they are at a yound age, they are exposed to cultural stererotypes and girls and only do such and such and boys can only do such and such. girls only can get to played with dolls and boys with little toy cars. girls play with girls only and boys play with boys only. cultural steereotypes affect everyone's lives including disablity. people with disabilities or are at the margins of the societies only think can they can only do this can this. people often assume that deaf people can't do anything when deaf people can almost do anything expect to hear. cultural stereotyped are dominating society, marginalzing everyone possibly into that they shoud behave in a certain way and not in others. i think it's interesting how cultural stereotypes have influenced our lives.

Stealing from Lions

The Dorobo Hunters are very courageous. One of the Human Planet videos shows them “hunting”. When I say “hunting” I mean stealing from lions. The Dorobo watch a lion and his pride enjoying a wildebeest. With confidence and careful planning, the three hunters approach the lion and its pride. This scares them off momentarily. This will give them just enough time to carve off one of the legs and retreat. The lion carefully watches the Dorobo. Once they have retreated the lion and his pride move back to enjoying their feast.

The video is pretty intense and a bit gory. The Dorobo talk about how tense they feel right before they make their move. They talk about having confidence and moving swiftly. I think it is amazing the different hunting strategies all over the world.

high sexualized

I feel like something is werid going on with this culture. I feel like that i am constantly exposed to a lot of sexualized cultures. that man should dress this way, woman should dress this way, I don't know what the Tahitians think, but i think a sexualized culture is grusome. American cultures, part of it, that woman shoud get a tan, go to the beach , get sun burns, their dress should show their upper parts lower parts show curves . men should be hald naked, show their muscles. It is completedly opposite in china. when i just came to the us , first day in high school , i find very young girls, face completely covered up in make ups, lineers, mascaras and everything. i was scared. in china, we are not allowed make up in school until we graduate. i saw a you tube post a while ago, talkign about a girl in Korea never took her make ups off and she is 20 but her skin is at 40 years of age. i think a big problems with make ups also is that it damages your skin highly. taht make ups are not good for your skin at all. whne we thin about skins, think about the skin on you handk,and they are covered with paint all day, grose! make up are just paint finely grined. they are not good for you.

foot binding and relatedd symbols

oKay, first of all i don't find how men think that women's foot is sexual. that a small food can inhance their sexualized experiences. same thing as I do not understand how a man in the us find that woman 's butts are sexy. when you see a big butt woman hanging around, walking around by you, you don't feel growse? i feel growse, bit butt is not sexy, it just shows that you are lazy enough to lose weight to become a healthy person and you are keeping atht all fatness inside your butt, and your jeans don't really like it to the point tath they squeeze all your meat togetehr, when I look at big butted woman walking on the street from the back, it looks like they have diarea all in that area. In China, boys don't like big butts woman. Chineses beauty is portrayed as fragile, elegent, class. that a woman should have a body mass index as around 17 to 18, when science has calculated that such a BMI is very unhealty and below normal weight. when all my friends in China tell one of my friends to loose weight, i calculated her BMI and it is only like 20. but she still struggles to lose weight as cultures in china has changed which boys like skinny bodied woman now. When I was in china, i did not feel very comfortable with my body, as it is, in chinese boys' eyes, too big too tall too fat. but when i come here, people tell me that i fit right into the normal body mass/height in america.
Somewhere in the world you are beautiful!

Hunting with Blowpipes

This video is a very interesting one. It shows the Matis of Brazil hunting monkeys. The Matis have a very brilliant skill of being able to imitate 10 different monkey calls. As they move through the forest they stop and call out the various calls. When a group has been spotted the hunting begins. Instead of using guns, the Matis use blowpipes shooting poisoned darts. They darts are scorn with piranha teeth to make sure the tip breaks off in the monkeys body and the poison can set in. The reason the Matis use blowpipes is because they can miss with the darts and it can go unnoticed. Once the monkey has been hit it must be tracked until the poison full sets in and kills the monkey. The Matis hunt monkeys due to their high protein.

Annette Weiner

Annette Weiner didn't fine when she studied the women of the trobirand islands athat malinowski had depicted the lives of women in an accurate way. which is, when Malinowski when to the trobricna island, he assumed a lot of things but only look at a particular group, and being not affiliated with the whole culture, for a short amout of period, because of his selected group to write about or because of his influence in such cultures, he published his posts ansd poeple thought those were what happened in those countrie.s I think in part it is not fair. for exampel, when i jsut came to the United States, because some people do not know what's going on in China, they asked me if I wore shoes when I was in China. O f course I did! BUt i don't blame them because they know china thorugh some movies taht became popular in the US, maybe some movies aobut Jackie Chan in the 70s or maybe some movei exaggerating some very poor parts of china. anyways, that is how they became known that china is just like that, through a lacking of understand, that they assumed if I behaved like people in those movies did.
some movies, popular in china, were just movies about some exaggerated part in china, to make the government realize atht they still have work to do about those places in China. For example, in movie "can't live without one of them", the movie portrayed a situation in china in some very poor places people don't have education, and the teachers made sure they cant' miss one single kid in the class.

Facebook

Facebook (stylized facebook) is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. As of January 2011^[update], Facebook has more than 600 million active users. Users may create a personal profile, add other users as friends, and exchange messages, including automatic notifications when they update their profile. Additionally, users may join common interest user groups, organized by workplace, school or college, or other characteristics. The name of the service stems from the colloquial name for the book given to students at the start of the academic year by university administrations in the United States to help students get to know each other better. Facebook allows anyone who declares themselves to be at least 13 years old to become a registered user of the website.

Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow computer science students Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes.The website's membership was initially limited by the founders to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Boston area, the Ivy League, and Stanford University. It gradually added support for students at various other universities before opening to high school students, and, finally, to anyone aged 13 and over.

A January 2009 Compete.com study ranked Facebook as the most used social networking service by worldwide monthly active users, followed by MySpace. Entertainment Weekly included the site on its end-of-the-decade "best-of" list, saying, "How on earth did we stalk our exes, remember our co-workers' birthdays, bug our friends, and play a rousing game of Scrabulous before Facebook?" Quantcast estimates Facebook has 135.1 million monthly unique U.S. visitors in October 2010. According to Social Media Today, in April 2010 an estimated 41.6% of the U.S. population had a Facebook account.

*the underlined names you can type in on the internet to get further research on them

Deaf Community

In class when we talked about Gallaudet University, it really hit home for me for two reasons. First I have a buddy I played little league football with who plays football for Gallaudet. It was interesting to learn about Gallaudet. I originally thought it was just a division 3 football school but it turns out it is a prestigious university. It was fun to learn the history and struggles of the university. Now I will have a few talking points next time I see Shelby.

The second reason doesn’t have much to do with Gallaudet but more of the fact of the deaf community. My girlfriend’s mom and aunt are both deaf and my girlfriends hearing is on the decline. She has pretty much accepted the fact the in a few years she will be deaf. Alex’s aunts hearing is the worst out of the three of them. She has had many surgeries to try to delay the process but so far no luck. Even with these failed attempts her aunt is still very proactive in the deaf community. A couple times a year she volunteers as a deaf camp staff member to assist children going deaf.

Before taking this class I never thought about the deaf community twice but now I realize how interconnected I am with it.

berdache man to woman

berdache is a term used for men who take on female roles in Native American cultures. Actually, the practice of transforming little boys to girls is popular in Thailand a while ago. With poor families who don't have money, their parents would inject woman hormones to little boys, and doing that continuously over a long period, when they grow up, those little boys look like girls. i think it interesting how little boys can be transformed to little girls and that have an impact on society. poor families like this in ancient china also cut boys's reproductive organs to send them to palace where they can not have an affair with the king's women but remain sexually inactive until they die. Medically, that have a large harmful effect on the male's bodies, bring them to die in a young age. Secretly, some women in the palace never see the king in their lives anyway, because the kings have at leat thousands of women and it were always those particular ones who were liked by the king, so the solution to the outcome of the problem of loneliness and isolations are that some women started to have affairs with those men without sexual orientated organs. when they get caught, of course all of their families and friends can be killed.
But I just think it's such a crucial experience in such undeveloped countries that such exerciese was performed.

Different Relationships in different cultures

There are many pre-conceived notions on how different cultures view intimate relationships. Different cultures do have their own views about intimate relationships. Some cultures are more romantic, showering their significant others with gifts. Some cultures are more demanding and expect their lovers to be more submissive. Then there are cultures that don’t expect too much of anything from their partner; they just enjoy being in a relationship.

Latino. This culture is known to be more romantic. The men love to shower their women with flowers, candy and gifts. However, the men are the head, and are expected to be treated with respect. The women are known to be respectful to their men. They enjoy cooking, eating and having a real great time together. They enjoy all types of intimacy with their partner, and do not refrain from having sexual relationships before marriage.

African-American. Some individuals enjoy giving gifts, but you may find that a lot of them enjoy receiving them more. This culture enjoys social functions and fine dining. Some believe in keeping their affection for one another strictly behind closed doors whereas others may be more than willing to show how they feel out in public. This culture enjoys intimacy with their partner. They explore and find many ways to please one another.

European American. Generally, you will find that this culture is a little more reserved in their intimate relationships. They may not show any affection for one another at times but their affection quite often goes without saying. They have an understood love between them. However, the men do believe in treating their significant others very specially.

Indian. You may find that in this culture, relationships are handled with a little more submissiveness. The men seem to control the relationship. So, they think anyway. Sometimes, women have a way of controlling things and the men do not even know it. The men do remember to bring their better half flowers on occasions. This culture does not generally believe in any type of pre-marital sex.

Source: Renata Johnshon (Cultural Psychologist)

baseball players

Gmelch give for baseball players liking routines, they are comforting, they bring order to a complex world over which they have little ontrl and they can helpo players concentrate. Japanese really like baseball, baseball is not a sports where people relax in have have fun anymore. it has became a culture symbolized with coolness, a touch of flamboyance and peoople , especially like boys, who play baseball are envied by girls. it's such a culture change because im sure in the ancient times, sports are largely dominated. If you are good at sports, it increase your chance of surviving, because people walk around with armors, swords and such. but now, sports has became a change fo intertainment where everyone enjoys. in the ancient times you have to be particularly good at some skill, drawings, make houses and stuff to make money. but in the industrialized world today, those skills are too slow to make something, im sure when in the 1800s when machines emerged,big changes were going on in people' s lives. now, i see a cultural trend of people don't fancy skills and studies anymore, but in highly developed countries like US, people are more likely associated with communication, funny, personalties. that would bring a change to societies like China where you still need a skill to survive.

muslims

Shial muslims believe that the only true successor to the prophet Mohammed is a blood relative. i think it is funny how hinuism in china has become. before it's for commoners to go to the place, talk to the mud statues to relieve their inner worries/feelings. now, i don't know, it's more business like where people do bad things by giving each other money to buy titles and such. often the supposed "true ancestor" of the Hindu god is killed when he is like a child or something, and people would wait for the same child in the same year that were born to grwo up, and choose one to become the new king. I think there is a problem in a culture like this where people choose blood relatives. in the end you don't really even know which one is blood relatives which one is not. for example in ancient hierarchies, when a man don't have sons , he would steal someone's son for a male to inherit thrones. there are cases where newborn come out and is slaughtered by the mother's enemies. I saw a movie, a mom in the chinese palace had a son, and the king calls to see the son, the midwife bring the son running to the palace, the queen in midway hold up the child and drops him on the ground, say, woops and son dies.

traditoinal rite of passage

a traditional rite of passage includes a rite of separation, a rite of incorporation and a new post ritual state. i think it's true taht rite of passages are interesting. similarly with rituals. some of the rituals are really interesting. for example, of some ceremonies in america, such as weddings, people like to wear white gowns because that they believe, white in christian book: bIble, means pure and harmless, what Jesus' lamb symbols. but white in china actually means only for dead people. they believe that bright colors such as red can scare evil spirits away, such in holidays and such. I think it is interesting how a color in one culture can mean something and totally differnet in another culture. in new years and such, everyone wear red, every place is decorated with red colors. but in us, like the peoplel around here did not like the red eyes the horse had going to Denver internatinoal airport.

totmism

an example of totemism is a dakota indian taking a snake as his personal symbol; us armyu rainbow division during world war I thinkign taht a rainbow before battle would protect them; the university fo wyoming teams being called the cowobys or the cowgirls and many more. i think totemism is interesting becasue when i was in middle school, tests were considered very important for people, so my friend wrote a letter to me encouraing each other before the test day, and on the test she received a really good score. the next time we have a big test like this, once again she gave me a letter only because the first time she did she receive a beg score. many friends of mine in CHina also like to eat the same thing on test day. for example, if they received a big score on a test and they ate noodels that morning, the next time they have a test like that they would eat noodles again. i think it is interesing how people don't really trust in their own abilities, instead, they trust taboos and totemism.
trust your own abilities!!!

Wind Energy Production in Wyoming

The American Anthropological Association recently released a story discussing the sustainability movement in the United States. More specifically, the article covered the push to incorporate clean energy sources, focusing mainly on wind power. The article claimed that as society move close to unanimously accepting that global warming is indeed taking place that we as a culture are adapting to lifestyles that are economically and environmentally feasible.

Wyoming in particular is experiencing changes on all levels during the implementation of wind energy as a main clean energy source. Being a republican dominated state, however, the discussion of sustainable progression is often found to be weighed down with red tape and political jargon here in our windy state. One look at the Wyoming state legislature would give any audience a clear understanding of the difficulties we as a state face. Just in the last Congress alone there were multiple bills which proposed addition regulations be place on the production of wind energy.

The main bill which found its way to the floor of the Wyoming state legislature was a bill intended to establish wind as a property right. Similar to current legislation which claims minerals rights and land rights to be separate, this bill would have establish the same protocol for wind. In theory this would protect land owners from signing over land to be used for wind production without a clear understanding of what such production would entail. In addition it would in theory protect land owners from selling certain property rights with the understanding that no such production would actually ever take place. Often in the midst of political and economic talk, it is easy for uneducated citizens to become manipulated, an event which the legislation would be intended to protect citizens against. The problem with such legislation, however, is that it continues to slow the movement towards sustainable, clean energy. We must find a balance.

Law of mana and taboo

Mana is an example of animatism, that spirit can flow in and out of a person's body. that i heard a case in china, a woman charges people to come to her house and talk to dead relatives for them. specifically, she ask them for the dead relative's informations, and then she would "let the dead person's spirit rest on her", and she would talk ( the dead people can talk) to the dead people's relatives now. Personally, i do not believe that. even if it is true, God must've hates it. they received power from the evil spirits, i belileve. becasue one woman in china told me once that she can see from her "third eye" , that she can see people's outside apearcnace, and analyze what they have been through. like whey were hit in the head or somethign when they were little, she can tell.
I think there are many instances where people just lie to others that they have that ability or die for it to make money. in such a complex society you never know if they are true or not true

~John Wesley Powell~

John Wesley Powell (March 24, 1834 – September 23, 1902) was a U.S. soldier, geologist, explorer of the American West, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He is famous for the 1869 Powell Geographic Expedition, a three-month river trip down the Green and Colorado drivers that included the first known passage through the Grand Canyon.

Powell served as second director of the US Geological Survey(1881–1894) and proposed policies for development of the arid West which were prescient for his accurate evaluation of conditions. He was director of the Smithsonian Institution, where he supported linguistic and sociological research and publications.

Powell was born in Mount Morris, New York, in 1834, the son of Joseph and Mary Powell. His father, a poor itinerant preacher, had emigrated to the U.S. from Shrewsbury, England, in 1830. His family moved westward to Jackson, Ohio, then Walworth County, Wisconsin, before settling in Illinois in rural Boone County.

Powell studied at Illinois College, Wheaton College, and Oberlin College, acquiring a knowledge of Ancient Greek and Latin. Powell had a restless nature and a deep interest in the natural sciences. As a young man he undertook a series of adventures through the Mississippi River valley. In 1855 he spent four months walking across Wisconsin. During 1856 he rowed the Mississippi from St. Anthony, Minnesota, to the sea. In 1857 he rowed down the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to St. Louis; and in 1858 down the Illinois River, then up the Mississippi and the Des Moines River to central Iowa. At age 25 he was elected to the Illinois Natural History Society in 1859.

the law of similarity

the law of similarity in sympathetic magic implies that a fundamental and real connection exists between similar objects and this can be used in magic. This is interesting, because in a movie about kids, the story about Cheese is interesting. It portrayed that there is a piece once laying on the playground of an elementry school, people were grosed by it, and they think that piece of cheese is grose and disguisting. no one want to have anything to do with it. then a girl came, says: on tom touched the cheese! then every children isolated tom, don't want to play with tom, don't want to touch tom, have nothing to do with tom. then, tom feel bad about his isolation adn everything, so at lunch table, he secretly touched Luch, spreading the germs to lucy. now everyone hates Lucy: Lucy touched the piece of cheese! then it spread around and around and around until somebody touched the german exchange student, he does not know what's going on, and finally brougt the law of contagion to Germany. Interesting!

malinowski and trobriand islanders

the trobirand islanders relied upon religion, magic, and science. that's a lot of cases all around the world such as in third countries and oter cases, that people like to rely on religion and magic to explain things they don't understand. such as when the earth is extremely dry for 3 years and no corps grew, people don't know why that that happened to them, thus they explain it with magic. that God is punishing you, examine youself and what you did in your life that deserved it! Magic is the claimed art or manipulating pieces for what a person can do , without science matters, to influence people, use powers to control a person and other matters. You gotta be careful dealing with magic, because many people have died , like in the middle ages when they are thought to be associated dealing with magic. burned and stuff. many artists ahve portrayed people died of magic, or religious causes. famous artist, only draw for the royals , are not participated, although.

Franz Boas

Franz Boas is considered both the founder of modern anthropology as well as the father of American Anthropology. It was Boas who gave modern anthropology its rigorous scientific methodology, patterned after the natural sciences, and it was Boas who originated the notion of "culture" as learned behaviors. His emphasis on research first, followed by generalizations, stood in marked contrast to the British school of anthropology which emphasized the creation of grand theories (which were only after tested through field work). As a teacher, principally at Columbia University, he served as mentor to many of the top names in American anthropology, including such luminaries as Alfred Kroeber,Ruth Benedict, Maragret Mead, Robert Lowie, and Edward Sapir. Many of these went on to found, or profoundly influence, departments of anthropology at other universities. Boas further extended his influence through such important works as The Mind of Primitive Man (1911), Anthropology and Modern Life (1928), and Kwakiutl Ethnography (1966).Franz Boas was born in Minden, Germany on July 9, 1858. His liberal Jewish parents' held a disdain for dogma, religious or otherwise. And as a result Boas was allowed to think for himself and pursue his own interests unhindered. He was attracted to nature and to the natural sciences at an early age, collecting specimens such as minerals and seashells. As an older youth in gymnasium he engaged in more structured studies and experiments, in his free time assembling and studying the skeletons of various small animals. His subsequent university education was eclectic, with stints at Heidelberg, Bonn, and Kiel, as he delved into mathematics, physics, as well as geography. He earned his Ph.D. in geography in 1881, at Kiel. He planned and undertook a geographic expedition to the arctic (1883-84). Yet once there, he became fascinated the people, with their appearance, their language, and of course their way of life and traditions. After returning from his journey he decided to make anthropology his life work.

emile durkheim

she proposed that the ideas people hold about religion were a dramatization of the moral community of the group. as if in ancient times england, like when the moral value of a goup is, say, you can not have sex with a man who is not your husband. thus the first woman had sex with the man outside of her husband got caught were stoned to death. then people don't want all of them stoned to death, thus formulate a law that ok, you can not betray you husband. the first historical consequences about laws is the first commandment. God set certain rules for people to obey, then those rules became laws. on stones, written. that is the history of law.

Domestica- Domestic Workers in the US

I recently read a book which I felt greatly related to the teachings of this Anthropology course. Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo is a professor of Sociology at the University of Southern California and the author of various books discussing gender, race and social justice. The book Domestica is referred to by critiques as a rare, thoughtful and path-breaking study in the hidden world of transnational care work, explaining the fundamental tensions between domestic employees and those who employ them. In her book, Hondagneu-Sotelo's argument is unique to those which propose an end to domestic employment. Instead, Hondagneu-Sotelo argues that the occupations in need of improvement.

Throughout her book the author sheds light on the cruel and unusual interactions that often take place between paid domestic workers and their employers. She explains the ways in which these workers are often over burdened and under paid. Despite the ways in which paid domestic work gives rise to many problems, Hondagneu-Sotelo stays dedicated to and optimistic about changes that could be made to improve the lives of so many Latina women employed in areas of domestic work in the United States.

Hondagneu-Sotelo does a wonderful job of providing her readers with plausible and grounded propositions for change. She discusses various possibilities including educating employers and preforming outreach to recruiting social networks, regulation employment, using courts to file for back wage claims and establishing collective organizations among domestic workers. Each approach that she discusses is not only possible through the help of outreach and of the community, but are to be established after only a short period of time, therefore avoiding subjecting these domestic workers to further oppression and sufferance.

Aztec Food

Maize, a type of corn, was the Aztec's main food source. The Aztecs also ate tomatoes, avocados, atole (a type of porridge), tortillas made from maize, and tamales, a kind of envelope made from steamed maize stuffed with vegetables or meat. Aztecs also ate chocolate. In their culture chocolate was reserved for warriors and nobility. A drink of cacao mixed with ground maize was believed to provide stamina and was used in sacred rituals. Chocolate was a drink for the elite. The Aztecs ate twice a day and the main meal was eaten during the hottest part of the day. Some of the edible things available in an Aztec market were fruit, vegetables, spices, flowers, edible dogs, and birds.The Aztecs had an alcoholic drink called octli. An octli gatherer would take the sap out of the maguey plant and put it in a large jug. Then they would let the sap rot and then they would drink it. Octli was reserved strictly for nobles, royalty, and warriors. Any nobleman who abused (got drunk from) the divine drink of the Aztecs would be put to death. A good vendor of maguey sap boiled it until it was like honey, while a bad vendor would water it down.

Politics in China

The politics of the People's Republic of China take place in a framework of a single party socialists republic. The leadership of the Communist Party is stated in the Constitution of Peoples Republic of China. State power within the People's Republic of China (PRC) is exercised through the Communist party of China, the Central Peoples Government and their provincial and local counterparts. Under the dual leadership system, each local bureau or office is under the theoretically coequal authority of the local leader and the leader of the corresponding office, bureau or ministry at the next higher level. People's Congress members at the county level are elected by voters. These county level People's Congresses have the responsibility of oversight of local government, and elect members to the Provincial (or Municipal in the case independent municipalities ) People's Congress. The Provincial People's Congress in turn elects members to the National People's Congress that meets each year in March in Beijing. The ruling Communist Party committee at each level plays a large role in the selection of appropriate candidates for election to the local congress and to the higher levels. Although the country has a constitution and claims to be a champion of democracy, the CCP continues to be an authoritarian party.

Cultural Psychology

Cultural psychology is a field of psychology which assumes the idea that culture and mind inseparable, and that psychological theories grounded in one culture are likely to be limited in applicability when applied to a different culture. As Richard Shweder, one of the major proponents of the field, writes, "Cultural psychology is the study of the way cultural traditions and social practices regulate, express, and transform the human psyche, resulting less in psychic unity for humankind than in ethnic divergences in mind, self, and emotion" (1991, p. 72). Cultural psychology is that branch of psychology which deals with the study and impact of culture, tradition and social practices on psyche for the unity of humankind.

Cultural psychology has its roots in the 1960s and 1970s but became more prominent in the 1980s and 1990s. Some of the classic texts promoting cultural psychology include Shweder and Levine (1984), Triandis (1989), Bruner (1990), Shweder (1991), Markus and Kitayama (1991), Cole (1996), Nisbett & Cohen (1996), Shore (1996), Fiske, et al. (1998), Nisbett, et al. (2001) and Nisbett (2003). Cultural psychologists generally use either ethnographic or experimental methods (or a combination of both) for collecting data for Cultural psychology is distinct from cross-cultural psychology in that the cross-cultural psychologists generally use culture as a means of testing the universality of psychological processes rather than determining how local cultural practices shape psychological processes. So whereas a cross-cultural psychologist might ask whether Piaget's stages of development are universal across a variety of cultures, a cultural psychologist would be interested in how the social practices of a particular set of cultures shape the development of cognitive processes in different ways.Cultural psychology research informs several fields within psychology, including social psychology, developmental psychology, and cognitive psychology. However, the relativist perspective of cultural psychology tends to clash with the universalist perspectives common in most fields in psychology.One of the most significant themes in recent years has been cultural differences between East Asians and North Americans in attention (Masuda & Nisbett, 2001), perception (Kitayama, et al., 2003), cognition (Nisbett, et al. 2001) and social psychological phenomena such as theself(Markus & Kitayama, 1991). Some (Turiel) have argued that this research is based on cultural stereotyping and faulty methodology (Matsumoto). However, proponents of cultural psychology have countered these critics with evidence suggesting that such criticisms are based on an over-emphasis of cross-cultural comparisons of self-reported attitudes and values, which are relatively unstable and ultimately misleading (Heine, Lehman, Peng, & Greenholtz, 2002; Peng, Nisbett, & Wong, 1997). Instead, relying on experimental and ethnographic evidence of deeper level mental processes, which are more stable and more reflective of tacit cultural and historical influences, has been what cultural psychology is about (Kitayama, 2002, Nisbett, 2003).According to Richard Schweder (1991), the main finding of a universalistic approach to cross-cultural psychology has been the repeated failure to replicate Western laboratory findings in non-Western settings. Therefore, a major goal of cultural psychology is to have divergent cultures inform basic psychological theories in order to refine and/or expand these theories so that they become more relevant to the predictions, descriptions, and explanations of all human behaviors, not just Western ones (Markus & Kitayama, 2003

Ancient Greece Homosexuality

The ancient Greeks are widely known for their homosexual exploits. Many ordinary people are aware of Greek homosexual love poetry, the same-sex relations of Greek gods and heroes, and the homosexual relationship between Alexander the Great and Hephaestion.This is only a recent development. Until the second half of the 20th century, historians avoided saying much about the sexuality of the ancient Greeks out of sense of propriety. In 1901, an English classicist named John Addington Symonds published A Problem in Greek Ethics addressing homosexuality in Ancient Greece, but it was provided only to "medical psychologists and jurists" and the number of copies waintended to remain under 100. The first major treatment of ancient Greek homosexuality in English was Greek Homosexuality by K.J. Dover, published in 1978.By contrast, ancient Greek homosexuality is now a popular topic, and those who argue for full acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle regularly appeal to these practices and attitudes of the widely-respected ancient Greeks.However, the practices of the ancient Greeks differ significantly from those generally advocated by moderns. Greek homosexual practices involved beautiful expressions of love and devotion, but were also firmly embedded in their culture of social status and therefore had distinct limitations.

Dani Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are important in their local culture, being the most important tool used in battering, especially in dowries. Likewise pigs feast are extremely important to celebrate events communally, the success of a feast, and that of a village "Big Man" (man of influence) or organiser, is often gauged by the number of pigs slaughtered.The Dani use an earth method of cooking pig and their staple crops such as sweet potato, banana, and cassava. They heat some stones in a fire until they are extremely hot, then wrap cuts of meat and pieces of sweet potato or banana inside banana leaves. The food package is then lowered into a pit which has been lined with some of the hot stones described above, the remaining hot stones are then placed on top, and the pit is covered in grass and a cover to keep steam in. After a couple of hours pit is opened and the food removed and eaten. Pigs are too valuable to be served regularly, and are reserved for special occasions only.Ritual small war-fare between rival villages is integral to traditional Dani culture, with much time spent preparing weapons, engaging in both mock and real battle, and treating any resulting injuries. Typically the emphasis in battle is to insult the enemy and wound or kill token victims, as opposed to capturing territory or property or vanquishing the enemy village.Changes in the Dani way of life over the past half century are tied to the encroachment of modernity and globalization, despite tourist brochures describing trekking in the highlands with people from the 'stone age'. Observers have noted that pro-independence and anti-Indonesian sentiment tends to run higher in highland areas than for other areas of Papua. There are cases of abuses where Dani and other Papuans have been shot and/or imprisoned trying to raise the flag of West Papua, the Morning Star