Maasai - The Red Warriors of Africa

Culture & Adaption
    The Maasai live in Eastern Africa in Kenya and northern Tanzania along the Great Rift Valley, where the land is between semi-dry and dry lands due to little rain fall. The climate in Kenya is hot and humid along the coast and extremely dry in the in lands, with the capital of Nairobi being about 13-25 C on average. All year round the sun shines but through April-June there are long rains and short rains in October-December, with the hottest months being February-March and the coldest in July-August.

    Their population is rural and compromised of sixteen sections, which live in Kraals arranged in a circular shape surrounded by a fence to protect them and their cattle from predators like lions. Each section is in charge of it's own territory, however, with a communal land system they all are able to utilize their resources in a sustainable way. As well, the Maasai believe that no one should be denied access to natural resources, such as land or water.

    In their surroundings there are eighty major species of animals and in that category, there are over a thousand species of birds. The plants are dry yellow grasses but during the rain seasons the yellow grasses turn a bright green and turn into fields of flowers. The rivers have the most plant life around them and forests cover the mountains. There are thousands of plant species with some native and others have been introduced. Plants include: Acacia trees, Doum Palm, Sisel, Orchids, and Bamboo. Animals include: Antelope, Baboon, Water Buffalo, Cheetah, Crocodile, Elephant, Giraffe, Hippopotamus, Hyena, Leopard, Lion, Mongoose, Rhinoceros, and the Zebra.

    Their environment has put certain stresses on them, such as having a high infant mortality rate and the local government intervening with the tribe. Policy makers wanted to remove all of the Maasai from the Serengeti National Park to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The Maasai lost many of their cattle due to disease, there was not a lot of land, and they were forced to change their ways in order to sustain themselves (moving from cattle people to agriculture people). However, in 1975 the NCA made it illegal to cultivate within the Conservation, which forced many of the Maasai to join the monetary world. In 1992 the ban was lifted and some began cultivating again, while others stayed in the monetary economy.

    Due to their environment, the Maasai people have dark skin due to being exposed to sun all year long and are usually very tall and slender people. Their health has been a perplexing concern to many studying the tribe; their diet is high in fat but they consistently have low levels of cholesterol and lipoprotein with no indication of atherosclerosis. Which leads some to think that they may have cholesterol-absorption control from the hundreds of years of being on a high fat diet. Culturally, their food is produced from being forced to cultivate the land, in which they grow maize, rice, potatoes, cabbage, and other foods, which they have become dependent on.

Language

 
    The language the Maasai speak is called Maa but they also speak English and Swahili. The language is apart of the Eastern Nilotic family and come from the Ongamo-Maa language. Their language requires them to have an advanced tongue root vowel harmony and tone, which  is extremely important for conveying correct meaning. They also have only two fully grammatical propositions, but can use “relational nouns” along with the most general preposition to designate specific locative ideas. As well, they have no written language, which often causes the misspelling of their tribe name.

Gender Roles

    In the Maasai culture there are only two genders, male and female.

    For the men, the biggest influence in in their lives is their age; as they aged the gained more responsibility but the elders responsibilities were limited. The ilayiok (uncircumcised men) have a harder life than most, they herd the caves then cattle and must deal with hunger, physical hardships, and an embarrassment to them and their family. The boys are constantly tested and any faltering brings shame to them; they needed to be ready to be circumcised and they must go through hardships in order to go through the circumcision. After they are circumcised they become illmuran (warriors) and protect the village, messengers for the elders, and go on raids. They live in warrior villages with their girlfriends and mothers, it's a communal living where every possession is shared, and they believe in freedom of action are sexually active and open.

    For the women, there are only married and non-married women. The intoyie (uncircumcised) women are the girlfriends and sexual partners of the warriors; even though they are sexually active and open they remain loyal to their parents and help their mothers with household chores and care for the younger children. However, once the woman is circumcised they are supposed to immediately marry an elder and begin their family. She is forbidden from having sex with anyone but the elders and if she was caught cheating, her and her partner would be beaten. They gained rank when their son becomes a warrior and his mother will now wear special earrings to show her new rank. Women do have less rights than men in the tribe, they are looked at as an extremely important part of the tribe.

    Incest in the tribe is taken seriously and is restricted. The women express their feelings about the men in the tribe through song and gather into a mob like group to slaughter cattle and beat the elders who break the incest rule. It is Maasai custom for the men to not have sex with their daughters and as stated above, will be beaten if they break this rule.

    Although they only acknowledge two genders, they realize that sometimes there will be those who do not belong to one gender specifically. They call this androgynous person an ani-malwill, which ever gender is stronger is given to that individual and is done so quickly to keep order within the group. Each gender is marked by dress, ornaments, and hairstyle.

    As soon as the child is born their gendering beings. When the child is between four and six, their socialization practices become more clear by having boys tend to the cattle and endure hunger, while the girls are expected to work at home and take care of the children. Both girls and boys are expected to go through painful tasks in order to go through circumcision, this includes scarification, shave their lower incisors, and ears pierced around age 10.

   The child in the Blessed Curse by R.K. Williamson, who was born intersexed, would not be shunned or negatively thought of within the Maasai tribe. As stated earlier, although they only acknowledge two genders, they realize that others can exist, however, they will be put in to whichever gender is stronger within them. Although the Native Americans acknowledge the fact that there are more than two genders, while the Maasai do not, they still treat them with respect and aid them to fit into their society better. I believe the Native American way is less emotionally and psychologically damaging since they are not forced into a box but allowed to come to their own conclusion.

Economy of Culture

  Their subsistence pattern is pastoralism, which is where people make their living by tending to large animals, such as cattle for the Maasai. Livestock is the important factor in their economy and are traded for other livestock, cash, and other products. Their cattle and their children are the most important thing to the Maasai people.

   As said earlier, the Maasai's diet is has an extremely high fat content and has confused many people. The Maasai eat meat, milk, and blood from cattle; the blood is drunk on special occasions, such as circumcised children, after childbirth, and when someone is sick. However, due to being moved, their diet now consists of food production, such as maize meal more than in the past. Due to the Maasai's story of creation, they believe breaking the earth is not only disrespectful to their God but frowned upon, since the land cannot be used for both livestock and farming, but many have no choice.

   Being a pastoral society, they have a patriarchy system since men do most of the work with the cattle, which is the main source for the Maasai people. Men are the ones who make the decisions and herd the animals, while the women stay home and take care of the children. Their division of labor is based on gender and age for their society.

    Back to their nutrition, meat is eaten for energy and protein, blood is for special occasions, soup is prepared with herbs, meat, and bones, and milk and milk products are consumed by everyone at any time of day, but mostly young children. Milk products include fresh milk, which is not boiled and from the cattle, sour milk, which is made by fermenting fresh milk over night and is mostly drunk by uncircumcised boys, yogurt, which is milk that has been fermented for four days and is stored in airtight containers, much like yogurt sold in stores here, and cow colostrum, which is thick and yellow milk but usually only eaten by the children, mainly boys.

    They rarely have any surplus in their food items since they only take what they need and use every part of the plant or animal, specifically so nothing will go to waste. The men mainly do all the work, since it is believed that the men are stronger than the women and they are required to work days with the cattle, which they believe women would not be able to endure. Everything is distributed equally between the members of the tribe because they believe no one should be without the necessities for life, such as land and water. As well, there is no currency among the tribe except for cattle, which are used to show how powerful a man or tribe isl the more cattle, the more power. They also trade, usually within their own tribe but since the cities are getting closer to them, some are forced to trade with the outside world and many trade their artwork, such as beadwork for money or necessities.

Marriage & Kinship

     Marriages are arranged by the elders, without telling the bride or her mother. Polygyny is an wanted and usually achieved by the elders, which results in the women being younger than the men so, most women become widows, and they will not be marry again. As soon as the men and women are circumcised they must marry quickly, however, the spouses are usually put together by knowing another family who has a son or daughter, etc. the fathers figure out the date and details of the wedding before letting either party know who they will even be marrying but because they are an endogamy  culture, the couple will most likely already have met and know each other.

    When they are married, the bride brings a herd of cattle (for her future sons), which will be overlooked by her husband. As well, when the parents die the eldest son will inherit all of his late father's herd, while the youngest inherits his late mother's herd, and daughters inherit nothing.

    Their residence pattern is a patriarchy, meaning the father is the head of the household and as long as he is alive, his sons cannot have control of cattle or choose whom they will marry when the time comes, but they must abide by what their father decides. However, as their sons grow older, they give them more responsibilities and rely on them more as they grow older. Since this is a patriarchy, even if her husband dies, she will be under her sons control and be subservient to them, just as she was to her husband.

    Their descent pattern, again because they are a patriarchy, their lineages are traced through the father's side but usually only extend one or two generations beyond their current elder. Clans used to be a large part of the Maasai but today clanships weak and is not a significant aspect of life as it used to be.

     The kinship terminology of the Maasai is similar to Omaha language, however, many address each other as teknonyms when they are acquaints and as affines, when there is a level of kinship or respect between the two people

Social & Political Organization

    Age determines everything in the Maasai culture. This age system is usually spaced within about fifteen years and within each age group there are subgroups. The most important age transition are of the warriors who endure hunger, pain, attempting to gain independence from their mother's, learn to depend on their fellow warriors, and then retire to become an elder.

    Their age system is also an indicator in their political structure and alternating age is used. For example, elders in group one help the men in group three and are responsible for helping them become warriors, just as group three will eventually help group five accomplish the same things and it continues in alternating order. This system allows rivalry between the adjacent age groups, mainly in the south or rivalry between the young and the old, which mainly occurs in the north.

    Although there may be rivalry, many aspects of violence are reserved only for the warriors since they must defend their tribes herd from raids. However, there seems to be more violence between the warriors and elders than from outside threats. There is theft, adultery, and infighting within the warrior groups due to jealously, how they were brought up, or greed. As well, before a warrior can become an elder, he must replace an elder, which he cannot do until he forcefully makes a stand toward this elder to displace him.

Religion & Art

    Every Maa speaking tribe shares the same religion; a monotheistic religion where they follow their God called Enkai or Ngai.

    Ngai is the creator of everything and in the beginning, Ngai (sky) was one with earth and owned everything. However, the day that 'sky' and earth became two separate entities and Ngai was no longer apart of the earth of apart of the people. However, the cattle could not survive now that the sky and earth were no longer one so, Ngai sent the cattle to the Maasai people from the fig tree and told them to take care of the cows.

    Due to this story of creation, they firmly believe that breaking the soil is an insult to Ngai; they do not even break the ground to bury their dead. This explains why the cattle are so sacred to the Maasai and sacrificed on special occasions, which the Laibon, the ritual and spiritual leaders, take care of. There is usually only one of these leaders per clan and they officiate ceremonies/sacrifices, heal people, and provide spiritual advice to the elders. As well, there are prophets, seers, and shamans who help the elders name the leaders of each age group. Their religion is so deeply embedded into their way of life that without it, they would be a completely different tribe with different values and concerns. Everything comes from and is based off of their story of creation, which makes their religion extremely important and valuable to them as a society.

The Maasai are best known for their bead work, which they use as decoration for themselves and to sell within the cities. The patterns of the beads are determined by age group. The men, who are usually more decorated than the women, may spend a majority of their days working on unique and detailed hair styles along with their bead work. They make necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, and many other types of jewelry in this bead work style and also may attach bells, and objects

they have found or bought in the city.

    Another well known art aspect of the Maasai tribe is their music, which except for the occasional kudo horn, it is all singing, and everyone usually sings along. Each group has their own roll in every song or ceremony; the warriors make a vibration like sound and can even sound like cattle.

    Music is  usually preformed by a group of men, normally warriors, standing in a row or a circle and the song will start off from low grunts and vibration noises and with each man having his own part, together the group has a bass rhythm. Once this deep singing has gone on, the leader will begin to sing in short phrases and has a trance like sound to it with the constant buzz sound from the group and then the short lyrics sung by one individual.

    There is also dancing involved with their singing. Most known is their soloist jumping, where they jump as high as they possibly can, while the others are swaying to the music and once that jumper is exhausted (usually just after a jump or two) the next person who jump, and it will continue down the line or circle.

Cultural Change

    The Maasai tribe has tried to maintain themselves and their culture even though outside forces are attempting to come in and change their ways. Although they have been moved and forced to go against their beliefs in order to survive, they are now being introduced into the outside monetary world, which can be positive or negative, but either way they are still open and friendly people who welcome outsiders and to show them their ways but this also is the case do to many years of having to evolve to the outsiders.

   The Maasai are in danger of becoming an extent tribe due to the cities beginning to creep more and more into the Conservation and because they are on protected grounds, the only thing that is protecting them and their culture is the government but as soon as the Park is sold or made smaller or they are forced to move again, their culture will face a very big hit, which I don't think they will recover from as easily as they did the first time they were moved. Every year the government attempts to take their land and few groups are helping them attempt to keep their land. Prescott College in Prescott, AZ ventures every year to the Maasai in order to help them win lawsuits against corporations and the government from taking their land.

    Although they are known by many in to the outside world for their bead work and unique look, their hold on the world is small as they are merely a tourist attraction to those who venture to Africa. Just as many 'untouched' societies are looked at today, they are admired for what they produce, such as the bead work of the Maasai, rather than their culture and way of life. The world is a small place now, and everyone will have to find their place in the new world or be forgotten and as much as I hope the Maasai will be able to keep their culture for as long as possible, the new world has a history of destroying it's past in order to move forward.

Bibliography:

• http://www.maasai-association.org/maasai.html
• http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/people/Maasai.html
• http://lionguardians.wildlifedirect.org/2008/06/26/maasai-marriage/
• http://www.maasai-association.org/ceremonies.html
• http://www.maasaierc.org/maasailegacy.html
• http://maasaiinfo.wikispaces.com/Gender+Roles
• http://www.kenya-advisor.com/masai-culture.html
• http://www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopedia/sub/maasai.html
• http://www.maasai-association.org/art.html
• http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/voices/jessica-varat-and-jasleen-anand/maasai-culture-colonization-and-change
• http://www.omniglot.com/writing/maasai.htm

Art as a Culture-The Lascaux Caves

1. Functions of early art
1. What were the cave artists trying to say?: The cave artists were trying to convey their everyday life in art form; they were representations of the things they saw and experienced in their lives. As well, it was a way for them to communicate their beliefs and ideals to other groups who might pass through the caves or even to communicate to those who stayed in the caves.
2. Why do you think there were so many animals and not as many people in the paintings?: Because most cave paintings were focused on hunters and animals, animals were a large portion of the paintings, while the men were stick figure-like. Due to the hunters knowing what humans looked like, they didn't have to be detailed or put them into paintings at all, however, in different areas there were different animals, which means the more detailed the animal painting was, the easier other people would have finding that animal.
3. What can the paintings tell us about other aspects of the life of cave dwellers or Paleolithic people?: As stated above, the paintings were usually about hunters and animals, which means the people were hunters and gathers and moved constantly. The cave dwellers and Paleolithic people led a life of hunters and gathers and painting on the cave walls which animals were there and what they looked like aided future groups coming into the area. Although they did not spend all their time in the caves, it was still important for them to leave their mark.
4. What difficulties did these early humans navigate in order to paint these pictures?: These cave dwellers most likely had to crawl on their stomachs to reach into the corners of the cave, carry some sort of light source to see into the cave, carry their art utensils (paint, charcoal, rocks, etc.), as well as be aware of animals within the cave. I'm sure some cave dwellers did not want to risk their lives to paint but I'm sure others did and wanted that perfect spot, which most likely had several risks just getting there.
5. Speculate three possible functions of the art from the Lascaux Cave:
1. Aided hunters and gathers in knowing which animals lived in the area.
2. Helped communicate stories, tactics, and information to incoming cave dwellers to help them.
3. Allowed the cave dwellers to express themselves in a way they could not with words; everyone could draw but not everyone has the capacity to make tools or clothing or communicate.
2. Commonalities in Function

1. Compare the possible functions of the art from the Lascaux Caves to modern art, in all of its various forms: Art is art. It cannot and will never be pinned down to an exact definition besides 'self-expression'. Therefore, although these two periods of art are vastly diverse, they both share that self-expression component that art is meant to produce and be produced by. The functions of both of these art periods is still to tell people the status of the time, location, and animals or people. Both help people find things in the outside world and among themselves or their group.
3. My Favorite Art: 
1. Choosing just one type of art is extremely hard for me. I have always and forever will be an art person and I love and respect all forms of art and try to dap into every genre and type of art there is. As of right now, and because I don't believe many people will think of this, I will be choosing the propaganda art movement with artists such as Ron English and Shepherd Fairey.

The  first video is a sample of the documentary POPaganda, which is about Ron English and his art, which is against corporations and the ignorance of the masses in politics. His images are extremely controversial because he is going against the media but he is using his right to free speech to go against the 'norm'.

The second video is of Shepard Fairey, the creator of the OBEY label. He is a street artist that has risen up with his Obama portrait, his art for the pro-peace movement, the gay rights movement, etc.

1. What function does it serve? What are they trying to communicate?: Propaganda street art is meant to simply provoke the masses. This type of street art is meant to make people take a closer look at the things around them, why they do the things they do, and why no one has said such simple things before. I believe they are trying to communicate a sense of reality that is not fed from the media or society, but from an outside source, which gives you the opportunity to see your society from an outside source and not from your society's eyes.
2. Is there a complete culture surround this art form?: Yes, street art requires that you know the street codes, which means you must remain hidden, discrete, fast, and respectful of other street artists. Usually they come in a van at night or during a slow point in the day, may have others for protection or just one or two people, they may have weapons such as bats in case of a fight, and the point is to get there, set up, and leave as fast as possible. Street artists choose not to respect 'private property' which is owned by corporations, such as billboards, because many of them, as English said in the first video, have free speech because they paid for it, not because they have it as a right. We simply accept all the advertisements corporations put into our face everyday everywhere we go but we are supposed to feel disgusted and look down at street artists, whether they are regular graffiti artists or 'famous' street artists like English and Fairey.
3. How does this art form and its culture benefit society? Are there any detrimental affects?: Propaganda street art benefits society by giving it it's news without the regulations and bureaucratic notions of media in our society. I don't believe it is detrimental except for those who have money and are being exposed and get a bad reputation or lose sales. 

"Blood Revenge and Warfare in a Tribal Population" by Chagnon

1. Universally, every culture has rules or laws against killing and the Yanomamo are no exception. "Although there are customs and general rules about proper behavior, individuals violate them regularly when it seems in their interests to do so. When conflicts emerge each individual must rely on his own skills and coercive abilities and the support of his close kin" (P. 985-986). In comparing the Yanomamo with Western cultures we see a vast difference in their laws an rules against killing. For example, in the United States it it illegal to murder (unless it's self defense), while the Yanomamo may do as they please as long as it is in their best interests to do. However, you can make the comparison that the U.S.'s self defense exception is in our 'best interest'. However, the Yanomamo still violate their rules and laws against killing more and without pause due to the fact that there are no repercussions, where as in the U.S., being tried for murder may get you the death penalty or life in prison if you are found guilty.
2. The Yanomamo are unique in the sense that they have 'revenge killings'. "The most common explanation given for raids (warfare) is revenge for a previous killing, and the most common explanation for the initial cause of the fighting is 'women'" (P. 986). Therefore, revenge killings are associated with the death of a kin, however, the death does not have to be from a raid by an enemy village but may be "...sought for the deaths of individuals who are alleged to have die as a consequence of harmful magic practiced by shamans in enemy villages" (p. 987). As well, due to the fact that "Few deaths are considered natural", revenge killings can be started even when a relative is simply ill (P. 987).
3. Revenge killings are dangerous for those who take part, however, by obtaining Unokais you gain stature and prestige when you go into another raid. The benefits of becoming a Unokais are having higher reproductive success, high mortality rate, different skills, athleticism, and other factors.. As well, you may become Headmen, which is "The leader of the largest descent group..." and this status allows you several wives and to have many children and your village will soon become full of your close kin. On the other hand, the benefits of not being a Unokais are nothing compared to that of being an Unokais unless that man wants to stay away from violence as much as possible for some reason. Due to all the benefits, I believe most of the men choose to be Unokais instead of not due to the prestige you receive as well as filling your village with your kin and not anyone else's, as well as for the reasons stated above.
4. Revenge killings and their affect on:
1. Political Structure: "Each descent group has one or more patas who are the political leaders of that group", all these leaders are the very individuals who decide whether killings are revenge or not (P. 988). As well, due to the fact that these leaders are in charge of their descent group, when there is a revenge killing in their village, then one of their kin would have been killed, which means it is more likely a revenge killing will be put against the enemy for killing the leaders (most likely the Headman's) close kin.
2. Social Status/Social Organization: "Unokais: Those who kill" are men who are highly ranked for their killings and although most of them have only killed once, the more you kill or the style in which you kill, will earn you status within the village (P. 987). Therefore, the men who decide whether or not to raid are the ones who do the raiding, which will have it's pros and cons but rarely would they raid unless it was necessary to retaliate against an enemy without a cause.
3. Kinship: In time the males in each village will slowly become more and more related to each other and not everyone stays within the village, but may move to a neighboring one or create a new village. "A war between their new group and old one puts individuals in an ambiguous position. Such men often refuse to participate in raids against the group whence they fissioned, pointing out that they wish their close kin no harm" (P. 988).
4. Marriage & Reproduction: The Headman is the "...are usually polygynous, and over a lifetime a successful man may have had up to a dozen or more wives, but rarely more than six wives simultaneously. One result is the some men have many children" (P. 988). Both the Headman and the Unokais's have a very high reproductive success, which means most of the Headmen and political leaders will be Unokais'.
5. Although most people believe killing another being is wrong, we still need laws and rules against it due the fact that 'killing' can be justified for different reasons, for different cultures, and on different circumstances. I believe killing another being is wrong and there should be no exceptions but because there are exceptions is why we need a law against it. Many good examples come from the U.S. with other cultures immigrating here and bringing their culture here with them; such as Muslim's performing honor killings. To the U.S. killing your child because their behavior is not to your standards because they are misbehaving, etc. is completely absurd and we punish those who perform honor killings. However, Muslim countries still have laws and rules against killings but in certain circumstances it is 'alright to kill'. I believe this is why we need to have a law stating that murder is illegal, period.

Kinship (too long of a post!)

I am interviewing my Nana, Barbara Corson who is my Mother's adopted mom. She was born in New Jersey but moved to Maine with her husband. She went to high school in Maine and never went to college. She now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada volunteering in elementary schools where she teaches Spanish, helps the Native American children, and fundraisers. She was born in a middle class white family and still is in the middle class. 

Her family members included: her sister Sandra, her three children Susan, Bob, and Genene, her grandmother Margaret, her grandfather William, her mother Barbara (Sr), her father Robert, her husband Bud, and her adopted grand kids Nicolette and Andrew.

I didn't really have a plan or style to how I interviewed her. I already knew about her family members names but not all of their stories so, I mainly stuck to learning about them. She's my Nana so, I knew everything was open and there would be no awkwardness or personal issues, which made it easy to complete this assignment. On the other hand, interviewing someone I was not related to would vary depending how long I had known them. However, I usually find that people don't mind explaining their families to people, whether they are related or unrelated. I am assuming since it's an easy subject, has happy/emotional memories for them, and they are always (usually) around them so there is a lot of information.

My Nana is an open book so, there wasn't really a preference to certain types of people or women vs. men, although she did frequently only talk to the women in her family but that's because her father was abusive and she only has one son who is not a momma's boy and then her husband and grandson. We (on my mom's side) tend to have small/broken families due to children running away (her grandmother and my mother) and simply just wanting smaller families. As well, her oldest daughter is a lesbian in a very committed relationship, her son is a bachelor but in an on/off relationship for last six years with his first marriage ending in divorce, and her adopted daughter is the only one with children and she is also divorced. However, with small families we tend to all be really close and keep in connect with everyone.

1. Margaret
1. Dead
2. Grandmother
3. Scotland
4. Communicated
2. William
1. Dead
2. Grandfather
3. Scotland
4. Communicated
3. Barbara (Sr.)
1. Dead
2. Mother
3. New Jersey
4. Frequently communicated (stopped after her daughter moved to Maryland)
4. Robert
1. Dead
2. Father
3. New Jersey
4. Rarely communicated
5. Bud
1. Living
2. Husband
3. Las Vegas, Nevada
4. Always communicating
6. Sandra
1. Living
2. Sister
3. Maine
4. Always communicating
7. Susan
1. Living
2. Daughter
3. San Francisco, CA
4. Always communicating
8. Bob
1. Living
2. Son
3. Saugus, CA
4. Frequently communicating
9. Genene
1. Living
2. Adopted daughter
3. Santa Ynez, CA
4. Always communicating
10. Nicolette
1. Living
2. Adopted grand daughter
3. Saugus, CA (moving to Glendale, AZ)
4. Always communicating
11. Andrew
1. Living
2. Adopted grand son
3. Santa Ynez, CA
4. Frequently communicating

1. With which family members did you tend to socialize the most? Who did you spend the holidays with?

  - Her sister: She is her closest relative, they communicate weekly even though they live in Maine. However, she socializes with the females in her family more than the males. As well, holidays used to be spent with her husband and her parents; now they have holiday parties with friends and family. 

2. If you need help, who among your family members would you feel comfortable turning to?

  - Her children would be the ones to help however, she notes that financially we (her husband and her) would be the ones to help.

3. Are there any family members you will not interact with or communicate with? Why?

  - There are no family members I would not communicate with for any reason. "My door is always open."

4. Are there members of your family that your subject knows little about?:

  - She didn't know a lot about her great-great grandparents who were solely in Scotland and she knows next to nothing about her father's side of the family since they were never in picture nor did they have a good relationship.

5. Is the subject's family located in a relatively central area or are they spread out geographically? Have family members migrated during her lifetime to another country? Why?

  - Her family started out in Scotland with her grandmother and grandfather. Her grandmother ran away when she was 14 with her older sister and ended up in London. Her grandmother's "family" emigrated to Cuba, then Chicago, and then with another family they moved to New York. Her husband was a naturalized citizen of Scotland when they met in New York. Her mother and her family grew up in New Jersey and she was the first one to leave (to Maine) and her mother resented it till the end. Her and husband then moved from Maine to Massachusetts, California, and now in Las Vegas. As well, besides her sister, who lives in Maine, her children all live in California.

6. Do you know relatives on bother side's of your family?

  - No, she only knows her mother's side of the family due to her father and her having a broken relationship.

7. Do you socialize with them equally?

  - To make up for not knowing her father's side she always kept in touch with her mother and always talks to her sister even with her across the country.

8. Which family member had the most influence on you?

  - Her husband because her younger sister is a lot younger than her (she is 70 and her sister is 48) and her mother resented her for a while after she moved away from New Jersey and was really the first family member to stray the family. So, her husband kept her grounded and stable and their family kept them grounded while they moved farther from her family.

9. Are family members who enter the family treated differently?

  - They only had her husband, her son's ex-wife, her adopted daughter's ex-husband and current husband as those who marry in to the family and she treats them with the utmost love and comfort. She tries very hard to create a common ground and have the whole family stay very closely knit, including those who are brand new to the family. 

0. Are there attitudes towards family members based on gender?

  - Definitely not! Her adopted grand daughter is with a transgender man and she treats him with the greatest amount of love and they are always communicating! As well, the whole family is very welcoming and humble and due to their diverse love lives, they do not judge or criticize. As well, females and males are treated equally and expected to due equal work outside and inside the house.

11. What insights have you learned about your family through this exercise?

  - I learned a lot more about my great-great grandparents and more deep in to her families past. For example, my great-great-great...was the first governor of New Jersey! As well, I learned more about how open and welcoming my family really is. I am very lucky to not have a "traditional" family because they all are really unique characters and are not like each other at all which gives me a variety of people to go and talk to for different situations.

KINSHIP CHART COMING TOMORROW!

Subsistence and Economy

Part 1:

1. The benefits of agriculture: Locally grown, healthier, enrich land with crop rotation, didn't have to depend on the market as the only means for food, variety, biology with learning how to breed plants, respect for the land and plants, pay attention to the small things like weather and seasons, be more involved in your food, a family job, and creating towns and cities do to having to stay and tend and prepare your crops.
2. The benefits of hunter gathers: Do not own a lot since you are constantly on the move, learning to share resources, coming together as a group to get something done, and you learned to develop trust for your fellow hunter gathers due being in small groups and needing to depend on them at all times.
3. The disadvantages of agriculture: Using more and more land to accommodate a growing town, which means less habitat for wildlife, use of pesticides and fertilizers harm animals, humans, and the planet, animals are treated poorly (except in the case of organic) and fed poorly which causes many diseases such as E. Coli and rising cholesterol, you remain in one place, and lack of knowledge about soil and nitrogen can lead to ruining the soil.
4. The disadvantages of hunter gathers: Small population which may not be able to protect themselves from another tribe or animal attack, always moving, seasons dictate what animals and plants are out and may have to go weeks without food, fighting other hunter gathers over territory or a kill, and unable to grow larger into a village or town due to constant moving
5. Which one is healthier?: I believe hunter gathers were healthier, but only by a few points. In an agriculture society, drought, fires, and simply not being able to produce enough for the population could lead to many deaths, sicknesses, and a high infant mortality rate. While hunter gathers, due to being such small groups were able to feed their entire 'population'. As well, living on a grain based diet is healthier than living on this agriculture diet. Even today, statistics show that people (hunter gathers) in Kenya are less likely to suffer from heart disease compared to their Western agriculture neighbors who are twelve times more likely to die from things like cancer simply because of what we eat.
6. Why did some populations make the transition to agriculture?: I believe a lot of populations made the transition because it was easier; you could settle down, have a family, get a job, create laws, and be a part of a large group of people compared to hunters and gathers who were always on the move and simply focused on their own group. Being in one place enables us to complete a lot of tasks and focus on things that have nothing to do with simply surviving, like politics, education, and philosophy.

Part 2:

1. There is a direct relationship between the availability of surplus and the ability to trade.: This quote is saying there is a relationship between the availability of the item and the ability to trade because, if you don't have the item you cannot trade it! As well, having a surplus means you are able to trade since you have more than what your population means so, you can sell the extras to a population that lacks that resource in order to make a profit.
2. Two social benefits of trade: Being able to experience another's culture (food, customs, and language), as well as cooperating together in creating or working on one project or business instead of competing against each other in the global market.
3. Two negative social results of trade: The Westernization of countries, which is crippling local cultures and being replaced by Western ideals and customs and corporations taking advantage of the people and violating human rights in other countries, i.e sweatshops.
4. Relationship between the development or agriculture and trade: Both of these developments sprang up around the same time because once you have farmers farming and feeding their town, there will be another town doing the same thing, and another and with this, the towns can trade their resources for another and to each other. You cannot have one without the other, because there will always be someone who does not have what you have and you want something they have, meaning a trade is a perfect agreement to come upon. With trading (at least fair trading) everyone will be equally apart of the trading process; the producer, seller, and buyer.

Language Experiment

Part 1: 
My partner chose a subject that he knew I would want to talk about (making it harder for me not to talk!), which was movies. Although I was permitted to use anything but my voice it was still challenging to get my words, let alone sentences across to him. I had to not only think of a word that had an action that he would understand but how I would put that word in to action along with the rest of my sentence I was trying to communicate to him. The conversation lasted for 15 minutes, however, if I was able to use words it probably would have been no more then a 5-7 minute conversation that was just starting and had not gone too in depth yet. It was funny and entertaining in the beginning but soon got frustrating when simple actions were misunderstood, making us have to back track over a whole part of the conversation again and find which 'word' was not understood. I have done an activity similar to this but it was a partner and I back to back, I was giving him directions and he was drawing what I was saying (Opposite of this experiment) and it was fun at first but then got irritating when the person showed you their drawing and it was not even remotely close to what you had told them and when you thought you gave them the simplest directions! My partner also said it was frustrating and even before the 15 minutes were up he just told me to talk to him because he couldn't understand what action or hand motion meant what, which frustrated him immensely. However, we both thought that with at least once person being allowed to talk it was easier then if both of us had to just shrug and move around to talk to each other.

Part 2:
This was the hardest part of the experiment!! I am such an animated person when I talk; laughing, using my hands, and tons of facial movements and this was really hard to get the hang of. My partner would tell me I made a movement here and there and we would start over, which irritated me to no extent after awhile! I finally imagined that my whole body and head were in a brace and the only part of me that could move were my lips and this worked wonders! We decided to change the subject and talk about politics, which was easy. Things that we talked about that were academic, like politics, were easy to say without emotion or movement because it doesn't require emotion or movement to get that information across since it's just information. Once we realized that politics wasn't a challenged we changed to talking about animals, specifically cute adorable kittens...this was extremely hard to talk about with some type of facial movement at least! We realized that talking about something that had emotional feeling to it, even if it just had attachment to me, was not only awkward sounding but almost like I was talking about something completely different instead of the cute cuddly kittens around the world! My partner said this would only 'work' if you were trying to convey some simple information that had no emotional attachment to the words, phrase, or subject and I agree completely with him since I didn't feel the need to get all animated talking about facts and information. However, bringing emotion in to the picture, I had to constantly start over or hold myself back from smiling, frowning, or just making any type of face in particular.

This experiment was hard, thought provoking, and made me realize the actions I do when I talk and even don't talk to get a point across. As well, having a partner give you feedback on how it was from an outside perspective was also interesting because I thought it would just be hard for me and boring or laughable to him but we both ended up getting frustrated near the end of the experiment so we could finally talk with words and understand each other. There were several major misunderstandings that drastically changed the conversation and because I could not correct him right away on the spot, it would take several actions for him to realize what I was saying. As well, I realized how important, at least for me, it is to use changes in your tone, facial movements, and even hand movements to help get your point across or even make you sentence/conversation flow better.

Zulu & Andean Indians

Zulu

1. Environment: A majority of the Zulu like in KwaZulu-Natal, which is located on th
   e east coast of South Africa. Due to an abundant of sun, warm climate, humidity, and light rain the surrounding environment is a lush green. Summer falls between September and April with January being the hottest month of the year, even winters are mild, making all year either warm or hot (17 Celsius - 32 Celsius).


2. Physical Adaption: Although their environment is relatively easy to live in and does not cause them to adapt however, because they are from a subtropical area where the sun is always shining their skin is darker (solar radiation stress) compared to those who live where the sun seldom shines who are primarily white. As well, their appears thicker and coarser to that of a white individual due to where they live and how they live their life; doing everything by hand and not being 'properly' clothed to avoid such things.
3. Cultural Adaption: Apartheid is rampant in South Africa which makes it hard for Africans to compete in the job market since they do not qualify (because they cannot be trained properly). In overcoming this they stick to their own tribe and farm vegetables and corn, while the men heard the cattle and because the Zulu's do not try and interfere with the cities they avoid disputes and keep their homeostasis.
4. 
   
   
   Race: The Zulu's are African therefore "black" and dark-skinned African and are "Ethiopians" according to Blumenbach's race splits. Due to the Zulu having dark skin and being from Africa they are classified according to their race and where they are from, which lead to their skin color. Black and Ethiopian best describe the Zulu's because they are dark skinned and from Africa.

Andean Indians

1. Environment: In central and north South America the weather is noted to be extremely unpredictable; from rain to shine to snow to thunder storms within the same several hours is not uncommon. However, Central America has a set dry and wet seasons with a narrow temperature spectrum, with a large spectrum between rainfall anywhere from 0-12 inches in a month (June and October for rain). The Andean regions (Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia) experience nothing but rain and heat with the average temperature being 90-95 F in the day and 68 F at night. Both areas make it hard to establish and maintain homeostasis.
   
   
2. Physical Adaption: Like the Zulu's the Andean's have a da
   rker complexion from the sun from solar radiation stress although they are not as dark as the Zulu they are still darker than their neighbors in North America. As well, because the they live on the Andes their lungs can accommodate more air; their lungs naturally grow larger than someone who was born at or below sea level because they have less oxygen due to being at a higher altitude. Their lungs may be so big that their ribs are larger to accommodate the larger lungs and make the people look large chested.
   
   
3. Cultural Adaptions: Due to being in the mountains the Andean's keep sheep and made wool and textiles were used to create purse like objects to hold items as well as for decorative reasons. With more cloth available then elements they made things instead of relying on the environment like trees to create everyday objects.They also build their homes out of stones rather than plant materials with the lack of vegetation, living in the hills, and needing constant protection from the heat and the rain.
4. Race: According to Blumenbach's race splits the Andean Indians would be placed in the "Malay" category because they are indigenous people in South America. Due to the fact that they are not white and live isolated in the mountains they fit in to this category.
   

Adaption vs. Race:

Speaking of adaptions is a lot easier and more logical, for me, to describe a group of people due to the fact that their race does not describe anything about who they are, what they do, and where they live. Although these tribes races do meet those standards, with immigration you can have all kinds of skin colors living where they do not "naturally" fit. While, adaptions enable you to see how the environment challenges and forces people to change in order to maintain homeostasis. I think that knowing peoples adaptions enables you to understand where that group lives and how they live while race just states what they color they are and where their ancestors lived. Adaption is a lot more useful to anthropologists because it has the ability to explain more than race has the capacity to explain.

Sources:

• http://www.southafrica.com/kwazulu-natal/climate/
• http://www.gateway-africa.com/tribe/zulu_tribe.html
• http://www.adventure-life.com/travel_details/weather_links.php
• http://www.highaltitudelife.com/physical.htm

Nacirema

A.

1. Body: I chose this word because it plays a huge part in the Nacirema's traditions and values. They believe "that the human body is ugly and that its natural tendency is to debility and disease". As well, being a part of the body, the mouth is sacred to them; "The Nacirema have an almost pathological horror of and fascination with the mouth...They also believe that a strong relationship exists between oral and moral characteristics". Their mouths are so important to them that they have a "mouth-rite" ("...the ritual consists of inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth, along with certain magical powders, and then moving the bundle in a highly formalized series of gestures."), as well as "holy mouth men", who preforms torturous like 'healing' by "...open(ing) the client's mouth and, using the above mentioned tools, enlarges any holes which decay may have created in the teeth. Magical materials are put into these holes. If there are no naturally occurring holes in the teeth, large sections of one or more teeth are gouged out so that the supernatural substance can be applied". I believe picking 'body' describes the Nacirema because it is the center of their beliefs are a culture.
2. Shrine: I chose the word shrine because it is a way for them to physically see and touch their beliefs. Shrines are extremely important to the rich as they are to the poor, so much so that "...the opulence of a house is often referred to in terms of the number of such ritual centers it possesses". The shrines are "walled with stone" in the homes of the rich and "Poorer families imitate the rich by applying pottery plaques to their shrine walls". The rituals and traditions associated with the shrine are kept secret and "...are normally only discussed with children..." "The focal point of the shrine is a box or chest which is built into the wall. In this chest are kept the many charms and magical potions without which no native believes he could live". Most of these charms and potions are bought from the medicine man, who is the most powerful. These charms are not thrown away after they fulfill their job, however, over time many of the charms and potions true purpose has been forgotten and to be safe they stop using them for fear of abusing the magic. "Beneath the charm-box is a small font. Each day every member of the family, in succession, enters the shrine room, bows his head before the charm-box, mingles different sorts of holy water in the font, and proceeds with a brief rite of ablution". I chose the word shrine because it is the only physical way the Nacirema may participate in their beliefs since most things are done by the "holy-mouth men", the "listeners", or just by the medicine or herbalist man.
3. Faith: I chose faith because the Nacirema go through grueling and painful circumstances because of their faith in their beliefs. " The fact that these temple ceremonies may not cure, and may even kill the neophyte, in no way decreases the people's faith inthe medicine men". Some examples include; the mouth-rite "Were it not for the rituals of the mouth, they believe that their teeth would fall out, their gums bleed, their jaws shrink, their friends desert them, and their lovers reject them.", the holy-mouth men "These practitioners have an impressive set of paraphernalia, consisting of a variety of augers, awls, probes, and prods. The use of these objects in the exorcism of the evils of the mouth involves almost unbelievable ritual torture of the client.", and the temples "The latipso ceremonies are so harsh that it is phenomenal that a fair proportion of the really sick natives who enter the temple ever recover. Small children whose indoctrination is still incomplete have been known to resist attempts to take them to the temple because 'that is where you go to die.'" The Nacirema go through hell for their beliefs and will gladly face death to be cured of their "illnesses" of their "ugly" body. Someone new just coming into these traditions, such as the children, will be extremely turned off and confused and to why anyone would do such things but with time and generations these "horrific" scenes become normal, tradition, and a way of life and faith grows stronger and stronger. Those with strong faith have been going through these rituals for many years, while those with weak faith are brand new to them.
4. Magic: I chose magic because the Nacirema rely heavily on it to cure and rid themselves of their illnesses. Going back to the shrine and the charm box, which "In this chest are kept the many charms and magical potions without which no native believes he could live". The people believe that certain herbs and 'potions' are indeed their cure for whatever they are in need simply because the "medicine man", "holy-mouth man", or "listener" tell them it is. They put all their faith into these people and rely on their 'magic' to cure and rid them of evils. They put these people in charge and call them "magical practitioners" and because they have the most magic or able to control the most magic, they are put in charge to direct and help the 'average' person who is not capable of this advanced magical skills that they have obtained. I believe magic is a word describing the Nacirema because the people they depend on all have something to do with magic, and they put all their faith into these people because they are magical.
5. Gift: I chose gift to represent the 'magical' people of the Nacirema because many of them will only help or offer advice if a gift is given to them and not because they know they need to help. For example, "The most powerful of these are the medicine men, whose assistance must be rewarded with substantial gifts", who does not give the clients the potions but write in a "secret language only (understood) by the medicine men and by the herbalists who, for another gift, provide the required charm". Another example is in the latipso temples where "No matter how ill the supplicant or how grave the emergency, the guardians of many temples will not admit a client if he cannot give a rich gift to the custodian. Even after one has gained and survived the ceremonies, the guardians will not permit the neophyte to leave until he makes still another gift". I believe the word gift is appropriate for the "magical practitioners" rather than the everyday Nacirema because, although they are the only people who can 'cure' their clients illness they instead choose to exploit their clients in a time of need and require a gift for their life saving services.

B.

1. As an American I believe the words I picked were unbiased and had nothing to do with where I am from or my past. I tried to pick the words that described the Nacirema the most instead of the most interesting, new, or surprising to me. I tried to not think of my past or where I am from to influence my decisions of the words I picked.
2. Again, I don't believe the words or what I said were of an ethnocentric perspective. I tried to think of it as, if I had to tell someone who had no one who or about the Nacirema and their customs, which five words would describe them the best? I tried to come from an unbiased point of view and simply state the most descriptive parts of the Nacirema. I believe I am unbiased because I used many quotes from the article and left out personal opinion and thoughts and simply stated who these people were and why they do what they do. I also did not put an input on whether what they are doing is right or wrong; I just stated the facts and left out the opinions.
3. No biased words from my point of view.
4. I believe it is extremely important to avoid culture bias (any bias) when describing people and their culture because you have no right to disapprove or even approve a culture you have never been a part of (especially, just read an article about). The observer and reporter must leave their opinions, past, and background behind in order to get a true view of the culture they are observing. For example, one someone asks an opinion of a book they are reading from someone who already read the book and that person tells them how terrible the book was for reasons x, y, z; most likely you will look for x, y, z instead of coming from a blank slate perspective and missing a lot of information. Especially in the world of anthropology where it is about understanding and not judging, we must always check our mindset and make sure the information we are picking up and gathering applies directly to the people instead of pertaining to you.