The Amish in North America

           A large population of Amish are located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This group was formed in the 17^th century  by followers of Jacob Ammann. They came to America from Europe to escape persecution for their conservative Christian beliefs.

Environment 

         Lancaster, Pennsylvania is home to rolling hills, lush grasses and farmland. The temperature ranges from 37 degrees Fahrenheit to 85 degrees. It rains consistently throughout the year and they receive about 43 inches of rain per year. They get about 31.5 inches of snow each year. Lancaster experiences four seasons with hot and humid summers with temperatures averaging 80 degrees and snow coming between December and March. The Amish live in a rural setting. They are isolated in the sense that they do not use electricity because they believe in separation from the modern world. They are not involved in politics or the military. There is no competition among them and other cultures because they try to separate themselves from other cultures as much as possible.  Buggies and bikes are their normal mode of transportation because they do not drive cars. Some flora and fauna in the area include, maple, walnut, oak and beech trees. The state flower is the mountain laurel, and other common flowers are the June- berry and dotted hawthorn. Animals in the area include, white tailed deer, black bear, fox and flying squirrels.  The state bird is the ruffed grouse, and common birds are the robin, cardinal and English sparrow. Pennsylvania also has 170 different types of fish.  Environmental stresses that the Amish had to adapt to have been a different climate than they experienced in Europe. They have had to figure out the best times to grow certain things and figure out what things grow best in their climate.

Climatic Adaptations

Physical- The Amish have very high fertility rates with each family having at least seven children or more and sexually transmitted diseases are all but non-existent because the Amish only have one partner for their whole life and do not allow any sexual interaction before marriage.  The Amish originally came from Switzerland where the summers they had to endure are about 20 degrees hotter than summers in Pennsylvania. A 90 degree summer has a lot different effect on your body than a 70 degree summer. It takes a lot of adaptation to get used to not having to deal with the stress of going through a 90 degree summer.

Cultural- Because their convictions about not using electricity and modern conveniences, there are many adaptations the Amish had to make to deal with the “stress” of living in a world completely reliant on these modern things. First, the Amish believe that cars pull communities and families apart and the way that they deal with this “stress,” is by not using them. They have instead formed their communities around the use of buggies as the main form of transportation, therefore eliminating their reliance on that modern convenience.  Secondly, because the Amish do not like to use publically provided electricity, they have had to come up with ways to live without being a slave to the outside world.  They have learned to adapt to using batteries and solar power to power the things they absolutely need power for instead of electricity. Thirdly, the last stress that the Amish have found an adaptation to help relieve is their hatred of prideful attitudes and the need for humility. The way they have adapted in this modern world is to wear modest clothing. The women wear long dresses in plain and dull colors. Another way they have found to not draw attention to themselves is to paint their buggies dark colors. 

Language

While the Amish speak fluent English when they are in the presence of non-Amish people, their normal language is called Pennsylvania Dutch. This language does not have its roots in Dutch at all but instead has German roots and comes from the Proto-Indo European language family. This language uses English words but arranges them in different orders. An example of this would be this phrase, “Throw Papa down stairs his hat.” Because of this Pennsylvania Dutch is sometimes called Dutchie-fied-English.  Even though they are using English words it can be hard to understand exactly what they are saying because of this different arrangement of the words. There is not a written version of this language.  Because of this, when the Amish need to write something down, they write in English.

                                                   

 Gender Roles

The Amish only recognize two genders in their culture, male and female. The gender roles are well defined and traditional. The husband is in charge of the financial and spiritual well being of the family while the wife is in charge of the housekeeping, taking care of the children and nurturing their spiritual lives. Both the husband and the wife are involved in decision-making and  in the discipline of the children. While there are definitely roles that are gender specific there is room for overlap. Sometimes the wife may own a business which makes her the primary breadwinner for the family. There is a lot of sharing of households duties in the Amish community. There does not seem to be negative consequences for one gender performing the duties of another. Gender roles vary by personality so each family decides personally who will perform what jobs. The young in the Amish community are taught their appropriate gender roles in the context of their family. The extended family is very important in this society and because there are no nursing homes, elderly parents come to live with their children when they can no longer live on their own. They play a big role in teaching the younger generation what is expected of them. In the Amish culture, if you are born male, you have specific gender roles placed on you and are taught what is expected from you and the same goes if you are born female. There is no room for “figuring out what you want to be.” Because they believe in and live by the Bible, they follow the distinct roles for men and women laid out in Scripture. And in the Bible, there is no “in between” male and female.  The person discussed in the “Blessed Curse” would not be accepted warmly in the Amish community. The Amish strongly believe in the Bible and the Bible strongly condemns those who are men but act like girls and vice-versa. The Amish have a hard time accepting anyone who is not of their belief into their culture so I think that this person would bot be readily accepted at all especially because of their Native American beliefs that go against the Bible.

 Subsistence

The Amish people are famers but in the past one hundred years they have turned to holding jobs in business and commerce. Only about 10% of families have all of their income coming from farming. They have started their own family business with only about ten employees. They are mostly wood shops but there are also quilt shops, greenhouses, and bakeries. The Amish eat lots of food from their own gardens and farms. They do not eat processed food from the store. They eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Common foods in their diet are peas, corn, zucchini, beets, beans, rhubarbwe, cabbage and potatoes. Sauerkraut is also very popular. Grain products, meat, and dairy are also staples. They have chickens so they have eggs all year round. Lots of these items are seasonal like the fresh fruits and vegetables so they also eat them canned and frozen. Even Though the Amish do not buy store processed food, they do buy things like flour and sugar at the market. If a family has a farm everyone works together to get the different jobs done. Some of the Amish are starting to specialize in diary cows, chickens or hogs. Farming is a way of life with the men taking most care of the farm and the women dealing with the household. The boys help their fathers on the farm but everyone in the family is still involved. The Amish people have a very balanced diet. Foods from all of the food groups are involved in their every day meals. This is especially seen in the fact that they take many items from their own farms and gardens and do not eat processed foods. Everything they depend on is very common and they have a very balanced diet!

 Economic System

There is some surplus produced in the Amish culture and this is by those farmers who have dairy cows. They ship the surplus milk to cheese plants. Some farms send things like gegtables, herlbs and flowers to markets. All of this is in return for money. Other than farming, the Amish spcialize in making things out of wood such as indoor and outdoor furniture, gazebos, small barns and lawn ornaments. Amish quilts and bakeries and greenhouses are other forms of specialization. Amish men are also involved in constructive work both residential and commercial.  Because the Amish live in America, they use American currency. They come in contact with non-Amish people when they go to the market or work in their shops, so they would have to use the same currency as everybody else. There is a strong sense of community with the amish people. They come together to help those who have lost houses or barns in natural disasters. They collect money to help those who have high medical bills or other needs. They might even hold an auction or bake sale to raise this money. The welfare of the community is more important than the individual. The Amish sell their goods in return for currency. There have been positive benefits of this especially in the wood industry because it has brought in a lot of money to the community. A negative effect is that it has drawn many tourist into the area. Because Amish like to be left alone this could cause problems for them even though it does bring money into the community. They trade services with each other in barn raisings. A man always knows he can get help and is willing to help in return. Because the Amish are put more into the world because of trade they have to have more contract with the world and with values and beliefs they do not agree with. Their children then also come in contact with these ways.

Marriage 

The Amish only have one wife. They do not practice polygamy. They do not marry their first cousins, although at times they may marry a second cousin. This is because they live in such small communities and are not allowed to marry outside of the Amish people. Marriage partners are found during the time called Rumspringa which begins around the age of sixteen. This is when the young Amish boys and girls have a time to experience more of “the world” and “hang out” with other Amish teenagers. Young men and women can date for about a year. They are allowed to choose who they would like to date and marry but they need the blessing of their parents first. The only situation is that they have to both be Amish. Amish girls are given a dowry when they are married. Their parents put this together for their daughter and it is made up of items for the new couple's home. The bride’s parents also give the couple all of the major furniture for their house. Many gifts are given to the new couple during the months after they are married. This is a way the Amish people come together and support each other through community. It think that all of this shows how important marriage is in the Amish community.  I think that the Amish value both the man and the woman in a marriage, equally. But at the same time, I think that the woman is held in high regard, as is proved through the giving of dowry, gifts, and quilts at the time of marriage. This doesn't make her more valued, she just has a special position as the wife/mother in the house and that is celebrated through the giving of all these gifts. The Amish are not allowed to marry anyone who is not Amish so they practice endogamy.  They are not allowed to marry first cousins, but are sometimes allowed to marry second or third cousins. Because only Amish people are allowed to live in their communities, the main way an Amish community grows is by Amish boys and girls marrying and having babies. Communities are built around church districts. The Amish have a very high retention rate, most of the children born into Amish families are baptized into the church, get married, and then settle down in the Amish community. The highest number of Amish live in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. A district is a group of families that all go to the same church. About twenty to forty families are in each district, and when a district gets too big, it splits apart and starts a new district. A settlement is a bunch of districts in the same area. The Amish do not accept homosexuals in to their communities. Any Amish person who claims to be homosexual, is shunned. 

Kinship

Amish live in their communities for their whole lives. When a couple gets married they do not live with any of their in-laws, but instead move out on their own and start their own lives together. Both the matrilineal and patrilineal descent lines are taken into account when children are named. Descent lines are less emphasized because everyone is so close. One sibling might end up marrying a second cousin on their father's side and the other sibling could marry one their mother’s side. The father has the most authority in the house. The elders in the communities though are highly respected. Families will have special rooms added onto their houses so that when their parents get too old to live on their own, they can come live with them. These older people are responsible for passing on the families legacy to the next generation of Amish children, and for passing on important life lessons.  When people die in the Amish community, their possessions are not normally handed down to their children as inheritance so as to avoid disputes over who gets what.   Land is kept in the family line and is handed down to the sons in the family.

Social Organization

The Amish are generally egalitarian.  They do not have a central authority. The only form of “government” found in this culture is in the church. Men hold positions of deacon, preacher and bishop. The church family decides when someone is to be shunned if they have broken a rule.  

Political Structure

No one in the Amish society has “political power.” The church is the deciding authority on laws and on how punishment is to be delivered for breaking the rules.  The Ordnung and the Bible determine the laws in the Amish culture. The Ordnung, which is passed down by word of mouth, is the laws for expected behavior in the Amish community. The typical punishment for breaking the rules in the Amish culture is shunning.  Shunning means the rule breaker is treated like he/she doesn’t exist.  This can lead to excommunication.

                                                         

The Role of Violence 

One way that violence is presented in the Amish culture is that there have been cases of rape in some families. Another way is that some Amish teenagers get in trouble with the law. Even though these things happen in the Amish culture, violence is not a common thing based on their views on “non-violence.” A young girl being raped by one of her brothers would have a very bad affect on her. She would not be able to talk to anyone about it and would probably be very confused and scared. All violence is viewed negatively by this culture. They do not believe in war and the males in this culture are not in the military.

 Religion

The Amish practice conservative Christianity based on the Bible and the Ordnung. The Ordnung is passed on by word of mouth and is rules for behavior. This is a monotheistic religion and they worship the God of the Bible. They believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible which means that they believe that God created the world. They believe at the beginning of time that God created the world and all plants and animals. Then he created the first man, Adam, who was a perfect being and it was his job to take care of what God had created. Then God created a wife for Adam out of a rib that he took from Adam’s side. They were both perfect creatures which lived in the Garden of Eden until they ate fruit from the one tree God told them not to eat from and they were no longer perfect.  They were not allowed to live in the Garden anymore and Adam had to deal with the pain of working the ground for food and Eve went through extreme pain in childbirth. All of this is because they disobeyed the Lord’s command. They were the first two people in the world and from them everyone else is descended.  The Amish believe in living lives of humility and obedience to God. They were plain clothing because they do not want to draw attention to themselves. Part of this means that men have beards without mustaches, women wear prayer caps and they always drive buggies which are dull colors so as to not draw attention to themselves in that way either.  They are supposed to be submissive to authority and children are taught to obey right away at a very young age. Weddings are large events that happen at the home of the bride and the ceremony lasts three hours. You must be baptized before you can become of member of the Amish church. Amish are only allowed to marry other Amish. There is congregational singing in their worship services and two sermons but there is not any flowery “embellishments” like musical instruments or decorations. The Amish do not practice infant baptism. Young Amish adults decide when they are ready to be baptized and only then are they allowed to become members of the church.  Religion is very important in the Amish community. It is their whole way of life. Their communities are based off of their churches. If a person is not a member of their church, unless he is a child who has not yet been baptized, he is not a part of their community.

 Art

The Amish believe that creating art “just for fun” is a prideful waste of time. But one way that they do create art is in the beautiful quilts that they make. Quilting bees are a part of Amish society and quilts are given as gifts to a couple when they are married.  The exception to creating art in the Amish society is if the art has  to have a purpose as in making quilts or creating artwork that display the glory of the Lord in nature. Music is a big part of the Amish community although they do not use musical instruments. They sing German hymns in church and may listen to popular “worldy” music even though they do not “make” it themselves.  Singing in groups is the most common way music is used in the Amish community. The Amish do not normally dance because it is seen as  another way of drawing attention to one’s self. Therefore, they are not involved in any other type of performing such as theater because a life of humility is not one that draws attention to yourself. Art in the Amish community mainly takes the form of handmade articles such as quilts and woodworking. The Amish are known for their woodworking abilities and make beautiful handcrafted furniture. Their work is known all over the country and people in other states will be on a waiting list for months just so that they can buy an Amish table.  The Amish believe that it is wrong to created the likeness of someone’s face into their art because of they believe that it violates the second commandment in the Bible which says to not create any picture or statue to worship in place of God. Their worship services are very plain events. They do not have any special ornaments or decorations as part of their services.

Conclusion

The biggest way that the Amish have been affected by other cultures is by the use of technology. This could be on their farms are even in their homes through the use of battery operated appliances. While these are positive impacts it can also influence them negatively because they try to live a life apart from modern conveniences like electricity. But other “cultures” can also have a positive effect on them because they take advantage of things like grocery stores where they can buy things like flour and sugar. The Amish culture is thriving because of their high reproduction rate and also because most of the children born into the Amish society choose to stay when they have grown up. The Amish culture tries to stay as much apart from the modern world as possible and limits their interaction with outsiders as much as possible. 

  Sources

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Art as a Culture

Functions or Early Art          

                The one explanation of what the cave artist were trying to say that I believe is the most legitimate, is illustrated in this paragraph from the Lascaux Caves website. It says, “Research carried out at Lascaux by Norbert Aujoulat between 1988 and 1999 revealed the fact that the construction of the panels followed a fixed and unchanging protocol, according to which horses were always drawn first, followed by aurochs and then stags. Under such conditions, time itself becomes a crucial factor. This sequence, systematically used for every composition in the sanctuary, responds to biological requirements, revealed by the seasonal attributes seen on the animals. This analysis shows that the horses' features correspond to the early spring, the aurochs to the summer and the stags to the autumn. The various phases of these biological cycles indicate, for each species, the beginnings of mating rituals, which bring life. Over and beyond this literal reading, it is the rhythm, and even the regeneration, of time that is symbolised. The phases of Spring, Summer and Autumn are thus reproduced, a metaphoric evocation that, in this setting, links biological and cosmic time. These vast painted and engraved compositions seem like witnesses to a spiritual way of thinking, whose symbolic significance is based on a cosmogonic approach. From the entrance of the cave to its very depths, the great book of the first – the founding – mythologies unfurls before our eyes, with its central theme, the creation of the world.” So it would seem like these people believed in a great book that set forth the creation of the world and they were in a sense, “illustrating” the book. They were giving “life” to their beliefs by creating these paintings on the walls of the cave. I think the painters were trying to express their beliefs and possibly their thankfulness to the deity they believed in by painting the animals on the walls.

I think the reason there are so many animals and not as many people in the paintings is because this people viewed animals and the creation of them, as more important than themselves. They viewed the animals as special beings and maybe even worshiped them. They obviously did not have enough interest in having future generations know about what they looked like physically or about their accomplishments or they would have painted themselves into the paintings. This can be contrasted with the artwork of the Ancient Egyptians whose paintings are completely full of themselves. They were a culture focused on having power and on being remembered. This is seen in the elaborate pyramids they built for themselves as tombs. They wanted the world to know who they were. The culture of people who created these cave paintings must not have thought very highly of themselves or want themselves to be remembered enough that they would paint themselves into the paintings.

These cave paintings can tell us how highly this group of people viewed animals. And specifically horses which are the most painted animal in the caves. It also tells us what type of animals used to live in the area they inhabited. Which could be helpful since some of the animals might not be in existence today. It also tells us about their religion and their emphasis on the creation of the world which I discussed in the first section of this post. It can tell us that they had access to and a knowledge of how to make a substance they could paint with. We can see how developed their minds were by looking at the creativity of the paintings and the dimensions given to the paintings. This is also seen in the way they developed different methods of painting on sections of the cave walls that were different textures. Lastly, I believe it gives us a clue to the lifestyle of the painters. They obviously had leisure time and were not devoted solely to the hunting and gathering of food. They had time to do things they enjoyed and wanted to do. But at the same time, that is putting my own cultural ideas into the matter. Maybe the paintings were done by a certain group of people who were forced to paint what they were told. I don’t know if this is something we will ever know.

Two difficulties that this people encountered when they were painting was how to access the walls and lighting. Accessing the walls in the caves could not have been easy based on their shape. Research has shown that scaffolding was built to be able to reach high places. Because the cave is not man-made, there is no geometrical structure to the walls therefore they are all different and that would have to have been worked through also. The second difficulty the painters had to work through was being able to see what they were painting. Research has shown that they used torches and even a form of lamp to be able to see what they were painting. Archaeologist have even discovered hearths that were used solely to give off light.

There are three possible functions of this art according to the Lascaux website. One of them is that because of some of the paintings of bison with arrow marks in them, these paintings were linked to the magic of the hunt and therefore had magical properties. A second function of this art could have had something to do with shamanism and maybe was instrumental in the “religion” of the people. Lastly, as stated in the first paragraph, these paintings might be an illustration of the creation of the world and therefore served as a teaching tool to the younger generation.  

Commonalities in Function

                There are a few commonalities that these cave paintings have with the functions of art of modern humans. One is that they both are used as ways of expressing oneself. Art is a main way throughout history that people have used to tell others what they feel and what they believe. Another common function could be that these cave paintings could have been used to beautify the walls of the caves, and modern art is used for the same purpose. Modern humans use art to add color or life to a dull or boring space. Another commonality is that art is used to record history. In the caves it was used to record the creation of the world and modern art  is used to record certain events in history to remind us of them. Lastly, they both can be used for religious purposes. It is clear that the cave paintings had something to do with the religion of the people and modern humans use art in all sorts of ways in the world of religion. Whether that be in a cathedral or in a painting of the face of Jesus.

My Favorite Art

                My favorite form of art is music and my favorite form of music is country! 

               

                The main purpose of country music is to tell a story. They tell about the real life situations that people go through every day in relationships with people, their country and with God. 

                

                There is a complete culture surrounding this art form. From cowboy hats, to cowboy boots, to good old southern hospitality, country music is a big part of southern culture. There are many country songs that have specifically to do with the little “southern town” that the signer calls home. Sweet tea, water towers and John Deer tractors are iconic symbols of country living that have found their way into many country songs.

                Country music benefits society because it reminds us of the things that really matter in life. Many songs talk of the importance of family, of the father daughter relationship and of being proud of the country so many men/women fought and died for. It reminds people that even though hard times come, there is always light at the end of the tunnel and we can move on. Some detrimental effects that I think of country music having are the emphasis it has on alcohol, love gone wrong, and wasting time sitting on a beach. There are many songs that are about getting drunk, leaving a husband or a wife, or about spending all of your time with a “drink in your hand” on a white sandy beach.
               Here is my favorite country band, The Band Perry, singing "You Lie" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCwLsXZnFl4

Politics and Violence

             As far as I could tell, the Yanomamo do not have rules regarding killing. It is stated in the article, “The Yanomamo have no written language, precise number system, formal laws, or institutionalized adjudicators such as chiefs or judges.  Although there are customs and general rules about proper behavior, individuals violate them regularly when it seems in their interests to do so.” These people do not have laws against killing people, and the laws they do have, they do not hold in very high regard. Western cultures are based on rules. They are the basis of the culture, and peace and prosperity come from the citizens of the country abiding by these laws. The consequences of the Yanomamo people for breaking laws differ from Western cultures in that Western cultures actually have consequences for killing someone and the Yanomamo people do not. There are strict rules against killing in Western cultures and harsh consequences if a person breaks those rules.

             Revenge is sought for many different things. It might be that over a woman or it might be because one the people in the village died and they blame it on the magic of someone in another village.  The night before a man goes on a revenge killing, the women in the village eat the ashes of the person who died to essentially provide the revenge party with good luck. Normally there are ten to twenty people on a raiding party and when they attack, they all shoot victim at the same time. Once a man has killed a victim, he becomes a Unokias. But he only becomes one of this elite group after he has performed a ritual purification. He is looked up to in the community and everyone knows how many men he has killed. Because the Yanomamo are all very closely related, it is possible that a man may go on a raiding party against a village in which one of his relative’s lives. But the interrelatedness of these villages are becoming more and more distant due to fusions in which one village will split due to disagreement in the group.

             The benefits of being Unokias are that you receive higher marital and reproductive benefits. The Unokias do not have look very far to find a partner. They are popular men and any women would be more than happy to marry one. They therefore, because they are more likely to get married, are more likely to have more children. Most men strive to be Unokias and if they have become Unokias, they are more attractive to the women in the village as compared to the non-Unokias. A man would choose to become a Unokias as opposed to a Non-Unokias because Unokias have a prestigious spot in the village and have more success with the women than the Non-Unokias. In terms of the Western world, I think it would be comparable to being called a coward if you were a Non-Unokias.

             The influence that revenge killings have on the political structure of the Yanomamo people is that the headman of the village, decide whether or not a killing is revenged. The headman can also have many wives, which means many children, which causes most of the village to be related to each other in some way. The social status and social organization is affected by the revenge killings because the very social organization of a culture could be torn apart because of a revenge killing. This could be because a relative was killed by someone else in his village. This is when a fission happens. The social status is affected because those who have killed (Unokias), have a higher social status than those who have not killed. Kinship is affected by the revenge killings in that as the article says, “The higher the kinship density in a local community, the greater is the likelihood that a large number of mutually supportive individuals will take such life-threatening  risks  and  that  retaliation  will  occur  if  one  of  the members  of  the  group  is  killed.” And this is very likely to happen because, as the article says again, “In most villages well over 80% of the members are related to more than 75% of the village.” They are a very closely related group of people.  Marriage and reproduction are affected by revenge killings because, as was previously discussed, women are more likely to want to marry Unokias, and because of this, many children are born. Not only do women want to marry Unokias over non-Unokias, but the Unokias have the ability to force women to marry them or be their partner. 

             I think the answer to the question, why should we have laws against something no one should want to do, is because there is someone out there who does want to do it! Killing people for a reason other than self defense is acceptable in this culture, so therefore, there are people in the world who want to do it! I believe that we have to have laws against killing people in places like America, because even though most people wouldn’t do it, there is always that one person who is the exception.  And we have to have these laws just to make sure we are protected. Just because something is accepted as wrong in one culture does not mean it is wrong in another. This is clearly illustrated here and is seen in the direct opposite opinions in these two cultures on this issue.  

Kinship Analylis

            I chose to interview my dad about his family. He was born in the San Fernando Valley into a European American family who had been in America for many generations. He grew up a typical all-American boy playing football and as the only boy with three sisters. He came from a very racist background with his grandparents growing up during the time when America was segregated between African Americans and white Americans.  Even though his immediate family was not racist in the way his grandparents were, it still affected him as a child growing up and he told me stories about the sad things they said and did because of this.

           I was completely comfortable when I interviewed my dad. We have a very close relationship so I was not afraid to ask him anything. If I had been interviewing someone who was not related to me, it would have been much more difficult for me to ask questions. When I was talking to my dad, it was very natural and I did not feel awkward.  It would have been harder for me to ask certain questions if the person was not related to me, especially about his relationships with his close family.  I think most of the comfortableness I felt, come directly from the fact that I am so close with my dad.

            On my dad’s side of the family, he did not have very much communication at all with his extended family. This came from a difference of views and opinions between his parents and his aunts and uncles. As a result, He barely ever saw his cousins growing up. They did all live in Southern California though. They also all have the same ethnicity of European American. The attitudes toward the younger members of my family are ones of favoritism. The older individuals in the family are always trying to make the younger ones happy, and my grandparents love seeing their 19 grandchildren. There is a trend toward bigger families at least in my dad’s immediate family. He was one of four children and he and his sisters have 3, 5, 7, and 4 children respectively.  My grandparents are viewed with respect by their children and grandchildren.

          I know both the relatives on my mom and dad’s sides well. I socialize with them about the same amount. Each side of the family gets together for all the holidays and even times in between for birthdays or sometimes just to get together. We also visit my grandparents on my dad’s side often, but my mom’s parents have passed away. We all live in Southern California so it makes it easy to see my family on both sides. In my family, the older people have the most influence on the decisions that are made. This is because they have the most knowledge because they have lived longer, so naturally, the rest of the family trusts in their decisions. They are naturally looked to as the head of the family. Family members who have married into the family are treated the same as those who are born into the family.  Sometimes this is so much the case with some family members that I forget they are not blood related because of how much the same they are treated. We try and show the same love and acceptance to those who have been in the family forever and those who have just become part of the family. In my family, everyone is treated equally. People are not treated differently just because they are male or female.  There are different role we take on though, such as during family parties, the women are in the kitchen making the food and the men are normally sitting around talking or watching TV. Through this exercise, I learned many different things about my family that I did not know before, specifically about my great-grandparents and aunts and uncles.  Something else I learned is that I really enjoy learning new information about my family. I love history and it made it more fun to be learning mine! 

Subsistence and Economy

Part 1

The benefits of being a hunter gatherer are that these people have a more balanced diet and they are not affected by famines as severely as farmers are. They have lots of leisure time and do not live the typical poverty filled lives that people like to think. Another benefit is food sharing. When hunter gathers hunt, they do not keep for themselves what they find but instead share it with those in their community. In turn when another hunter comes back with food, he will share with them in return. Lastly, because of the nature of the hunter gatherer lifestyle, men and women’s roles are not fixed. Sometimes in these communities, the woman will be the one providing most of the food for her family, not because the man is lazy but because that is simply how it works.

The benefits of agriculture are that settlements arose because people could no longer wander around from place to place but had to stay where they planted their food. Because of the surplus of food, other people who were not needed to help run the farm could focus on developing farming equipment. Because of agriculture, societies became organized and tools, pottery and houses were created. Lastly, agriculture caused people to be able to grow things that could not normally be found in the area they lived in providing more of a variety to their diet and any surplus they had could be traded for those things they could not produce but others could.

The disadvantages of being a hunter gatherer is that you are completely dependant on the earth for survival, what the earth provides you eat. If there is no food, you go hungry. You have to be in constant search for food because of this lifestyle and you cannot stockpile. You are always moving and therefore have to be in constant search of food.

The disadvantages of agriculture is that it is dominated by more powerful  groups and markets which makes it so farmers do not have as much control. Weather also poses a problem for the farmer as does the problem of having to find a way to get water to your crops.

I believe that the hunter gatherer subsistence provides a healthier way of life. They do not find themselves with a surplus of food; therefore, they will not have problems with over indulging. They gatherer only as much as they need. They also have a wide variety of food because of how much they move around. They will have a more balanced diet.

Humans transitioned to agriculture because tools were developed and animals and plants were domesticated so they could use them to their advantage. And once these people started to plant crops, they could no longer have a mobile way of life because crops have to be tended and watched.

 Part 2

There is a direct relationship between the availability of surplus and the ability to trade because without surplus, there would be nothing to trade. People from economic systems where trading is the foundation of their livelihood, depend upon the extra that they will have as a means of trading and obtaining goods they cannot produce themselves.

The first social benefit of trade is that it is a means of obtaining things that you would otherwise not been able to obtain. In trade markets people from different areas come together and trade for things that they might not be able to produce on their own. The second benefit is that you create relationships and social ties with those you trade with. You broaden your horizons and create relationships with people who might in the future be able to help or assist you should you need it in the future.

The first negative result of trade is that you are not a self sufficient people because you rely on others for the things you do not have. You are in a sense, at their mercy just like they are at yours. The second negative result is that there is an easier opportunity to be taken advantage of. Because you are trading different objects if could be hard to determine what is an equal trade, especially if there is a language barrier. One group of people might try to take advantage of another by not “giving” as much as they are “receiving.”

Because of the development of agriculture, there has been something to trade! When people started planting gardens and farming land, they could control how much food they produced and therefore have a surplus which they were able to trade with. 

Language

                I found the experiment very hard when I was not allowed to talk! I did this experiment with my dad and brother and found it very hard because I am the most talkative and open with my family. It was hard to watch them partaking in the conversation and not being able to contribute my ideas, at least verbally, to the conversation. Even though I tried using hand signals and facial expression, nothing is the same as being able to use symbolic language.  The impressions of my dad and brother during this conversation were uncertainty and frustration because they did not really ever know what I was trying to say and because everything took longer! They definitely changed the way they talked to me because of the fact that I could not speak back. They started asking really simple questions because they knew it would be the easiest for me to answer without using symbolic language. My dad even started to “take advantage” of me not being able to talk and just kept talking and “assuming” he knew what I was saying even when that was completely opposite the truth! I believe that the culture that uses symbolic language has the advantage in communicating complex ideas over the culture that does not use symbolic language. I think the natural tendency of a culture that uses symbolic language toward a culture that does not use symbolic language is one of distain and probably frustration with them when they are not able to communicate with them.  The distain comes from the same thought that all anthropologists have to be careful of and that is the idea that “my culture is the best.” The individuals that I can think of that have difficulty communicating with spoken language are deaf people and babies/little children. Speaking people normally feel very awkward around those who are deaf and tend to have a proud attitude thinking that deaf people are less important that themselves or less human, but they are not! They just simply cannot hear. Babies and small children normally have a hard time communicating with spoken language because they have not fully developed yet. Adults will usually alter their words to speak in a language that they think their baby can understand better (baby talk) and they know that they cannot have full on conversations with their one year old.

                I did not last very long when I had to have a conversation without any hand signals or emotion showing! This was especially hard because I use my hands a lot when I talk! And I didn’t realize how much we use our eyebrows when we talk! Five seconds into the experiment, my dad my dad started teasing me because my eyebrows were moving and I didn’t even know it! My dad and brother again found it frustrating to talk to me when I could use not expression or hand signals. They also found it boring and said that it didn’t seem like I cared, almost like I wasn’t really present in the conversation but off in a world of my own. The use of signs in our language is very important! We use hand signals and emotions to illustrate what we are talking about and to add emphasis where it is needed. As in my experiment with my dad and brother, conversations become boring and the other party might not know exactly what you are trying to say if you are not using emphasis on certain worlds or hand signals to clarify exactly what you are talking about. A sentence could be taken completely the opposite of the way you intended just by the absence of emotion and hand signals. I think there are people who have hard time reading body language. This kind of people can be hard to have a conversation with. They do not realize when they have “over stayed their welcome” and need to let the other person talk. They could be viewed as selfish people because they are always doing the talking but maybe they just have a hard time reading other people’s body language and think it is ok for them to keep talking.  Having the ability to read body language is a huge benefit. Knowing how to read a person’s body language could be the difference between completely misreading someone and taking something the wrong way or understanding what the person is trying to communicate. Many times a person could be trying to “send” an important message to you but unless you are able to see and recognize their body language, you might completely miss the message. One situation where I think it would be beneficial to not read body language is when there is a speaker addressing group of people. This is when the communication is one way and the audience is simply listening to what the speaker has to say. The speaker should not look at the person falling asleep and assume that his speech is boring. The listener who is falling asleep might have pulled an all-nighter the night before doing homework. The audience is not giving feedback in this situation and speaker does not know the private lives of everyone listening so looking just at the body language of everyone listening might not be a good way to judge how his message is being received.   I also think that many times, and it seems like this happens more with women than it does with men, we read too far into someone’s body language and make it mean something we want it to mean or make it mean exactly the opposite of what it was intended to mean. We need to be careful to not take things too far and to make sure we truly understand what someone is intending to say and not put our own meanings on someone else’s body language.

                It would have been a lot easier in part one of the experiment where I wasn’t allowed to talk, if I had been able to write down what I wanted to say. This is because there would not have been any guessing involved, my dad and brother would have known exactly what I wanted to say. One down side to only being able to write though is that it takes time and even though I would have been able to communicate better, it would have taken me a lot longer to do it!  Written language provides an advantage to the culture that develops and uses it in that it is a way to pass on their unique language. In cultures where languages are not written down, that language might become extinct faster because there is no one studying it or learning it other than those who actually speak it. If a language is written down, people from other cultures can studying the language or even try and learn it even though they are not with those people who speak the language. The culture that has written language also has another way of communicating in that they can send messages and not depend solely on word of mouth. The written language has impacted globalization greatly because the written word has been able to travel around the world for a much longer time through letters, newspapers, books, etc… than the spoken word has. It has only been in the past few centuries through the use of the internet, television, and radio that the spoken word of one country has been able to reach another country that speaks a different language.  Because of written language, things can be written down and passed on from generation to generation and from culture to culture. The history of a people that is written down is less likely to be changed over time than it is if that same story was passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth.

Environmental Adaptations

The Zulu population in South Africa

The Zulu people live on the eastern coast of South Africa where they experience very warm temperatures most of the year with the average being 76 degrees Fahrenheit. The Indian ocean affects the range of temperatures the area experiences with a climate variation of 52 to 80 degrees. They receive about 18 inches of rain every year. The clothing worn by the Zulu people are examples of the cultural adaption’s of the Zulu people. Because of the warm climate in which they live, the Zulu people do not wear very much clothing at all. This is to help the body regulate its temperature as to not over heat. Boys do not wear anything and older men wear only a front apron and cow tails on their upper arms and below their knees. These are actually for the purpose of making themselves look bigger and are not even for the purpose of covering the body. Little girls are covered until puberty but then wear only a skirt until they are engaged and then they cover their chest. Married women probably wear the most clothing but that is only to show that they are not trying to attract attention from other men. Overall though, it is most common to wear less clothing therefore providing more comfort in the warm climate. Physical adaptations of this people can be seen in the dark color of their skin. Because of the climate in which they live and the amount of time spent in the sun, their skin has produced more eunelanin which protects the skin from the sun. This helps to ward off over heating under the hot temperatures in which they live.  I would choose to describe this race of people as black because of their dark skin color. 

The Andean Indians in the Andes Mountains

One of the tribes of Andean Indians in the Andes Mountains are the Quechua Indians. They live in the area once governed by the Incan empire in Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. They live on the steep slopes in the Central Andes region where there is poor soil, strong wind, and cold weather.  The average temperature is 50 degrees Fahrenheit and the rainfall varies greatly depending on the location. A physical adaptation of the Quechua Indians is that they have larger chests than do the typical human. The air in the Andes Mountains is so thin because of the high altitude that they need bigger chests to give their lungs more room to take in oxygen. Their bodies have changed over time so as to make it easier for themselves to breath. One of the cultural adaptation of the Quechua Indians is the amount of clothing that they wear. Because of the cold climate in which they live, the Quechua people wear lots of clothing such as, sweaters, jackets, ponchos and shawls. All of this is to protect themselves from the strong wind and frigid temperatures of the Andes mountains. I would describe the race of these people based on their physical appearance as Latin American. This is based on the tan color of their skin and their dark facial features.  

Adaptation vs. Race

I think that adaptation has more explanatory power over race. When you describe a population by the way they adapt to their environment you find out a lot more about a specific people than if you just described the way they look. And, by just describing the way a people looks, you could be describing multiply groups of people. I described the Zulu culture as being black, but there are people of the black race who live all over the world just like there are white people who live all over the world. If you just describe a culture by the way they look, how is the group of people you are talking to supposed to know if that people live in South Africa or Southern California? I think that the most useful approach for anthropologists is to describe a population by adaptation and not by race.  

Sources

http://www.saexplorer.co.za/south-africa/map/south_africa_map.asp

http://www.southafrica.info/travel/advice/climate.htm

http://www.zulu.org.za/index.php?weather

http://goafrica.about.com/library/bl.weather.southafrica.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/27209/Modern.htm

http://www.warthog.co.za/dedt/tourism/culture/clothes/menu.htm

http://anthro.palomar.edu/adapt/adapt_4.htm

http://www.sharecare.com/question/why-have-different-skin-colors

http://jeb.biologists.org/content/204/18/3151.full.pdf

http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Norway-to-Russia/Quechua.html

http://www.beachcomberpete.com/south_america/Andes/andes.php

http://peruperu.com/andes-mountains.htm

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/peru/places

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/102278/Central-Andes

http://jeb.biologists.org/content/204/18/3151.full.pdf

Five Descriptions of the Nacerima Culture

Desperate- This can be seen in the extreme lengths these people went to as part of their belief that the human body is ugly and that its natural tendency is to debility and disease. They were willing to go to such lengths as scraping and lacerating the surface of their faces as part of a daily body ritual. They were so desperate to follow the rules and rituals of their culture and religion that they went to unhealthy and often unsafe lengths to achieve what they thought was right.

Fearful- This also seems to be a very fearful people. They were so worried about following the rituals that the holy-mouth-men or medicine man prescribed that they would pay money over and over again to make sure they did everything right.  They were fearful of teeth falling out and their mouths falling apart so they would pay money to the holy-mouth-man to make sure that did not happen. And not only did they pay money, they had to have an excruciating operation done to make sure their mouth remained “whole.” And this was all because they were afraid of what would happen if they did not. They even put a bundle of hog hairs in their mouths along with magical powders just to make sure they took care of their mouths. They were scared into action by what the medicine or mouth man told them to do.

Trapped- It does not appear that these people are at all able to “get out” of this way of living. They were born into it and they will stay in this culture until they die. The way of living is imbedded into the children’s minds even before they are old enough to know what they have been born into. It is even said that the mothers are suspected of putting curses upon their own children. If this people has been taught this way of life ever since they were born, it is very unlikely that they will ever see the need to break free  of it. Especially if this way of life is all they are ever taught and if everyone around them is following the same pattern of life.

Greedy – This is seen mainly in the actions of the medicine men and the holy-mouth-men. One example is the charms and magical potions kept in chests that the people thought they needed to live. The Medicine men would prescribe them to the people but not without receiving a substantial gift.  Then after the medicine man told the people what they needed they then had to go to the herbalist who also needed to be paid before they gave them the charm. One has to wonder if these medicine men and herbalist really believed what they gave out was working or if they were just using their influence to scare the people and make money. Either way, the greediness of this people is clearly seen as payment is mentioned many times as something that was needed before the people got what they thought they needed.  

Discontent- Discontentment seems to be another characteristic that describes this culture. This is clearly seen in the way the women were dissatisfied with the size of their breasts and with the ritual fasts and feast they had to make people skinnier or fatter. They clearly were not ok with just being themselves but were always trying to change their bodies. Even the article states that, “The ideal form is virtually outside the range of human variation.”  They knew that they could never reach the ideal and yet they kept trying to get there.

As an American I feel that the words I chose to describe my culture, other than the word trapped,  are very accurate. Even though I am an American, I have not let myself think that America is the perfect country with no issues or problems. Yes, America is a great place to live, but at the same time I believe that many Americans are desperate, discontent, greedy and fearful. They are desperate to be like everyone else and to fit in. They are fearful of not being able to fit in and of not being “perfect” on the outside. They are discontent with the money they have, and with the way they look and are always seeking ways to improve their status in life or appearance. This also leads into Americans being greedy. Many people will do whatever it takes to make more money, even if it means pushing other people out of the way or hurting relationships. Their greed completely takes over and nothing else matters.

I do believe though that a lot of the words I used to describe the “Nacirema” culture are biased.  First, desperate comes completely from the culture I live in. I saw this culture as desperate because of the way  I have been raised to be content with the body I have been given and not to just do things, because my culture tells me to do it. This also shows why the word discontent is also biased, because to these people, it is a way of life to change their bodies and the rituals to become fatter or skinnier is something they do because they are told to, not because they necessarily want to or need to change. I believe that trapped is also biased because of my view of the world today. Reading about the “Nacirema” people all I saw was a people who could not get out of the way of life they were born into, but why would they want to get out of it if it is the only thing they knew. Obviously, this word is biased.  I believe that greedy would not necessarily be seen as biased in this culture. The “medicine men” and “holy mouth men’s” greed is clearly seen by the way they make the people pay for each one of their services. I do not believe that fearful is unbiased because all culture in some way have fear involved. People are scared into doing things which will then feed the greediness of those doing the scaring. They will pay money or give of their bodies  or possessions to be rid of the “fear” put upon them.

Another word that might be able to be used in the place of desperate, is passionate. I feel that this is an unbiased word because anyone can be passionate about something they care about, weather that something is good or bad, it doesn’t matter. The “Nacirema” culture was so passionate about the way they looked on the outside that they went to great lengths to try and achieve a different look even if their passion for something different caused them to be unsafe. A word that could possibly be used in the place of discontent, is ritualistic. This word seems very different but the things that made me describe this culture as discontent were some of the things that they had rituals for. I’m specifically talking about trying to make a person skinnier or fatter. They did not necessarily try and change because they always wanted something different but because they were told they needed something different and the way they achieved the difference was many time through rituals. This is clearly a culture full of ritualism. I think that ritualistic and traditional are also words that could be used in place of trapped. Instead of thinking of the people as trapped inside a world they are not able to escape from, they are adhering to rituals and traditions they and their ancestors have held to for centuries. They do not mind being in this culture because that is all they have ever known and will ever know.  They are used to their traditions and they are comfortable there.

I believe it is very important to avoid as much cultural bias as possible when describing other cultures. Even though it seems I struggled in this assignment with using words that were biased, it has helped me to see the importance of keeping ones opinion out of the picture as much as possible when describing other cultures. I think it is important to try and keep your opinion out as much as possible when discussing other cultures. Just because you think something is wrong and most people in you culture see it as wrong, someone in another culture might see that same thing as completely ok. You also take the risk of hurting possible friendships and alliances with people from other cultures if you are not careful about the way you communicate with them. If you are careless and do not think about the fact not that everyone has the same opinion as you, you can cause massive problems that could have been avoided if you had simply removed your personal opinion and biases. I do not think that it is ever possible to completely remove your cultural bias as a Cultural Anthropologist. You may be able to remove most of it and try and be as unbiased as possible, but in the end, the culture you were raised in has formed and shaped you into the person you are today and try as you may, you can never fully remove your opinion of the way the world works. It is like having on glasses that you can never take off. You will forever see the world through the lens of your culture.