Anthropolgy 102
Witchcraft occurrences
"Wild Witchcraft" occurred in many parts of Europe from the end of the 15th century to 17th century. still exists in peasant village in France. "Domesticated Witchcraft" today common throughout the America, SEA, and Africa south of the Sahara. Occurred in Colonial American in 17th Century Salem (19 hanged, mostly women), Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia
types of subsistence
1. swidden, shifting, or slash-and-burn cultivation (the swidden agricultural system of the Tetum people of Timor) 2. hunting, fishing, and foraging or collecting food from the natural environment. (Few examples today but before agriculture was invented it was how humans subsisted. Examples: Inuit (or Eskimo), Australian Aborigines, Pigmies (Central Africa), Kung! (Southwest Africa), Semang (Malaya))
Who was Franz Boas and where did he do research?
1858-1941 Father of US Anthropology Northwest Coast Indians, especially the Kwakiuti Indians, but also Tsimshian, Tlingit, and Haida. Not a theorist: ignored theories of cultural evolution. had many publications. Totem poles, chill kat blankets, coppers.
wet cultivation
9,000 years ago central America started growing corn, beans, sweet potatoes, peanuts, avocados, tobacco. Then, about 6,000 years ago: China & Thailand started growing Rice and soybeans Grown at a small scale, no machinery yet.
what is culture?
According to Edward Tylor in his 1873 book Primitive Culture, it is "the complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society"
4 main types of anthropology
Archaeology Biological Anthropology Cultural Anthropology Linguistic Anthropology
Azande: Residence pattern
Azande accuse neighbors, not people living far away because witchcraft only works in short range
Azande: Kinship
Azande only accuse persons outisde their family of being a witch
what are the anthropology sub-units?
Biological (Physical) Anthropology Cultural Anthropology Archaeology Anthropology Anthropological Linguistics (Linguistic Anthropology) Applied Anthropology Primatology
Cocktail Waitress Social Structure
Brady's bar has a social structure which can be broken down into three basic categories; waitresses, managers and customers. Social structure is defined as an organized Set of social identities and expected behavior associated with them. in Brady's bar's case, it and its participants are concerned about how individuals behave based on their categories and Associated subsequent subcategories, regardless of their individual personalities. Social network is defined as how the social structure is being viewed from the perspective of it's participants. (the staff and the customers in this case)
Cocktail Waitress microcosm
Brady's bar is classified as a microcosm, a small subset of a hole that is generally considered to be a representative of the whole. ( Brady's bar is a representative of Midwestern American bars)
difference between cannibalism and anthropophagy
Cannibalism- came first. "Caribs" of the Caribbean. Invented in sixteen century. anthropophagy- a Greek term that preceeded it
Tetum: activities and crops
Each month different crops are grown and different activities are done based on season: The amount of visiting changes from month to month. Some marriages done in november, most done July-October. Housebuilding July-October. Switch from sleeping in hamlet to garden throughout year to keep an eye on garden.
who are some anthropologists?
Edward Tylor- did field work and wrote primitive culture Edward Evans-Pritchard
Social factors affecting who is to be accused of practicing witchcraft
Gender feature: men accuse men and women accuse women Social role: rivalries of various kinds (political competition- envy of another person's wealth or good luck) Social hierarchy: commoners accuse commoners; kings accuse kings
Tetum: 2 kinds of mental association
Imitation: connecting things because they look or seem similar ie: rain-making ritual: water put into glass and thrown up into the air, so that there will be rain. Contagion: connecting things because they were once in contact or physically connected ie: hair and nail clippings
example of Malinowskian functionalism
In the Trobriand Islands, kula expeditions: prior to going to trade, they used magic to be more confident and reassured that they would come back safe and not drown in the water or something.
Cocktail Waitress Major themes
One of the major aspects of the study of how a young woman to find herself in a man's world. The major theme that is associated with the book in the study itself is gender roles masculinity and femininity, with much more emphasis on women's role in a male-dominant setting.
Franz Boas: local languages
Probably not fluent in local languages, he used an interpreter named George Hunt.
how was Malinowski academically influential?
Professor at London University taught Edward Evans- Pritchard, Raymond Firth, Edmund Leach
Prophets
Prophets do not need formal qualifications or training. only male. Prophets usually come about in societies where there are a lot of changes happening: ie. revolutionary figures (existed in North America as a result of Western expansion, also in North-East Africa as the result of British colonialism and in western Pacific following WWII. No prophets in East Timor.
In New Guinea, what do they do when someone dies?
The Dani people of New Guinea are very religious and believed that when one dies they turn into a ghost. They believe that if someone, an animal, or plants get sick soon after a death its because the ghosts are trying to come back, and messing with the balance of the universe. To get the wondering soul "into the light" and complete the transition, they make a sacrifice by cutting off the finger of someone they value and respect very much, a female, specifically a female related to the dead family member. It symbolizes the separation of their dead family member and themselves. Additionally, they treat their ancestor ghosts very well by setting out food and beer (sacrifices) so that in return, they keep them, their animals, their plants in good health.
Cocktail Waitress basics
The book was published in 1975. The book itself is based on an ethnography study conducted by Brenda man and James Bradley from July 1971 to July 1972.
historical particularism
The idea, attributed to Franz Boas, that cultures develop in specific ways because of their unique histories.
is the book diachronic or synchronic?
The study is a synchronic study. To elaborate, the study itself does not concern itself about the history of the bar nor is it concerned about its participants, the bar staff, and its customers. it's more concerned about how the bar functions, daily activities, values in the early 70s, it's division of labor, and it's incoming customers.
Cocktail Waitress studying
The study itself involved participant observation. During the study's duration, Brenda became a cocktail waitress in Brady's bar, to serve as an active Observer, mainly to gather data on how a waitress viewed the college bar from Hurst perspective. Meanwhile James became a customer at Brady's bar to serve as a detached Observer to collect data about the culture of Brady's bar from an outsider's perspective. Early on in her study Brenda was enormously pressured by the bar's participants to become a waitress because the bar wanted to view her as a waitress rather than an objective researcher because they couldn't take her seriously and allow her role. Brenda was employed as a cocktail waitress to collect more data on the culture of the bar. As a cocktail waitress, Brenda learned how to behave appropriately, how to perceive the bar, how to interpret language of the bars participants and how to identify the bars participants according to the Bradys bars standards, social structure, and values. The study's results came mainly from Brenda as she was actively involved in the life of Brady's bar as a Brady's girl (waitress) interacting daily with the bar staff and its customers.
Pragmatic/Malinowskian theory of functionalism
Theory about the purpose/ function of magic. theory that magic installs confidence in people and bridges the "empirical" gap between what can be done and what is desired.
Cannibalism accusations
William Arens and his wife did field work in Tanzania and one day villagers who were giving blood in a hospital saw them there swallowing red vitamin pills people sometimes used cannibalism accusations as a way to dehumanize people, and show that other cultures are flawed/barbarian
interview
a conversation between an ethnographer and one or more informants
case study
a detailed ethnographic study focusing on a single individual or episode, usually legal cases
ethnic group
a group whose members share basic cultural traditions, values, and language. identify themselves (and are identified by others) as distinct from other groups. it is possible for a person to be a member of several ethnic groups and therefore have a multi-cultural definition
Inuit
a member of the Arctic native peoples of North America example of ethnocentrism
ego-centered network
a network centering on a particular individual and including all the links between this person and others in his or her community
respondent
a person who provides information for a survey
genealogy
a record of a person's relationships by blood and marriage
sharman
a sharman is one who is possessed. not an office-holder. no formal qualifications needed. learns by trial and error, sometimes informal training. can be male, female, or transsexual. conservative figures. they chew beetles.
Tetum: myth
a story describing the origins of the world, some natural phenomenon, or some aspect of culture, which contains at least one physically or humanly impossible event or situation (in Book of Genesis in The Bible a snake talks) can be "expressed" in ritual form (Catholic Mass enacts the sacrifice of Christ) More often has no corresponding myth. but see Tetum birth ritual and origin myth
respondent survey
a survey consisting of pre-arranged series of questions, in questionnaire form
personal survey
a survey undertaken personally by a researcher
stages of fieldwork
adjustment involvement achievement STEP 1: SELECTION OF THE TOPIC. STEP 2: FORMULATION OF THE HYPOTHESES / QUESTIONS. STEP 3: PREPARATORY WORK. STEP 4: COLLECTION OF THE DATA. STEP 5: TREATMENT, PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE DATA. STEP 6: CONCLUSION AND EVALUATION. STEP 7: REFERENCING OF SECONDARY SOURCES.
Tetum: ancestral ghosts
after death, souls go to the world of the spirit/sacred world below the earth Tetum people give them sacrifices and pray to them, and the ghosts reciprocate ghosts have control of a lot of people's/animal's health and the weather
Neolithic Revolution
aka Agricultural Revolution about 10,000 years ago in todays' Iraq (Babylonia, Assyria) & Iran Change from nomadic life (unsettled/live anywhere) to settled residence in villages and later towns. Barley & wheat; goats & pigs. Eventually the rise of complex social organizations based on irrigation (the process of applying controlled amounts of water to plants at needed interval). Invention of towns and cities, then states because of greatly increased population that agriculture could support.
Tetum: witches
aka buan these live in the human world and are human ut have special powers which enable them to injure people always evil can be men or women cross-gendered individuals make especially dangerous witches because they live in the human world but can enter the spirit world and have some of the powers spirits possess however, they also make especially effective shamans (who fight the witches) because they can tap into the powers of the spirits they punish witches that are identified
Tetum: culture hero
aka totem Tetum people believed there were higher up people who have influence on /assisted in the creation of rituals and behaviors (in one instance in Tuna clan eels, usually part human part spirit)
armchair anthropologist
an anthropologist who collects data from documents written by others rather than carrying out fieldwork
cultural relativism
an idea in modern cultural anthropology that a culture must be evaluated in terms of the culture's values, not judged by some other culture rather than try to change people's cultures that they don't think is right in their opinion, they find out why they do these "abnormal" things (ie cutting off little girls fingers in New Guinea)
informant
an individual who provides an ethnographic researcher with information someone who is informed on a topic
casual informant
an informant from whom an ethnographer obtains information from time to time like a focus group but not planned, casual
key informant
an informant upon whom, because of specialized knowledge or influence, an ethnographer relies on heavily
life history
an informant's story of his or her life and the influences upon it
types of symbols
an object (ie: a flag) word(s) (ie: the pledge of allegiance) an action (ie: saluting the flag)
study of artefacts
archaeology anthropology
hydraulic civilizations
based upon the control of water, e.g., damming rivers and streams, constructing wells, using pipes to transport water to the fields, etc
the beginnings of cultural anthropology
began in the ancient world: The Father of Anthropology: Herodotus from Greece: 485-425 BC. Renaissance and later travelers Armchair Scholars in the 19th century Fieldwork Pioneers: Frank Hamilton Cushing, Franz Boas, Bronislaw Malinowski
how is culture transmitted?
by imitation: speaking, the pledge of allegiance, saluting the flag experience: you can stick your tongue out in Tibet but not here instruction: told by someone
how do ethnographers obtain a multi-dimensional view of a community?
by using various techniques (ie: participant observation- observing, focus groups, sampling, case studies, casual informant, filmed and taped records
fieldwork
collecting original information about people, ancient or modern
comparative literature
comparing literature and making connections sometimes there are no writings, so verbal recordings are taken
comparative religion
comparing religions
Malinowski: structural functionalism
concerned with how institutions including ideas and values fit together into normative whole
an idea in modern cultural anthropology that a culture must be evaluated in terms of the culture's values, not judged by some other culture
cultural relativism
what sometimes happens when you spend a lot of time in a different culture?
culture shock- the sense of confusion and disorientation fieldworkers may experience upon entering the field
diachronic vs synchronic
diachronic: studying something as it moves through time synchronic: studying something at a particular point in time without taking history into account (like our books)
Tetum: division of labor
divided by gender men: make fences for gardens; construct houses; make iron tools. women: look after children; collect water from river multiple timesdaily; make ceramics; household chores, cooking.
survival cannibalism
do it to survive in extreme situations differs from regular cannibalism
social cannibalism
eating for pleasure? according to William Arens (SB), there is no reliable evidence that supports that this type of cannibalism exists as a regular practice or even that it once existed
social anthropology
especially in England, the brand of anthropology focusing on societies rather than on culture
the idea that your own culture is superior to others
ethnocentrism
What does it mean that "everyone takes their own culture for granted"?
every culture believes that there's is the most natural, authentic, and human, because that's how they were raised, and how it was their entire lives most people don't even know about other's customs culture is like language, ours is complex but we do not realize it is, it's just natural
Witchcraft Case Study in the Azande of Central Africa
example of domesticated witchcraft psychological phenomenon. no rituals.
Northwest Coast Indians: Potlatch
first example of what is possibly biological and cultural universal: reciprocity. when you they get a gift they feel inclined to pay them back/ owe them.
Gajdusek
for 10 months he studied the Fore people they had a disease with symptoms of trembling, they called it Kuru (later identified as mad cow disease) originally thought it was genetic but it was really because they were eating Kuru diseased brains of people Gajdusek posted an article with 2 photos: one of a Fore woman who had just died of Kuru and another of Fore people eating, but they weren't eating a person as readers thought Gajdusek admitted he never actually witnessed cannibalism
professor's fieldwork
from 1966-67 studied Tetum people of the Viqueque town (Caraubalo Suku) in East Timor [13 districts] difficult to collect notes visited again in 1999 (with a grant) and multiple times after, different experience forest landscape forest dividing 6 villages population of 350 Indonesia took control, lot of people killed, massacre, demonstrations, someone got shot, Indonesia compelled to leave, 1991 took control back, and had foreigners visit again
Tetum: genealogies (family trees)
genealogies were not written down because people were non-literate when Professor hicks did his research. only they transmitted info orally.
Barbarian
greek work for people they don't understand example of ethnocentrism
society
has different meanings to different people and is applied to many different things. could be defined as a group of people who live in the same place and whose lives and livelihoods are interdependent
adjustment
have to adjust to different cultures like using the toilet, the environment, the food, living
Franz Boas: academic influence
helped found anthropology part of Columbia. Collected artefacts for the American Museum of Natural History. Taught Alfred Kroeber, Robert Lowie, and Ruth Benedict.
etic Model
how outsiders (anthropologists) see and describe another culture
emic Model
how the people of a culture believe they live there lives
bridewealth
husband group gives cattle, gifts, money to the wife's group in order to get a wife
What does it mean that cultures "create their own reality"?
ie: cultures identify colors differently (in one culture women know more colors than men) there are different ideas of what's edible (dogs) different ideas of processing the concept of time (linear vs cycle) different concepts of weather (some cultures believe thunder is an Ojibwa Indian communicating a message)
team research
ie: teaming up with a filmmaker so they can film
example of transmission of culture
in 1799 there was a boy living in the forest in France. they found him and tried to assimilate him into society and he couldn't. shows culture needs to be instilled early
Tetum
in East Timor, it is the lowland people's name for the people of the uplands. the lowlanders think their culture is superior example of ethnocentrism
why do fieldwork?
interested in a religion or a topic to test a hypothesis problem-solving learn language
two issues with ethnographic work
language (anthropologist should always learn the local language to fit in and connect with people) residence (not living near?)
Tetum: descent groups
largest to smallest: 1. clans- have culture heroes 2. lineages 3. sub-lineages 4. extended families 5. nuclear families
Who was Frank Hamilton Cushing?
lived 1857-1900 First anthropologist to carry out participant observation (did so among Zuni-the Pueblo Indian group of New Mexico from 1879-1884). He became fluent in their local language. didn't publish much because it was sacred material that the people didn't want others knowing. not an academic at all.
who was Bronislaw Malinowski?
lived from 1884-1942. born in Poland, lived in England. studied Trobrianders aka the Trobriand Islanders in Western Pacific. tested other armchair anthropologists' theories like Tyler and Plitchard. during WW1. spoke the Trobriand language fluently.
Tetum: magic
magic is ritual doesn't involve spirits unlike witchcraft magic, exists in the sense that the acts performed can be physically accomplished spirits are not involved in magic belief and myths are not necessarily part of magiv magic rituals often have 3 components: spells (spoken words), medicine (substances and ingredients), ritual condition (avoiding certain foos and drink, abstaining from sex so that a magic ritual works) for some societies the power of magic lies in the spell, in other societies the power of magic lies in the medicine.
Tetum: authority in patrilineal descent
males have the authority in political, social, and public matters, though females have influence in the home and in religion authority of the ancestors - the dead don't sleep in peace, they remain kin. authority within the family is in hands of the father and when he is not around the eldest son if he is old enough. older sisters very important too
the opposition between culture & nature
many societies were threatened/fearful of nature used as long ago as 4000 years- gilgamesh vs endive (iraq today) gilgamesh went into desert to find the key to immortality and learns there's no such thing
patrilineal descent
marriage (structural) function of bridewealth post marital residence- residence for the newly married couple after marriage descent refers to how inheritance is classified from one generation to the next patrilineal is just one form of descent found globally there are several others. it emphasizes the descent line of the father unlike matrilineal descent which emphasizes the descent line of the mother descent, marriage, and post-marital residence form a system and influence with one another. example of the synchronic perspective
Tetum: marriage
marriage creates affines (relatives by marriage) bridewealth makes desirable marriages possible when a boy wants to get married, he asks his father and the father asks brothers and other clansman and they give bridewealth habani- when no bridewealth given and the wife's father is resident to accept husband exogamy- rule you must marry out of your descent group/ clan divorce in patrilineal systems are troublesome for both affinal groups taught to stay with husband even if abusive hafoli- patrilocal residence hafen- elopement
Tetum: Betal chew
mixed with beetle and lime Tetum people chewed on it, spit out liquid, chewed more... Believed it helped them stay healthy (mostly psychologically) they had starvation problems
Tetum: religion
no word for religion in Tetum language religion- a belief in spiritual being (Edward Tylor) a unified system of beliefs and practices (ie: rituals) relative to sacred things (ie: things set apart and prohibited) that unite into a single moral community, those who adhere (ie: believe) in them (Emile Durkheim) main components of religion: myths, beliefs, rituals
what are the three anthropological interests (study topics) ?
non-literate people (ghosts & kin book) peasant communities urban communities (cocktail waitress book)
illiterate vs non-literate
nonliterate- entire culture or society not literate illiterate- one person within a literate population is illiterate
Tetum: Ideal model of yearly calendar
normative/ideal model because his diagram is based on when the rains should come and go/when the people want/expect the rain. so weather, and thus the activities can vary a lot from the diagram see following cards
participant observation
observing culture from outside, cocktail waitress
Tetum: death ritual
only in long dry season! but now they have to do it even in wet season for hygienic reasons the invitation is made by the people of death (family members of dead person) people go to neighboring areas to inform others the people of life arrive and organize everything to do with the death ritual funeral preparation: wash and dress the corpse, cut the family members hair, cut the dead persons hair/ fingernails, (more symbolism for separation from human world like finger), amen the coffin, death house, prepare feast, set dining table day 3: ritual of commensality: take the coffin to the cemetery, people of life bury the dead person and feast fro both group
Oracles
oracles are rituals. Rituals that let something else have meaning like a magic 8 ball. Azande oracle used when some illness or misfortune is occurring or when someone dies. Four types: Shaman (witchdoctor), Rubbing board oracle, termite oracle, poison oracle an oracle is some person or thing that provides answers to questions put to it. ie: if a chicken dies that determines whether or not to let your son marry some women, if something sticks then that means your wife is not cheating... example of cultural relativism you have to think form the people's perspective to understand (same goes for witchcraft)
the prime field method
participant observation
focus groups
planned interviews in groups of the people a small group of informants brought together to shed light on a particular topic
political science vs anthropology
political science they give out questionnaires anthropology is smaller scale and face to face talking. questionnaires wouldn't even work because some groups are illiterate
Edward E Evans-Pritchard's "Oracles and Magic Among the Azande"
published in 1935 the best ethnography on witchcraft. The book says: Azande witchcraft encourages good behavior: You won't want to offend or have conflict with anyone because they could be a witch! Azande witchcraft is an intellectual and philosophical system of ideas and practices believed to explain sickness, death, and other misfortunes experienced in life Azande people accuse individuals regarded as hostile or potentially hostile.
Northwest Coast Indians: totem poles
put outside people's homes used to display welath/ status
Tetum: seasonal cycle of rainfall
seasonal cycle of rainfall has a critical influence on agricultural work and on social activities Wet Season: November- January, March-June rains a lot so they have to stay inside Dry Season: February, July- October (Temperatures stay the same though) February is relatively dry for like 3 weeks (but not as dry as other months) This is when corn is harvested!
what does achievement entail?
self reflection
Beth Cunklin's field work
she produced a more convincing account that cannibalism has been practiced the Wari people in western Brazilian rain forests until the 1960s they disposed of dead bodies by eating them (endocannibalism) they also ate outsiders/ enemies (exocannibalism) again, she did not actually witness cannibalism
Trobrianders: armshells and necklaces
shells worn on biceps or as necklaces. only worn by men. these armshells and necklaces circulate throughout the islands: armshells circulate counterclockwise and necklaces circulate clockwise. given to and from trading partners within group of islands every several months. some are more valuable than others. one's prestige goes up if you have a valuable one. But you must give it away to maintain your prestige, cannot keep or will be judged. they have no monetary value, only have a symbolic significance. there have been battles among the islands
the people of east timor
since 1976, they have been making the transition from non-literate to peasant
symbol
something that stands for something else (Rodney Weedham 1979) a media of communication, they convey a message, an attitude, a feeling, and abstract idea
Tetum: rituals
stereotypical, repetitive, actions that use symbols to communicate meanings, may be religious, magical, or secular religious and secular symbols usually function to bring people together. magic rituals don't necessarily bring people together.
archaeology anthropology
study of artefacts (pyramids, arrowheads, tablets, homes, skulls) things cultures leave behind. by measuring physical things
cultural anthropology
study of different cultures
psychology
study of human behavior and how the brain works
anthropological linguistics / linguistic anthropology
study of languages
political science
study of people interactions, laws that influence culture, judicial systems, punishments
primatology
study of primates (monkeys, lemurs, apes)
sociology
study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society they use questionnaires and data
is cultural anthropology typically synchronic or diachronic?
synchronic
sampling
take a sample when there are too many people, and surveying/interviewing them using a small part of something to represent a larger whole
Animal Husbandry
taking care of livestock (pigs, goats, and buffaloes in Timor)
applied Anthropology
taking what other anthropologists have learned and applying it to the real world
how did Tetum people entertain themselves?
tell myths of origin, stories, folktales
Tetum: souls
tetum people believe everything has a soul they live in the human world and are always good (human, buffalo, corn rice..) give sacrifice to the buffalo so that the buffalo will confer with the ghosts and the buffalo will make lots of babies
Tetum: nature spirits
tetum people people that there are nature spirits, like demons, that live in the forest they are evil but sometimes give good things to people especially dangerous for men walking in forest, men are easily fooled by seductive nature spirits
ethnography (2 definitions)
the careful description of another culture in it's own terms used to dig deeper into the things society has learned to tell others they are a man or a woman (like tomboy and sissy reminds us to be more like a girl or more like a guy respectively) the information writings collected by research. must be focused on a certain cultural group not theory/ideas Collecting data in the field, also writing a book or article based upon one's own field data
survey
the counting and classifying of items, events, or opinions
ethnicity
the identification fo individuals with particular ethnic groups
subsistence
the methods by which a population acquires what it needs to subsist (exist)
ethnocentrism
the opposite of cultural relativism. the idea that your own culture is superior to others. or that other culture's values, institutions, beliefs need to be judged according to their own culture. ie: Barbarian, Eskimo, Inuit, Tetum
empirical/statistical model
the reality of what is done in a culture does what people say they do align with how they really act?
Eskimo
the term that the neighboring ethnic groups had for an indigenous population in Canada example of ethnocentrism
social network
the way the social structure is seen through the eyes of an individual
social structure
the web of relationships binding members of society together (professor) a universal feature of culture that consists of an organized set of social identities and the expected behavior associated with them (when someone first enters the bar the waitress quickly identifies where the individual falls in the social structure, so they can anticipate their behavior and plan for dealing with them)
Tetum: rites of passage after death
there are examples of a rites of passage all over the world (similar to a graduation ceremony) rites of passage transfer a person(s) or things from one status, role, or place in society/the world to another. death happens to a person when the dead soul leaves the body and creates a corpse. 3 stages: seperation, liminality, integration/incorporation 3 things pass through this rites of passage in Tetum: 1. corpse (ema mores)- corpse is transferred from the human world to spiritual world of ancestors 2. people of death (ema mate)- the dead soul is transferred from the human world to the spiritual world 3. dead soul (mate klamar)- the people of death are transferred form their polluting contact with their deceased kinsperson (the corpse) and returned back to the human world of their living kinsfolk
Why are bars a unique opportunity to study anthropology?
there is frequent interaction between male and female relaxed atmosphere people can express themselves without work stress (it's a carefree zone) people express their values which the social order is based bars exemplify american culture as a whole
Azande Magic
there is good and bad magic Vengeance Magic is good because it kills witches
what is it meant by symbols are arbitrary?
there usually is not an intuitive or obvious connection between the symbol and the referent (the thing symbolized) (ie there is no obvious connection between piece of cloth with patterns and colors and the concept of democracy) therefore, someone who does not know the culture probably will not understand a symbol very few symbols are universal/found in all cultures
priests
they are like presidents, if they go away, their followers dont, the priest just gets replaced
Tetum: gods
they believe in Mother Earth and Father Sky earth is female the world above the surface of the earth is referred to Father sky to some people and the sun to the others
what is common about every culture?
they create a set of definitions of what it means to be a woman or a man
Swiden Farming
they do dry farming (not irrigated/ wet farming) Dry farming occurs all over Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and elsewhere The Tetum people are a good example of how this method of farming works
How should anthropologists act when doing research?
they need to be sensitive because the people they are studying are doing the anthropologists a favor (not the other way around)
purpose of religious rituals
to transfer persons from one social or ritual status to another (rites of passage) expatiatory rituals- expiate (remove) some offense fertility rituals (fertility of soil, animals, or people) sacrificial rituals- to offer a sacrifice to spirits. among other things, establishes or maintains good relations between humans and spirits
Tetum: cycle of life
told through myths/stories birth-> life in the secular world-> death myth of origin of human tells how the first three human beings emerged from Mother Earth and this emergence is re-enacted in the Tetum ritual of birth performed today
culture is...
unique to human beings collective mandatory functional holistic or patterned: synchronic ideas/behaviors ever-changing (sometimes as a result of the outside world forcing to accommodate) essential for social life
biological anthropology
used to be physical anthropology but renamed study human body parts ie: cemetery
How has anthropology research shifted?
used to visit foreign countries, learn about language, culture, move into villages, eat their food, participate in their daily activities, record people's lives this technique is now difficult because people think it is an invasion of privacy and the money for research is scarce
examples of Applied Anthropology
using anthropological knowledge to help protect rights of indigenous populations using forensically biological anthropology to help solve cold cases using archaeology to help protect heritage sites
peasants
usually agricultural people who share the same general cultural tradition as members of the larger and more technologically-complex societies in which they live, but are not central to the main culture they work in gardens or gields
normative/ideal model
what the people of a society say should/aspire to be done
joking relationship
when you insult someone but it's a joke so they don't take it seriously criteria: it is restricted to certain participants it is restricted to certain settings it involves ritual insults and sexual topics it is a public encounter
Tetum: witchcraft
witchcraft is not as easy to define as magic since different societies define it differently (Europe witchcraft and African witchcraft differ) witchcraft doesn't exist because psychological impulses/ mystical forces are impossible not a technical (ritual) act. but people are still fearful of witches, and accuses innocent people modern day wiccans are not witches witchcraft are not rituals.
Tetum: beliefs
world religions: a canon of ideas, concepts, and notions that are often written up into a codification of ideas. (ie: Koran, Bible) Frequently inflexible and dogmatic theologies. world wide-could apply to all people in the world. according to their theologians, world religions can never incorporate practical religious attitudes (ie: peasant communities in Mediterranean countries or Mexican cult, Our Lady of Guadalupe is national symbol of the country? example of syncretism. practical religions: (aka vernacular religions or local religions) TETUM religion type. not written down because non-literate societies. exclusive to each society. religious ideas tend to be flexible rather than dogmatic. applies to localized populations.
