EXAM #1
Why did Nisa's mother decide not to kill her baby boy Kumsa?
because Nisa said not to and Nisa cam back with her aunt
How did Morgan and White conceive of progress?
robbins
At what stage in life are young women considered truly an adult?
sexual maturity
In a !Kung village in which direction to the doors of the huts face? What does this say about how the !Kung view companionship and individual privacy?
the doors face inward a large communal space. privacy is not something most !kung deem very important. companionship are cherished and sought out at most times.
Did Shostak consider Nisa her friend? Explain.
No, to Nisa she was just a white rich women, but Nisa was giving in telling stories.
According to Robbins, were people better off before or after the industrial revolution? Focus on disease.
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Do !Kung parents treat girls and boys differently? What do parents expect from boys? Girls?
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Do you think we encourage or discourage boasting here in the US?
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How did the development of agriculture affect social, equality, including gender equality?
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How do !Kung adults feel about competition and ranking of individuals?
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How do people in the US compete for social status? Can you see parallels with the potlatch?
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How does Harris explain the fact that some groups (such as the Kwakuitl) encourage competitive feasting/gift-giving while others (such as the Eskimo) do not?
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What advantages do you think our way of life has for you, personally, over that of the Hadza and Ju/wasi (!Kung)? What are the disadvantages? How would a poor/rich person from the U.S. answer the question?
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What are Mark Cohen and Robert Carneiro's arguments about progress?
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What is Bodley's argument about the efficiency of Western agriculture?
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When Nisa was a young girl what was her opinion of marriage?
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Why did the !Kung accuse Lee of being arrogant?
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On average how many hunting trips do !Kung men take until they shoot and kill an animal?
3 times a week
Describe the !Kung language. How many click and throat sounds does it have?
4 click sounds and 2 throat sounds
What does Eriksen mean when he states that anthropology asks large questions, while at the same time it draws its most important insights from small places?
Anthopology tries to account for the social and cultural variation in the world but a crucial part of the anthro project also consist in conceptualizing and understanding similarities between social system and human relationships.
What is ethnocentrism? What is the problem with this ideology?
ETHNOCENTRISM: the tendency to believe that one's ethnic or cultural group is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured in relation to one's own. The ethnocentric individual will judge other groups relative to his or her own particular ethnic group or culture THE PROBLEM: Ethnocentrism leads us to make false assumptions about cultural differences. We are ethnocentric when we use our cultural norms to make generalizations about other peoples' cultures and customs. Such generalizations -- often made without a conscious awareness that we've used our culture as a universal yardstick -- can be way off base and cause us to misjudge other peoples. Ethnocentrism also distorts communication between human beings.
What do we gain from knowing about the gathering - hunting past?
Humans lived as gatherer-hunters for almost 90% of human history and hence human personality was formed in the gathering-hunting setting.
Why has the gathering-hunting way of life been influential in shaping human personality?
Humans lived as gatherer-hunters for almost 90% of human history and hence human personality was formed in the gathering-hunting setting.
How would you explain the misunderstanding that occurred between Lee and the !Kung concerning the gift of the oxen?
Lee
To what extent do all humans, cultures, or societies have something in common, and to what extent is each of them unique?
common: Omnivorous Very mobile Ecologically Adaptable Bipedal Sexually dimorphic Dexterous Talkative We have (relatively) big brains We make and depend on lasting relationships We need to communicate information to survive Unique: values, relatioships. how we live.
How are disputes settled among the !Kung?
defused by discussions, go on fir hours until a consensus is reached.
How would you characterize the living conditions in the Kalahari Desert?
ecosystem classified as semi-arid. land covered with grass, thorn and scrub brush and spindly trees, has flat appearance that disguise a variety of low hills, dunes flats and river beds. rivers are active twice a decade. elavation is about 3300 feet above sea level. freezing winter temps. and abouve 100 degrees F in summer. wet season last 4-6 mos. annual rain fall
Describe the Kalahari desert. Why (or how) are the !Kung successful at living in this environment?
ecosystem classified as semi-arid. land covered with grass, thorn and scrub brush and spindly trees, has flat appearance that disguise a variety of low hills, dunes flats and river beds. rivers are active twice a decade. elavation is about 3300 feet above sea level. freezing winter temps. and abouve 100 degrees F in summer. wet season last 4-6 mos. annual rain fall !kung thrive here because they are masters to survivals in this environment. capable to responding to ever-changing and often extreme demands. adaptability is key to success.
What major threat do !Kung children face?
gastrointestinal infections
Describe the leadership system of the !Kung. How do they make decisions?
group decisions are reached through consensus. there is a small group of leaders, their influence due to respect and is informal. Women are high status and influence considerable, often prominent in major family decisions~ where they move.
According to Harris, what are the various functions of the potlatch?
harris
How do !Kung women maintain long intervals between births? Why is the four-year birth interval essential to the !Kung way of life?
if they keep breastfeeds its harder for menstrual cycle to regulate. the longer between births the loner the kid can nurse, gives them most nourishment.
What was the primary method used by Shostak to learn about the !Kung?
interview.
Why did Shostak choose Nisa as the person featured in the book?
isa who captures her attention most. Nisa answers Shostak's questions with colorful language and vivid stories
After giving birth to Nisa's brother Kumsa, what did Nisa's mother want to do to him?
kill him and burry him
What were some of the difficulties that Shostak experienced in her first encounters with the !Kung?
language barriers and social barriers. the lack of trust of the !kung women.
How did the development of agriculture affect human health?
less movement. diet change, more carbs.
Approximately how many hours a day does a !Kung man work? A !Kung woman? What are some of the work activities that each engages in?
men- 3 hrs a day mending repairing tools collecting fire wood. hunts 3 days a week cook food women- gather 4 hours a day fetching water arranging bedding serving food.
Since !Kung children do not attend school, how do they learn the traditional way of life?
mentor-ship
Why do we perceive our bathroom activities as normal, but when described by Miner they seem strange?
miner was looking at our culture with ethnocentrism. ETHNOCENTRISM: the tendency to believe that one's ethnic or cultural group is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured in relation to one's own. The ethnocentric individual will judge other groups relative to his or her own particular ethnic group or culture
Describe a !Kung "wedding".
modest ceremony.
When a !Kung hunter returns from a hunt, how does he act and how is he treated by others? Does he boast?
modestly after a successful hunt. if he is boastful they give jokes and call it luck
What is the staple food of the !Kung? Is this a reliable food source?
mongongo nuts
According to the !Kung, do menstruating women suffer from PMS? What does this say about the universality of PMS?
no
Was Nisa's first marriage a success?
no
Do !Kung adults approve of sexual play among children? Explain.
no they dont
In the case of early infanticide, do the traditional !Kung consider it homicide? Why or why not?
no. it is not considered a true person until it is brought back to the village.
Would you consider !Kung parenting as overbearing? Lenient?
not overbearing. in fact they are too lenient. they dont punish
What about the photograph on page 40 seems strange? What is familiar?
pp 41-72
What is the fundamental difference between the progressivist view and the revisionist interpretation?
progress_ lives got better when people abandoned hunting for farming. revisionist_
Do older children and younger teenagers make a substantial contribution to the economy? Explain.
teenagers help less than children. no they dont. its not a arduous.
How, in some cases, does a !Kung hunter who killed an animal not end up "owning" the meat?
the meat in distributed by rules of precedence.
What is cultural relativism? How is it different from ethnocentrism?
the principle that an individual human's beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual's own culture. Anthropology is characterized as methodological rather than moral relativism. in order to fully understand its members' beliefs and motivations . there is no judgement with cultural relativism. just respect.
Who is responsible for contributing the majority of food consumed by the !Kung?
the women the majority of food consumed
Are !Kung men "macho" when they talk about hunting and the dangers it involves?
they are brave but dont go looking for danger. they are coutious yet not afraid.
Describe the !Kung beliefs about breast-feeding? Do women breastfeed when they become pregnant with another child?
they breastfeed until child is about 5 or if they can, if the women gets pregnant before then the nursing stops.
Are the !Kung healthy? In terms of human health, how is their way of life better then that in modern, industrial societies like in U.S. How is it worse?
they have a healthy diet , and dont tend to suffer from common disease in our society, yet the have low life expectancy, 50% die before the age of 15
After a young couple is married, do they live in the husband or wife's village? Why does this encourage parents to marry their daughters at a young age?
they live with the girls family
According to Shostak, do the !Kung want to continue relying on their traditional way of life, or would they prefer to get jobs and earn money?
they prefer to get jobs and earn money
Who decides who marries whom? At what age do !Kung women marry? !Kung men?
they women (mothers decide) very early.
Why was Shostak interested in studying !Kung women?
to find out what it was like to be a !kung woman in a culture so different from her own. what universals were there and if she could identify with them
What problem do very successful hunters have to deal with?
to preform well and not provoke envy or anger in others.
Do the !Kung have an adequate diet?
yes
Does Nisa talk about sex with Shostak? If you were interviewed by an anthropologist how would you deal with the topic of sex?
yes
When a !Kung women marries is she expected to have children?
yes
Can !Kung couples divorce? Is it a common practice?
yes, it is
To what extent is Miner making the Nacirema rituals seems strange? When anthropologists study societies like the !Kung, do they also impose strangeness?
yes, through ethnocentrism, talks about odor, spend lots of money on deodorant. when things are done differently then you are used to then ur own bias affect that situation.
After reading Miner's account of the Nacirema, did you gain any new insights into your own behavior? Explain
yes, what seems normal to us because everyone is doing it my seem silly. also just because we do something one way doesn't make it the only way to get things done.