Download Chapter 1: What is anthropology

Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition
Chapter 1: What Is Anthropology?
FACES OF CULTURE: The Nature of Anthropology
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
The Nature of Anthropology provides an introduction to general topics in anthropology
touching briefly on ethical issues that have risen from certain exploitative 19th century
anthropological practices. This film is best used as a visual guide on the first day of class but
portions of it also could be integrated throughout the lecture as you discuss each of the topics
below.
Beginning with a clip of fieldwork by the McDougals, the question of
globalization/westernization is raised by contrasting herders in Turkana, Kenya with Europeans
and sedentary housing. The diversity of cultures is next shown through clips on rituals.
Biological anthropology is introduced via adaptation (pp. 5-7 and 13-4), using the example of the
Tasmanians and how they were studied as a human variation oddity. This brief history of an
indigenous population driven to extinction introduces cultural imperialism and the ethics of
studying human remains through the fate of Truganini, the last full-blooded Tasmanian. An
exciting moment is a clip of Franz Boas’ 1914 ethnographic film featuring a Kwakiutl war ritual
that exemplifies the value of cultural relativism. Another early anthropology ethnographic film
clip is from Margaret Mead’s fieldwork in Samoa on how cultural environment influences
behavior (pp. 20-2). An overview of how the two main divisions in anthropology, cultural and
biological (pp. 10-1), attempt to both study world cultures and their peoples without
ethnocentrism. Lastly, preservation of cultures threatened by westernization is seen via a sacred
poll, taken from the Omaha by Alice Fletcher and housed at Harvard’s Peabody museum, as it is
returned to its people.
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
What differences do you notice in the rituals at the start of the film?
What happens to the Tasmanians and why?
What happened to King Billy?
What is Truganini’s worst fear?
What did Mead discover in Samoa?
What happened to the sacred poll of the Omaha?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
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Given Kottak’s discussion of human adaptability (pp. 5-7), what examples of cultural and
biological diversity do you see in the first segment of this film?
Kottak discusses how culture shapes biology (pp. 8-9). Can you apply this concept to the
Tasmanians and their colonial and post-colonial history?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
The film clip on snake-handling is provocative. What is your response to this? Why is this
performed? Do you see any elements of danger (even if heavily masked or symbolic) in
religious rituals with which you are more familiar?
What is your response to the period from 1803-1876 when the indigenous Tasmanian population
was destroyed as a result of the establishment of Tasmania as a British penal colony consisting of
rapists, arsonists, and murderers? Do sovereign states have rights over territories that have been
historically occupied by indigenous populations that do not recognize state boundaries of
territories? Can we resolve this conflict in perception of territories?
From an ecological perspective, should humans alter environments to the extent the British did
by importing sheep to Tasmania, which then prospered and drove the indigenous populations
from their traditional hunting grounds?
The final fate of Truganini, the last full-blooded Tasmanian, was to be displayed in a museum as
an artifact of a vanished culture by the very people that drove that culture to extinction. Do
humans have the right to study the remains of other humans and to what extent?
Do you agree with the statement: “all cultures are at risk?”
The film states that the task of many cultural anthropologists is to preserve vanishing cultures.
Should vanishing cultures be preserved? Additionally, using the example of the sacred poll of
the Omaha, has anthropology been guilty of stripping cultures of their meaning by removing
artifacts from the context in which they were created?
Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition
Chapter 12: Methods and Ethics in Cultural Anthropology
I. FACES OF CULTURE: How Cultures are Studied
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
How Cultures are Studied introduces ethnography (p. 324). This is particularly
interesting in light of the recent AAA inquiry into Napoleon Chagnon’s ethics in fieldwork
among the Yanomami. This film may be shown in its entirety, preferably after delivering a
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lecture discussing the techniques one would use in the field so that students have a point of
reference, along with their assigned reading for the day, while viewing the film. Because the
techniques that Chagnon uses in the film are not presented in the same order that Kottak presents
them, it might be cumbersome to attempt to show a clip that is relevant to each particular
subheading in Kottak. If you would like to integrate the film into the lecture, the best method is
to organize your lecture on field techniques according to the synopsis below (rather than
Kottak’s organization) so that you are able to stop the film at key points and discuss the
techniques and them resume the film again after.
Punctuated with Chagnon (p. 320-1) delivering a lecture to an anthropology class, the
film highlights clips from his fieldwork in 1964 among the Yanomami in South America (located
mostly in Brazil but also in Venezuela). The Yanomami are tribal hunters and gatherers who
engage in small-scale cultivation to supplement their diet. Ethnographic tools such as participant
observation (pp. 324-5), interviews (pp. 324-6), key cultural consultants (p. 328), cultural
relativism (p. 329), kinship charts (p. 327), census taking, mapping, and frame substitution are
highlighted. Chagnon’s comprehensive fieldwork resulted in data on social organization,
mapping of living spaces, linguistics, ritual and religion, symbolism, warfare, and socioeconomics.
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
The film begins with a scene of children playing an imaginary game. What is the game they are
playing? Would American children play this game? Why or why not?
How does Chagnon conduct his census?
What cultural practice makes census taking difficult and resulted in him discarding one year’s
worth of kinship organization charts?
What are the hekura?
How do the hekura exemplify cultural specific perceptions of illness that create a conflict
between Chagnon and Dedeheiwa?
What are the two social rules that Chagnon indicates as determinants in the apportionment of
living space?
What is fission-fusion and how does it occur according to Chagnon’s documentation of the
phenomenon?
How does fission-fusion help maintain population levels?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
Kottak provides a list(p. 324) and detailed explanations of ethnographic field techniques
(pp. 325-9). What examples do you see of these, if any, in the Chagnon film? Do you see any
data collected not discussed in Kottak?
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Given Kottak’s narrative about the accusations brought forth against Chagnon for unethical
behavior (pp. 320-2) and his discussion on ethics in ethnography (pp. 322-4), do you see any
evidence of misuse of judgment in Chagnon’s field work methods?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
How does Chagnon gain the trust of the Yanomami in order to engage in the field technique of
participant observation? Do you think this might be a difficult thing to do? What kind of
preparation did he make to know what to do?
How does he present himself in the villages he travels to and what does he use to make friends
and buy knowledge? How does he know this?
Why is Chagnon considered “not quite human” to the Yanomami and how does he try to become
“human” as part of his ethnography in these communities?
FACES OF CULTURE II: Alejandro Mamani
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Alejandro Mamani is a case study in psychological anthropology derived from
ethnographic fieldwork in 1973 in Bolivia with the Aymara. This ethnography illustrates field
techniques with a more narrow focus than How Cultures are Studied, also suggested for this
chapter. In this film, we see that ethnographers did not noticed the subtleties through which
Mamani’s status and power were revealed in the community until they started to study him more
carefully in light of his spirit possession. Additionally, ethnographers are given the chance to
observe certain events they might not have otherwise, such as the making of a will, indigenous
views of western medicine, indigenous responses to prolonged spirit possession, and the
indigenous concept of illness.
Fieldworkers became aware of an older man’s battle against spirit possession. He claims
the possession occurred when returning from the cemetery after “Huanca’s” death. While the
film does not establish the identity of this individual or the relationship to Alejandro, one can
conclude he was very distraught as he says he was drinking and fell asleep on the side of the
road. That night his sleep was interrupted by a spirit possessing him saying that three others had
been devoured and he too would be devoured. He maintained that he would resist and
investigate everything. Throughout the course of interviewing Alejandro and his family,
fieldworkers become aware that he is regarded as a highly respected pillar of the community. He
retained the central position of parade leader during the annual ceremony for the village saint and
owned two plots of workable land. He believes the “gringo” has the answers for everything and
asks the ethnographers to use their cameras to find his spirit. They offer aspirin and eventually,
sleeping pills, hoping the effect will be uninterrupted rest. The effect is only temporary as the
spirits now come to him during the day. As the film unfolds, he slips in and out of despair over
his condition, sometimes threatening to go to the cliffs, perhaps a euphemism for suicide.
Meanwhile, the pressure of supporting him and validating his sanity takes it toll on the extended
family and they pressure him to make a will. He finally capitulates and makes his will, which
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results in a temporary abatement of his illness but ultimately results in a severe breakdown. The
ethnographers learn that after their departure, Mamani did in fact go to the cliffs. As this is the
ethnography of an individual, the interview schedule and cultural informant/key cultural
informant techniques are highlighted. Additionally, the issue of ethics in terms of ethnographers
interfering with Mamani’s illness is raised.
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
Do we see evidence of Mamani’s spirit possession in the film?
Why does Mamani “go to the cliffs”?
What evidence do you see of Mamani’s relatives supporting him and/or not supporting him?
What type of subsistence do the Aymara practice?
What kind of family groups do you see among the Aymara?
What are the influences of westernization on the Aymara?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
Kottak provides a list(p. 324) followed by lengthy explanations of ethnographic field techniques
(pp. 325-9). What examples do you see of these, if any, in the Mamani film? Do you see any
data collected not discussed in Kottak?
Given Kottak’s discussion on ethics in ethnography (pp. 322-4), do you see any ethical issues in
this film in the interactions between the ethnographers and Mamani?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
From what you have learned of the Aymara and Mamani’s community, is Alejo’s spirit
possession cultural meaningful in terms of the Aymara community? Do you think it is
meaningful to him as an individual from what you have seen of him?
Do you find spirit possession cultural meaningful in your cultural context? Are there people
within our culture who find spirit possession cultural meaningful or who are spirit-possessed?
Do you think that Mamani is, as the ethnographers suggest, making use of cultural devices to
withdraw from his community and keep his life’s work intact in the process?
Do you think Mamani is insane?
What are the differences between illness and disease?
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Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition
Chapter 13: Culture
FACES OF CULTURE I: The Nature of Culture
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
The Nature of Culture explores notions of ethnocentrism, enculturation, and the shared,
learned, symbolic, and integrated aspects of culture. If you would like to lecture exclusively on
the shared, learned, symbolic and integrated aspects of culture, the film could be shown from the
point where the ceremonies are introduced, by-passing the manioc cultivation/processing clip
that explores enculturation, and showing the two ceremonies as separate clips as each illustrates
different aspects of the definition. Or, the film could be shown in two segments, beginning with
enculturation followed by a pause where the definition of culture is introduced and discussed and
then visually supported by the second portion of the film. The last portion of the film could be
excluded as it brings up issues (cultural change and globalization) that are not addressed by
Kottak until later chapters. Alternatively, introducing these concepts early will help them grasp
the holistic nature of anthropology
The use of the poisonous plant manioc, also called yucca and cassava, is an example of
enculturation (p. 345) in Brazilian indigenous tribal populations. Enculturation in this situation
teaches each new generation that manioc is a viable food source, that it is poisonous, and that
there are ways of removing the cyanide during preparation; thus, enabling its use as a dietary
staple. The shared, learned, and symbolic (pp. 345-9) aspects of culture are explored through
two rituals: an annual ceremony for the dead and a right of passage into adulthood. Next, the
integrated aspect of culture (p. 350) is shown via the cattle-herding Boran of Africa. They exist
in a symbiotic relationship with their herds that likewise influences their language, ritual, and
symbols. Interactions between the Boran and government tax officials demonstrate particularity
(p.356) through the example of the Boran, who cannot understand the concept of taxation. Issues
of culture conflict and change emerge because traditional Boran have no use for government
assistance of any sort, especially education, while the youth show a keen interest in receiving a
western education. This conflict highlights issues related to national/international culture, culture
change, and globalization (pp. 352, 359). Lastly, technology and how culture is rapidly evolving
in the wake of innovation is explored with a theoretical underpinning of ethical and responsible
research development.
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
What cultural differences do you see between the British and the indigenous tribe at the
beginning of the film?
What is so unusual about the use of manioc as food?
What are the symbols of the ceremony for the dead?
What are the symbols of the rite of passage into adulthood?
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What aspects of culture do we see in ritual?
What signs of cultural integration do you see in regards to Boran subsistence practices? How
does that permeate their lives?
How is Boran group size limited?
What conflicts do you see between government and Boran cultural traditions?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
How do Brazilian indigenous tribal populations use the poisonous plant manioc (also called
yucca and cassava) and how is this an example of Kottak’s definition of enculturation (p. 345).
What are the two ceremonies in the film that explore the shared, learned, and symbolic nature of
culture discussed in Kottak (pp. 345-9)?
The relationship between the Boran and their herds is symbiotic and that relationship influences
language, ritual, and symbols. How does this cattle-herding demonstrate the integrated aspect of
culture (p. 350).
Kottak discusses universality, generality, and particularity of cultures (pp. 355-6). How does the
issue of taxation that places the Boran in conflict with the Kenyan government reflect these
concepts?
How are issues related to national/international culture, culture change, and globalization
discussed in Kottak(pp. 352, 359) visible in the conflict between the Boran father and son over
the issue of education?
Kottak discusses ethnocentrism (p. 345) as having positive and negative elements. In watching
this film, do you see a need for ethnocentrism in world cultures?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
How are food choices learned as a child and how are they culturally informed? Think about your
own food choices and those of the many friends you have and peoples you have encountered.
Do you find yourself not wanting to try things that you haven’t been predisposed to eat? Or, do
you find yourself willing to experiment at least once with food choices of friends or other
cultures?
Why do we culturally limit our food choices to such a narrow spectrum?
What might cause a culture to integrate poisonous foods into their diet and how might they
discover how to neutralize toxins?
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How do you think anthropological knowledge could be applied to mitigate the dialogue between
the tax collector and the Boran?
Cultures change and evolve in order to survive. The dialogue between the father, who represents
resistance to change (and taxes as a symbol of that change), and his son, who represents the
influence of globalization/westernization, highlights culture conflict. What are the pros and cons
they discuss? What is the result? Is western education good for preservation of this culture or
will western education of the next generation destroy it ultimately?
Do you think technological innovation should be restricted by moral and ethical standards or do
you think that only certain technologies should be held to such standards?
Do you think that rapid technological innovation is harmful to a culture?
FACES OF CULTURE II: Psychological Anthropology
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Psychological Anthropology is most useful in visually demonstrating the process of
enculturation (p. 345). After introducing the chapter and the concept of culture, the film would
most appropriately be viewed after a discussion on how culture is learned, shared, and symbolic
(pp. 345-9). This film is slightly more esoteric in illustrating these issues compared to the The
Nature of Culture, which is also suggested for this chapter, but may be useful in requiring the
students to do a little more mental legwork in applying the concepts they have learned to the film
they are viewing. The final segment, once again, address issues of globalization and could be
omitted from the lecture.
The film demonstrates visually the differences in enculturation for children in the
segments focusing on a Balinese boy learning a temple dance, a Tibetan boy entering a Buddhist
monastery, and later, Trobriand Islanders and a young Japanese school girl. The integrated
aspect of cultural (p. 350) is visible in the segment on indigenous concepts of medicine (using
the example of the Yanomami, Laos, and China) and how perceptions of illness and health are
socially integrated into the fabric of society. Mechanisms of culture change and globalization
(pp. 352, 356, and 359) are demonstrated by the Yanomami’s integration of western medicines
into traditional cultural practices (as a treatment for symptoms but not a curative for the illness).
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
How are the Balinese temple dancer and Buddhist monk a product of enculturation?
What is the purpose of the religious ceremonies of the shaman in Laos and China?
What symbols do you see in the ceremonies and displays?
How are symbols used in ceremony and what might they mean?
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Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
How is Kottak’s discussion on enculturation (p. 345) visible in the portion of the film that
focuses on the different paths of two young boys?
The integrated aspects of culture discussed by Kottak (p.350) are visible in the examples of
indigenous concepts of medicine. How are perceptions of illness and health socially integrated
into the fabric of society in the examples of the Yanomami, Laos, and China?
How is Kottak’s section on mechanisms of culture change and globalization (pp. 352, 356, and
359) demonstrated by the Yanomami’s approach to healing?
How does Kottak’s discussion of culture traits diffusing and migrating (pp. 352, 358-59) in a
complex manner within and outside of national boundaries (as well as ethnic, regional, and
social) contribute to your understanding of the history of studying “national character” and how
this concept is not so useful as it once was thought to be?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
Are there examples in the film of cultural learning, internalized conduct, or beliefs that we see
are passed on through generations?
In the process of watching this film, discuss the images that reinforce the notion that cultures are
not static or existing in a hierarchy of progression or ranked worth. In other words, how are
cross-cultural perspectives valuable in locating one’s own place in the world and how are
globalization processes evident in indigenous cultures in the form of change?
In watching this film, how do you find yourself reacting to the images? Do you find that
sometimes you can be open-minded and culturally relative (suspending judging of the culture
without a base of knowledge on which to internally evaluate that culture and its practices) or do
you find images that reveal your ethnocentrism (inability to suspend one’s own cultural
perspective in order to evaluate the practices of another culture on their terms and not yours
because you feel that your culture is the best way of doing things).
What examples of cultural creativity and room for innovation and change do you see in the film?
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Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition
Chapter 14: Ethnicity
FACES OF CULTURE: The Aymara: A Case Study in Social Stratification
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
The Aymara: A Case Study in Social Stratification examines the effects of colonialization
on ethnicity in Boliva. This film is best shown in its entirety, as the style is narrative. Following
a lecture on race and after introducing the concept of ethnicity, this film can be used to illustrate
both racism as well as the self-construction and power of ethnicity (beautifully seen in the town
barber’s speech towards the end of the film) in light of post-colonialism.
Historically, the Spanish colonization of Bolivia led to a white oligarchy, a mestizo
Spanish-speaking middle class, and an indigenous peasantry, the Aymara. After a successful
revolution in 1952, the legal conditions of the Aymara were improved to a larger extent than in
other South American revolutions of a similar nature; however, despite this boost, conditions
remain extremely poor and the quality of life is very harsh (pp. 378-81). This ethnography
focuses on two rural communities: Aymata, home to mestizos, and Vita Cota, home to Aymara.
Immediately, we are introduced to one of the wealthy local landowners, mestizo, and his
preconceived notions of the Aymara as lazy drunks. This is a common thread throughout the
film.
Kottak’s chapter on ethnicity begins with a discussion of the home run race between
Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire, focusing in particular on the aspect of race (or ethnicity) as an
extension of how individuals determine who to support or why either man is considered a hero to
a segment of the population (pp. 366-7). The complex reactions to our social construction of
race are evident also in this film and how individuals of each age set base an assessment of either
personal lots in life or the character of other classes on their social constructions of race. The
opening discussion by Kottak highlighting the concept of ethnicity as a common cultural
tradition and not just a politically correct way of referring to race (pp. 367-9) is an excellent
introduction to this film which clearly demonstrates the mixed heritage of the mestizo and the
socio-economic advantage they have via their mixed Spanish heritage and language ability
versus the Aymara, who share a common indigenous culture with little elements of the dominant
Spanish culture (aside from Catholicism). Discussions related to plural societies (p. 375) and
multiculturalism (pp. 376-7) can be sparked by the Flag Day event in the film in which the
mestizo children are invited to Vita Cota for a joint celebration. Lastly, the political situation
described in Bolivia and the visible effects on the children provide a strong visual
accompaniment to the Aftermaths of Oppression subhead (pp. 381-3).
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
How does the plantation owner describe the Aymara who work for him?
What is the main problem the mestizos have with the Aymara? What is the stereotypeof the
Aymara?
What is the social event at which the greatest social inequity is visible?
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Why are the Aymara not provided lunches at school?
What are the demands the new landlord, Filberto Silva?
What form of healthcare is available to the Aymara?
What is the doctor’s bedside manner when it comes to the children?
What is the doctor’s judgment on their parents?
How long was the child living with the lesions of venereal disease?
What is the police chief’s reaction to the children’s illnesses?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
What examples of ethnicity do we see in this film that would crosscut racial categories (or our
conception of them) according to Kottak’s discussion (pp. 367-8)?
The town barber raises the issue that the school children of Totorani were not invited but the
school children of Aymata were. Why is this an issue and how does that related to the notion
that ethnicity is self-determined (p. 368)?
How has the police chief, perhaps, shifted status (p. 369)?
What examples, if any, do you see of assimilation, plural societies, and multiculturalism in this
film (pp. 375-8)?
The roots of ethnic conflict are explored in the historical overview of the film. How does the
Bolivian revolution of 1952 parallel Kottak’s discussion (pp. 378-80)?
The social conditions of the Aymara are a living example of Kottak’s discussion on the aftermath
of oppression (pp. 381-3). Discuss the examples you see from the text in the film.
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
How has the myth of the Aymara god Viracocha helped the Spanish coerce the Aymara into
accepting a lesser lot in life? Is there evidence of this power still in action in this contemporary
ethnography?
Why are the Aymara forced to learn English and not use their own language? How is this
significant as part of the ongoing process of political domination?
Are the landlord’s demands reasonable?
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What are the issues raised by the town barber at the Flag Day celebration?
How is the police chief’s reaction to the children’s illnesses ironic?
Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition
Chapter 15: Language and Communication
FACES OF CULTURE: Language and Communication
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Language and Communication explores human language as a symbolic system defining
both basic terminologies as well as illustrating concepts with film clips. This film is best shown
in segments, which draws from some, but not all, terms used in the Kottak text but provides
different examples for students to expand their understanding of the concepts. The last segment
on Hopi time and the Nuer, which are difficult concepts to grasp in writing, is particularly useful.
This film highlights the differences between animal and human communication systems
(pp. 394-5) and further explores the diversity of expression in the human system, in particular
how language is studied and preserved. The basic terms of language are identified (pp. 398-401)
in a segment documenting the process of language acquisition in human children (pp. 395-6). A
taxi cab driver and diners are examples of kinesics (p. 396-7). The concept of “toasts,” or
rhymed narratives, is presented as an example of sociolinguistics (pp. 403-4) with an additional
segment on Black Standard English/Ebonics/Black Vernacular English (pp. 407-9). A segment
on the Kwakiutl demonstrates how languages are in danger of becoming extinct and how
anthropological linguists can help preserve these dying languages—an example of how
anthropology can give something back to the communities they study. Lastly, the Sapir-Whorf
hypothesis is explored through the Hopi and their concept of time and the Nuer and their cattledriven language (p. 401).
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
How is language the vehicle of enculturation?
What are the differences between human and animal languages?
What is the process of language acquisition in humans?
How are kinesics culturally driven?
What is the “toast” and how is it an example of sociolinguistics?
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What is a dialect and how is Black Standard English/Ebonics/Black Vernacular English an
example of an English dialect?
How does the Hopi language reflect their understanding of time?
How is the language of the Nuer influenced by their symbiotic relationship with their herds?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
What are the differences between animal and human communication systems discussed by
Kottak (pp. 394-5) are evident in the film?
How does Kottak’s discussion on the basic terms of language (pp. 398-401) compare to the film
segment documenting the process of language acquisition in human children (pp. 395-6)?
How does the film segment featuring a taxi cab driver and diners demonstrate kinesics as
discussed in the Kottak text (pp. 396-7)?
How is the segment on ‘toasts’ a reflection of sociolinguistics (pp. 403-4)?
How does the film segment on Black Standard English/Ebonics/Black Vernacular English
reinforce Kottak’s discussion (pp. 407-9) on the same topic?
What examples of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (p. 401) do you see in the film?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
What role has westernization played in placing indigenous cultures like the Kwakiutl on the
brink of linguistic extinction?
How does the segment on the Kwakiutl relate to the anthropological study of language?
Can linguistic extinction cause cultural extinction? If not, how does the loss of a language alter a
culture?
Does language shape our perception of reality?
If we learn a new language, will we be able to conceive of things differently?
Do you think the Hopi cannot understand the concepts of past, present, and future or do you
think their language limits their expression of this understanding?
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Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition
Chapter 16: Making a Living
FACES OF CULTURE I: Food Producers: Food Foragers and Pastoralists
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Food Producers: Food Foragers and Pastoralists explores two subsistence methods
discussed in Kottak. This film is best shown in two parts. After discussing food foraging (which
could be nicely tied to hundreds of thousands of years of evolutionary history), the first segment
could be shown. After a lecture on pastoralists, the second portion of the film could be shown.
The portion at the end on food foraging in western nations could be omitted or used to launch a
discussion on how the western system of grocery stores, importing, and mass production have
shifted beyond our traditional anthropological categories.
The film begins with food foraging groups living at the margins of world cultures (pp. 426-8),
such as the !Kung (Ju’/hoansi) of the Kalahari desert and then moves to the Netsilik, the People
of the Seal, in the Arctic Circle north of the Hudson Bay. Both examples reveal the egalitarian
nature of food foragers, aspects of which include food sharing, gender divisions of labor, and kin
relations. This reinforces Kottak’s discussion of correlates of foraging (pp. 428-430). The last
half of the film focuses on pastoralists (pp. 435-6) using the examples of the Nuer of Africa’s
Sudan, the Sherpas of Nepal, and the Besari of Iran. The indigenous populations reveal seasonal
patterns of nomadic migration and transhumance, as well as emphasizing the symbiotic
relationship pastoralists have with their herds. This portion can be contrasted with Kottak’s
section on reindeer herders in Norway (pp. 424-5). The last example of a North American
homeless man called Peter, translates food foraging into the western world as a reminder of how
this is not a remote practice in distant cultures but something that western populations experience
as well.
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
When, why, and how did food production emerge?
What are examples of the pervasiveness of cattle in Nuer cultural practices and language?
How are social roles delineated amongst the pastoralists of Iran?
What is the need for warriors amongst pastoralists?
How is Peter a food forager?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
Kottak’s discussion of correlates of foraging (pp. 428-430) are mirrored in the film in the
example of the !Kung (Ju’/hoansi) in terms of labor, kin relations, and social stratification.
How?
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How are social roles differentiated amongst pastoralists (pp. 428-430) as compared to egalitarian
food foragers? Bear in mind Kottak’s discussion on foragers and pastoralists(pp. 435-6) and, in
particular, the gender divisions of labor among the Sherpas.
The indigenous populations reveal seasonal patterns of nomadic migration and transhumance, as
well as emphasizing their symbiotic relationship with herds. How can you contrast this portion
of the film with Kottak’s section on reindeer herders in Norway (pp. 424-5)?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
What religious aspects are there to the hunt amongst the Netsilik of the Arctic?
What religious aspects are there to food procurement in western society?
How are the Iranian pastoralists at odds with the government due to their traditional subsistence
practices?
Do indigenous populations have an inherent right to be left to their own subsistence practices
without government interference?
FACES OF CULTURE II: Food Producers: Agriculturalists
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Food Producers: Agriculturalists explores the agricultural subsistence method and
could be shown in its entirety or in two segments: one on horticulture and one on intensive
agriculture with lectures before each segment.
This film highlights the difference between horticulture (p. 431) and intensive agriculture
(p. 432) using a variety of world cultures historically and contemporarily. Another key point to
this film is the rise of cities and states as a by-product of sedentary agricultural practices (pp.
433-5). In particular, the differences between the Maya of Central America and their slash and
burn horticultural practices using simple tools (p. 431) are contrasted with the vastly complex
systems of Anghor Watt (Cambodia), Afghanistan, Indonesia and Taiwan that revolve around
draft animals, terracing, and irrigation systems (pp. 432-3).
Faces of Culture Film Guide II:
What kinds of tools do the Maya use?
How do the Maya enrich their fields for crop productivity?
How is Melanesian culture focused on the yam season and what effects does this have on social
organization?
19
What happened in the U.S. in the early days of intensified agriculture?
What role does religion play in irrigation systems in Bali?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
Compare and contrast horticulture (p. 431) and intensive agriculture (p. 432) in terms of
sedentism and larger community size.
Another key point to this film is the rise of cities and states as a by-product of sedentary
agricultural practices (pp. 433-5). How does this happen in the examples used in the film?
After reading Kottak (p. 431-5), build on what you have read by noting the cultural differences
between the Maya of Central America and their slash and burn horticultural practices using
simple tools with the vastly complex systems of Anghor Watt in Cambodia, Afghanistan,
Indonesia and Taiwan.
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
What makes the Maya horticulturalists?
The example of Anghor Watt reveals how society becomes stratified as a result of intensive
agricultural practices? Give examples of this and discuss whether there is an alternative to
stratification in agricultural societies?
What is the role of surplus and why is it so pivotal in the development of social stratification?
How do armies become necessary as a result of intensified agriculture?
How does the market economy emerge as a result of intensified agriculture?
FACES OF CULTURE III: Economic Anthropology
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Economic Anthropology is best shown in segments to reinforce lecture material. The first
portion shows several examples of reciprocity that reinforce the concept of reciprocity as
discussed in class. Redistribution is shown (along with another example of balanced reciprocity)
in a short clip on a marriage in New Guinea. The last segment on the Asante of Ghana is a
colorful and fascinating clip that illustrates market economy—and more importantly, presents the
notion to the students that a complex market economy is practiced in some form by diverse
groups worldwide.
This film explores the issues of reciprocity, redistribution, and market exchange (pp. 443-5)
using the !Kung (Ju’/hoansi), Trobriand Islanders, the Yanomami, the Asante of Ghana, and
nomadic Afghanis. The !Kung (Ju’/hoansi) of the Kalahari desert of Africa are used as an
20
example of generalized reciprocity in terms of food sharing (p. 444). The Yanomami of South
America (in this case, Venezuela) and their conflict resolution techniques are an example of the
practice of balanced reciprocity (p. 445) wherein one village holds a great feast for a neighboring
village with which there is conflict. Before the feast, a symbolic display of aggression occurs
and a list of demands is made. The host village gives into the demands of tobacco, yams, dogs,
and arrows. The host village fears negative reciprocity (p. 445)—that the other village has no
plans to return the gesture of peace and friendship in the near future. The Kula Ring of
Trobriand Islanders is another example of balanced reciprocity (p. 445). The marriage
negotiations of the indigenous peoples of the highlands of New Guinea (Mende) are an example
of redistribution (p. 443) and balanced reciprocity (p. 445) in that the bride’s family agrees to a
price that is meant to reimburse them for the loss of her labor and potential offspring. The
Asante of Ghana engage in a market economy (p. 441) run by women who organize themselves
into networks and sell their goods or trade them for goods of equal value (p. 445). Potlatch (pp.
446-8) among the Kwakiutl can be compared to the cassowary contest of New Guinea.
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
What risk do the Yanomami take when offering a feast to a neighboring village?
What is the Kula ring?
How are gender-based exchange networks kept separate in New Guinea?
What is the significance of the Big Feast?
How does a man become a Big Man?
What is the cassowary contest?
In the marketplace of Ghana, how do the Asante women interact with each other?
How is supply and demand determined in the marketplace in Ghana?
What role do men serve in Ghanan market culture?
What is the role of division heads in Ghana and how do women achieve these positions?
What is the role of the market in Afghanistan?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
After reading Kottak (p. 445), discuss the Yanomami of Venezuela from the film and how their
conflict resolution techniques embody more than one concept of reciprocity.
How does the Kula Ring of Trobrianders exemplify balanced reciprocity as read in Kottak (p.
445)?
21
What is bride price and how does it serve as an example of balanced reciprocity as discussed by
Kottak (p. 443)?
How does the concept of bride price serve as an example of redistribution (p. 443)?
How do the Asante of Ghana reflect Kottak’s text on market economy (pp. 441, 445)?
How is the Potlatch among the Kwakiutl (pp. 446-8) comparable to the cassowary contest of
New Guinea in the film?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
How do the !Kung (Ju’/hoansi) rely on each other for survival and how does this relate to their
economy?
How is outside pressure affecting traditional !Kung (Ju’/hoansi) society?
How is the Kula Ring an example of balanced reciprocity and is there a western or even
American equivalent?
How does the cassowary contest serve as a redistribution mechanism?
Is the role of men in Ghanan market culture indicative of their role in Ghanan culture in general
based on what you see in this film clip?
What does the marketplace and women’s economic role have to do with social relations in
Ghana?
Is there such a thing as a contemporary local market not affected by the world market?
What is the role of prestige in marketplaces?
FACES OF CULTURE IV: Economic Anthropology: Highland Maya
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Economic Anthropology: Highland Maya is a case study on the cargo system of the
Mayan peoples in Central America. Rather than show the clips from Economic Anthropology,
also suggested for this chapter, you could show this case study of one economic system. By
showing a case study, students will be forced to make connections between the definitions and
explanations of reciprocity and redistribution and understand how they can be applied to the
Mayan cargo system.
The film traces the path of different men as they take on the burden of a cargo and pass
through the four levels of the system. The burden of cargo on the family of these men is
examined via the inefficiency of traditional methods of subsistence to support such an
22
undertaking in the modern world. Syncretistic aspects of the religion of the Maya are examined
as well as historical traditions held over from the former Mayan civilization that thrived prior to
the Spanish colonial era. Demonstrated in this film are various economic practices from
horticulture (pp. 431-2) to peasants (p. 441), even the market principle in terms of wage labor (p.
441).
Faces of Culture Film Guide IV:
What is the cargo burden?
What burden does the cargo place on the family of the man?
What aspects of Catholicism have been blended into traditional Mayan religious practices?
What are the four levels of cargo and what does a man have to do for each one?
What is the ultimate benefit of completing a cargo?
What is a symbolic mark of having completed all of the four cargo levels?
How do men find the money to repay the debt of cargo?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
How do the Maya in this film demonstrate the typical elements of horticulture as found in Kottak
(pp. 431-2)?
The Maya an example of a peasant economy as discussed by Kottak (p. 441)—how?
Kottak discussed the market principle in terms of wage labor (p.441). How has this concept
entered the traditional Mayan horticultural practices and why?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
How has the cargo system become an increasing burden in terms of the influence of global
economy?
What are the advantages to the Maya in sustaining this cargo system?
What are the disadvantages to the Maya in sustaining this cargo system?
What elements of colonialism do you see in the cargo system and what elements of ancient
Mayan culture have been retained?
What is your impression of the festival that concludes this film or what conclusions might you
draw about the Maya from this one example of ceremony?
23
Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition
Chapter 17: Political Systems
FACES OF CULTURE I: Political Organization
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Political Organization explores several concepts addressed by Kottak but since the order
is very different from the text, this film is perhaps best shown in its entirety as a reinforcement to
concepts presented in the chapter.
This film explores a variety of methods undertaken by human groups around the world to
provide leadership and structure to their communities (pp. 457-8). The Mende of New Guinea
are an example of tribes (pp. 463-6) comprised of patrilineal clans. While there is no formal
leadership, social prestige can be achieved by extremely generous (and thereby wealthy) males.
These men are called Big Men and are respected pillars of the community who carry an informal
authority born of status and respect. The !Kung (Ju’/hoansi) are an example of egalitarian bands
(pp. 458-63) organized into labor groups based on age and gender. The older age groups are
treated with extra respect and privilege. Once again, an informal leader, the Head Man, wields
power through consensus. The concept of chiefdoms (pp. 472-7) is explored in the Kpelle in
Liberia, who have a formal leader, a Paramount Chief. Status is claimed through kin relations
and so, those closest to the chiefs, especially those closest to the Paramount Chief, have more
status. Lastly, states (pp. 477-9) and the complexity of social organization in them are explored
through the prehistoric example of Tibet.
Faces of Culture Film Guide I:
What form of political organization is there in the Nepalese village?
How is the social status of males and females different to the Mende of New Guinea?
Where do Mende men live and what are the social motivations behind household choice?
What form of leadership is there in the Mende of New Guinea?
What is the role of jealousy in the Mende of New Guinea?
How are people organized in the bands of the Kalahari?
What is the main privilege associated with age in the !Kung (Ju’/hoansi)?
How is status determined among the Kpelle of Liberia?
What are the differences in social stratification among the Kpelle of Liberia?
24
How is the power of the Paramount Chief different from that of Mende and !Kung (Ju’/hoansi)
Big Men?
What is the significance of Rimpoche and the Tibetan festival we see in the film?
What is significant about the Tibetan tapestry unveiled at the 800th anniversary celebration for
Rimpoche’s order of priests?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
How is the panchayat of Nepal villages comparable to the diwaniyas of Kuwait (pp. 456-7)?
How does Kottak’s discussion of bands (pp. 458-63) relate to the example of the !Kung
(Ju’/hoansi) in the film?
Compare and contrast the Kapauku “Big Man” (p. 464-6) with the Mende “Big Man.” (Both are
groups Native to New Guinea.) How does the New Guinea example differ from the Yanomami
village head (pp. 463-4).
How does the example of the Kpelle of Liberia parallel Kottak’s section on chiefdoms (pp. 4727)—especially in terms of differential access to resources and formal leadership?
How is social status determined in chiefdoms (pp. 474-5) and among the Kpelle of Liberia?
Ancient Buddhist Tibet is an example of a state in the film. What elements from Kottak (pp.
477-9) do you see in Tibet in terms: population control, judiciary, enforcement, and fiscal?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
What role did religion play in the development of the state in Asia, in particular Tibet? Can you
see any parallels in western society?
What issues are raised by the conflict between African national borders (from European
colonialism) and tribal and band groups? What is your response to this conflict? Is there any
way to mitigate it?
What must political organizations provide to the people of a society? What do our western
political organizations provide? What don’t they provide?
FACES OF CULTURE II: Social Control
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Social Control address issues of conflict and resolution. This film is best shown in its
entirety as it reinforces concepts from Kottak but presents them in a very different order and
style than the text. This film is particularly useful for this chapter as it reinforces earlier concepts
25
relating to food production and social and political control; thus clearly exploring the integrated
aspect of culture.
The Amish are an example of internal control of social order and tradition (pp. 466-7).
State society is organized via methods of external control—a codice of laws that range from
crimes to tortes. The Netsilik, self-organized into bands (pp. 458-62), demonstrate the principles
of conflict resolution on a community basis. If anyone is dissatisfied by the resolution, they can
leave the community. When territories or property play a key role in a culture, dispute
settlement takes a more formal tone as seen among the Nuer of Kenya, nomadic cattle herders
(pp. 469-72). The new Nualas of India demonstrate mediation, another formal means of conflict
resolution in which elders settle disputes in town meetings called panchayat (pp. 466-7). The
Barabaig tribe of Tanzania practice adjudication in which the women of the community form a
court to settle disputes and carry out their judgments. Liberia’s Bela village also practices
adjudication in the form of an ordeal operator who makes judgments on guilty parties through
ordeal. Food producers are shown to have more acts of warfare and conflict than food foragers.
This is evidenced among the Masai, who are horticulturalists and cattle herders. Food producers
have surpluses worth stealing; hence, warfare (p. 462).
Faces of Culture Film Guide II:
How do the Amish remain separate from larger society?
What is the role of peer groups in the maintenance of Amish culture and separatism?
What is the difference between internal control and external control?
What is the difference between tortes and crimes?
How long has western law existed?
What is the goal of the Netsilik when it comes to conflict resolution?
Why is the Nuer cattle herder intent on divorcing his wife? How is this dispute resolved? What
is the defense of the family of the bride?
What is the nature of the dispute from the panchayat?
What happens if the Barabaig women reach the houses of the men involved in the dispute before
the men surrender the bulls for slaughter?
How do the Bela villagers of Liberia practice adjudication?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
How do the Indian villagers utilizing the town meeting as a form of mediation compared to the
description of the Kuwaiti diwaniya system (pp. 456-7)?
26
How do the Netsilik compare to the description in Kottak (p. 461) on law in band societies?
Compare and contrast the Nuer dispute settlement with those of the Kapuaku of New Guinea (p.
465). What social roles are dominant in each dispute and what formal authority is wielded?
How are decisions binding?
Are the Nuer in the film comparable, in dispute resolution, to the Iranian pastoralists in Kottak
(pp. 469-72)?
How are the judgments of the court of the Barabaig women comparable to state society laws and
enforcement (pp. 478-9)?
How is the concept of sumptuary goods (p. 479) explored in the film in terms of food producers?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
Why is conflict a potential crisis to societies?
What is it about certain societies that lead them to more conflict?
What are the differences between food foragers and food producers in terms of exerting social
control over other societies?
Because one society has a concept of goods to protect, via standing armies and fortifications,
does it also have the right to interfere with the practices of other societies?
Due to the very difference in perspective between producers and forages, is conflict inevitable?
If so, is there any way to resolve it when it occurs or any way to prevent it altogether?
Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition
Chapter 18: Families, Kinship, and Descent
FACES OF CULTURE I: Families and Household
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Families and Household is best shown in its entirety rather than segmented and inserted
into a lecture. The concepts explored in the films for this chapter do not follow Kottak’s
structure but are useful for the students in that they provide those necessary visual and auditory
elements of other cultures that have practices different from those of western societies.
This film introduces the topic of families and households (p. 489) with a segment on the
naming of children (pp. 497-9, 500-1). The functions of a family and organization structures are
explored through a variety of cross-cultural examples. The nuclear family and gender divisions
27
of labor in food foraging groups are examined in Pygmy culture (pp. 496-7, 489-91). A northern
Indian agricultural village is used to expose the functions of the extended family (pp. 489-491).
The Asante of Ghana are an example of matrilineage (p. 499-500) while the Yanomami are an
example of patrilineage (p. 498). A female-headed household reflects some of the issues raised
by Kottak on changes in the North American family (p. 492-5). Culture change and how this
affects the family is explored in the !Kung (Ju’/hoansi) Bushman (see Kottak’s discussion on
changes in North American families on (pp. 492-5).
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
What are the differences in tasks between males and females in Pygmy culture?
Robert Edgerton uses the family as a lens by which to examine what aspect of culture?
Why is an extended family necessary to the agriculturalists of North India?
How is the loss of one sibling to a neolocal residence a threat to the stability of the extended
family group?
How do Asante women view the contribution of Asante men when it comes to household and the
family?
What constitutes an Asante household, especially those who are living in plural marriages?
How do Asante men assess blame amongst their wives when they quarrel?
How do Asante men reduce tension between their wives and himself?
What are the consequences of the growth of Yanomami villages on the household?
What are the consequences of sedentism on the household among the !Kung (Ju’/hoansi)?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
Kottak’s discussion on families in food foraging groups (pp. 496-7, 489-91) is enhanced by the
segment on Mbuti Pygmies. What can you add to your understanding of Kottak based on what
you have seen in this film?
Kottak raises issues about changes in the North American family (pp. 492-5). In particular,
female-headed households are in serious trouble socio-economically. Along with the
introduction to the chapter focusing on adoption rights for same sex couples and Kottak’s
discussion on female-headed households, discuss the situation presented by the young women in
the film whose family survives on Catholic charities.
What are the examples of matrilineages (pp. 499-500) and patrilineages (p. 498) in the film?
How do these examples reinforce Kottak’s discussion on the same topic?
28
How is the example of the northern Indian agricultural village able to demonstrate the functions
of the extended family as discussed by Kottak (pp. 489-491)?
After reading Kottak’s discussion on changes in North American families (pp. 492-5), discuss
culture change and how this affects the family in the segment on the !Kung (Ju’/hoansi).
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
What is your interpretation of the dialogue between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in North
India? What does this say about extended family tensions and relations? Does western society
have to deal with these issues? Do you?
Why do the Asante men not have a strong interest in their wives or offspring such as we saw in
North India? How is this different, if at all, from our families? How is this different from
single-headed households or divorced families?
The Yanomami see marriage as a political alliance. Why is that? How do we view marriage?
What elements of politics do you see in marriages in our society, either historically or in
practice?
FACES OF CULTURE II: The Yucatec Maya:
A Case Study in Marriage and Family
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
The Yucatec Maya: A Case Study in Marriage and Family explores the functions of
family and culture change in more depth than Families and Household, the other film suggested
for this chapter, which introduces the topic. As an ethnography, this film should be shown in its
entirety.
Anthropologist Hubert Smith, who has been studying the family cross-culturally for 15
years, narrates his ethnographic film on one particular Mayan extended family group
(pp. 489-491) in the Yucatec. He was originally interested in studying a community
small in population but large enough to support complex social organization that was
experiencing the effects of modernization. Through collaborations with anthropologists at the
local university, he identified the village of Chican, population 350 and developed a friendship
with one family in particular: Reymundo and Agrifina Colli Colli and their four sons. Issues
raised in the family are social organization, reduction of tension in the extended family group,
residence patterns, familial obligations, and the process of westernization and its influence on the
traditional family structure.
29
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
What is the role of patriarch?
How does Reymundo teach agriculture to his four boys?
What role do adults serve in this society?
How are Yucatec Maya group reliant?
What are the benefits of group work?
What does Reymundo think about the lifestyles of his relatives in Merida?
How do the Maya earn extra money beyond agriculture?
How do the younger sons respond to Reymundo’s provisions for their future?
What is the symbolism of the talcum powder for the boys’ first day of school in Merida?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
After reading the section in Kottak on functions of family and extended families (pp. 489-491),
what are your thoughts on why the extended family has survived so long among the Yucatec
Maya, or agricultural groups?
After reading Kottak’s discussion on changes in North American families (pp. 492-5), what role
does the pace of change play in subsistence and family structure?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
What is necessary for extended families to keep cultural functions intact? Do nuclear families
serve the same purpose? If not, what does?
Do you see any signs of retirement or adolescence in this community? How does this compare
with western society?
What future is Reymundo is preparing his younger sons for by providing them different
opportunities from the older ones? Why is he able to do this with the two youngest?
Why do the ethnographers choose to withdraw from the family at the school? What does this tell
you about ethics in ethnography?
Does Reymundo doubt his traditions?
30
Why does he feel it is important to record his “plain” life? How do you feel about his sentiments
on these matters? Do you feel it was important or significant to have had this glimpse into his
life?
FACES OF CULTURE III: Kinship and Descent I
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Kinship and Descent I is best shown as a visual guide to introduce the subject of how
different cultures recognize kinship. Since the subject is broken into two films, integrating this
topic into lectures will be more difficult than with previous films. This film addresses mainly the
social function of kinship and descent, to a lesser degree.
This film explores how kin groups and descent groups (pp. 497-9) serve an important
social function using the examples of Papua New Guinea, the Trobriand Islands, and the
Yanomami. The Mende of New Guinea organize themselves in clans (p. 499) and are patrilineal
(p. 498) while the Trobriand Islanders are organized in moieties and practice avunculocal
residence patterns with matrilineal descent (pp. 499-500). The Yanomami are organized into
tribal patrilineages (p. 498).
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
What are the two moieties the Trobriand Islanders recognize and how are they identified
culturally?
Why are genealogical records important to the Latter Day Saints?
What is the function of the ghost cult in Mende society of New Guinea?
What is the significance of yam gardens to the Mende of New Guinea?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
How is the father perceived in the culture of the Mende of New Guinea and what does this recall
from the Kottak text on matrilines (pp. 499-500)?
Kottak’s discussion on the role of descent groups is demonstrated in the film. How do descent
groups (pp. 497-9) provide a service to culture?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
Why do the kin groups fight in the Yanomami village and why does the leader of one tribe avoid
the fight? How is the fight eventually broken up and by whom? How does this compare with
western society?
31
How did the Mende learn to resolve their conflicts after the government outlawed intertribal
warfare? Do we have similar problems in the west in that our laws often become entangled in
personal conflicts?
What was the biggest source of cultural clash the Christian missionaries experienced with the
Mende in New Guinea? How might this be viewed as ethnocentric? Do you feel the result of
this clash was not entirely harmless but more positive or culturally destructive? Why?
Why is kinship seemingly an easy topic that is sometimes tedious in data collection but, under
the surface, very complex and difficult to grasp? What is the significance of studying kinship?
FACES OF CULTURE IV: Kinship and Descent II
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Kinship and Descent: Part II focuses on descent more than kinship terms. This film can
be broken into three sections, one following a discussion of matrilineages, one following a
discussion of patrilineages, and the last segment blending patri- and matrilines that could be used
to launch a discussion of the western understanding of descent.
Descent systems among the Netsilik, Baktiari, Navajo, Yanomami, and Greeks are
explored in this film. The Navajo provide an excellent example of matrilineages and how this
emphasis is reflected in how kin are named (pp. 501-2). The Yanomami are an example of
patrilineages (p. 498) and demonstrate in-law avoidance on the male side. The Greeks are an
example of blending patrilines and matrilines (pp. 498 and 501-2).
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
Why are the Navajo matrilineal and how does their naming system reflect the dominant role of
the mother’s bloodline?
Who are the male relatives named father in Navajo culture?
Why do the Yanomami men avoid their in-laws?
What is the bride service in Yanomami culture?
How does the Greek system use both the mother and father’s lines in kinship groupings? What
purpose does this serve?
How is the Greek descent group and lineage system reflected in their daily activities?
32
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
Kottak discusses the function of descent groups (p. 498 and pp. 501-2). After reading this
section and viewing the film, what examples do you find of social obligations being determined
by kin groupings?
What is the kindred group as discussed in Kottak (pp. 498 and 501-2) and seen in the various
ethnographic examples of indigenous cultures in the film?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
Why is descent so easy and yet so difficult to study?
How does Navajo mythology reflect social organization?
What elements of western descent systems do you see in these examples from other cultures?
Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition
Chapter 19: Marriage
FACES OF CULTURE: Sex and Marriage
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Sex and Marriage is best shown in its entirety or in three segments: one for lineages, one
for residence patterns, and the last for economic and political aspects of marriage.
This film serves as a general introduction to marriage and its inherent rights (pp. 515,
524) through residence patterns, lineages, obligations, and related issues such as endogamy,
exogamy, dowry, and bride price. A segment on the pygmies of Zaire highlights community
alliances as a function of marriages, in this case arranged marriages (pp. 530-1). Modern
Orthodox Jewish communities exemplify the concepts of endogamy (p. 520) and exogamy (p.
516). The Turkana of Northern Kenya and the Asante of Ghana contrast patrilineal and
matrilineal, respectively, and introduces the economic contribution of women in and to
marriages. A fascinating aspect of the Asante segment is the contrasting views of the men and
women towards their respective social roles as well as polygamy (pp. 533-5). Both Laotian
highlanders and Nepalese villagers demonstrate the difficulty of patrilocal residence patterns on
new brides who are required to leave their families, often moving far away from the familiar.
The Berber tribes of Morocco are featured in light of their custom of bride markets and the social
customs associated with choosing a bride or accepting a groom. Lastly, the U.S. marriage
pattern revisits the alliance function of marriage (pp. 530-1) and how western societies also
contain many of the customs found cross-culturally in indigenous populations, such as dowry,
the importance of the bride’s virginity in patrilines, and residence patterns (pp. 527-530).
33
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
Why do the Turkana believe that a man requires more than one bride?
Who does a Turkana man pay when he wants to add additional wives?
What is the symbolism in the headdress of the young Laotian bride?
Why is the young Laotian bride afraid of marriage?
What is a bride market?
How does a female indicate availability in the bride market?
How does a male express interest in a potential bride and how does she accept or reject his
interest?
The Nepalese bride has chosen her own groom. How does she react on her wedding day?
How is the Nepalese marriage formalized and why is the bride so reluctant to go to her wedding?
What is the significance of the scarves in the Nepalese village wedding ceremony?
Why is virginity important in a patriline and why does the custom of the bride wearing white
indicate virginity?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
Given the discussion in Kottak on the American concept of marriage (pp. 514-5, 524-6), how
does this compare with the rights associated with marriage in the film? What can you to this
discussion and your understanding of the purpose of lineages from the information presented in
the film?
Does the Jewish marriage in the film exemplify of Kottak’s discussion of endogamy (p. 520) or
exogamy (p. 516)? Why?
What are exogamous alliances and what purpose do they serve? How can you compare this to
the subhead in Kottak ‘Marry Out or Die Out’ (p. 520) and the subhead ‘Marriage as Group
Alliance’ (pp. 530-1)?
What parallels can you draw between the bride market in the film and Kottak’s Beyond the
Classroom on Indian matrimonial advertisements (pp. 522-23)?
34
Kottak discusses bride wealth and dowry (pp. 527-30). Using the examples you have viewed as
an enhancement to Kottak’s text, what are the main reasons certain cultures practice bride price
versus dowry and vice versa? Does the concept of dowry exist in North American culture?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
What are the rights associated with marriage worldwide?
Why does Ubu of the Asante say: “joylessly eating a piece of paw paw, you don’t object if
someone wants to share it? What does she metaphorically describe as paw paw fruit?
Are the Asante men’s opinions of marriage different than the women? Do Asante men have a
clear understanding of the Asante women?
What were the new arrivals from Laos to the U.S. thinking when they were introduced to the
partners their parents had arranged for them to marry? Did their feelings change after marriage?
What did they think of each other and why do you think they went through with the marriage?
What is your reaction to the bride market? Does it seem that all brides in the bride market are
ready for marriage?
Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition
Chapter 21: Religion
FACES OF CULTURE I: Religion and Magic
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Religion and Magic is best shown as a lecture launcher to stimulate students’ interest in
world religions, some of which they have not been exposed to previously.
This introductory film provides examples of magical elements (p. 583) present in religion
while stressing the differences between magic and religion. Religion is an ancient and integral
part of human culture (pp. 581-2). Cultural examples used are Native America animism (p. 582),
Highland Maya syncretism (pp. 597-9) of Catholicism and ancient Mayan cosmology,
Indonesian Hinduism, Krishna consciousness, Mormons, and the role of science in the modern
world in relation to religion.
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
How old is religion?
What is divination?
35
What is the role of the curandero to the Highland Maya?
What is the role of the “magic mushroom” to the Highland Maya?
What are the three worlds in Balinese Hinduism?
What is the ritual purpose of masks to the Balinese Hindus?
What ritual do the Balinese Hindus perform and why? What is the end result?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
What is the difference between religion and magic (pp. 583-4)?
Is the Balinese ritual of celebrating the new century a form of leveling (p. 591)?
What elements of social control (pp. 589-90) do you see in the Balinese practice of Hinduism?
How is the Mayan adoption of Catholicism an example of syncretism (pp. 597-9) and not
conversion?
The section in Kottak on secular rituals (p. 600-3) is introduced by the discussion on secular
ideology in the Soviet Republic. What are the similarities (even though we are comparing
formal versus informal secular rituals and ideologies?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
How do anthropologists study religion?
What are the common purposes and functions of religion?
Why did religion emerge?
How is religion different in Balinese Hindus versus western nations?
What is secular ideology?
Is science able to replace religion in the modern world or can there be a synthesis of the two?
Einstein is quoted as saying: “The cosmos looks more and more like a great thought.” What is
the significance of this in light of the science versus religion debate?
36
FACES OF CULTURE II: The Asmat of New Guinea:
A Case Study in Religion and Magic
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
The Asmat of New Guinea: A Case Study in Religion and Magic is an ethnography that is
best shown in its entirety as it focuses on one ritual that indicative of the larger Asmat
cosmological and supernatural belief system.
This ethnography is a fascinating study on headhunting amongst the Asmat, People of the
Trees, whose traditional ritual practice of appeasing the dead through woodcarvings and
headhunting is curtailed by governmental legislation. The myth of Nesoipich is pivotal to the
ritualistic headhunting practices of the South Central New Guinea coastal jungle food foragers.
In this myth, the cosmos was created by the ritual beheading of a god who then was reborn and
carved humans from wood and drummed them to life. Anti-headhunting legislation has created
massive social anxiety among the Asmat during the Bis ritual (p. 584) because they no longer are
allowed to collect a head to avenge dead relatives and dispel their spirits from the village. Now,
boxing replaces disputes and headhunting but there is clearly growing social anxiety over the
loss of cultural tradition and accumulation of restless spirits.
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
What purpose does the ritual of Bis serve?
How were the cosmos and humans created according to the Asmat?
When the men return from harvesting the mango pole for the carvings of the dead, how do the
women greet them?
Why is wood so precious to the Asmat? What evidence do you see of the special position that
wood/trees hold in Asmat cosmology?
How do the Asmat use the sage palm for food?
Why do talented wood carvers hold a special position in Asmat society?
What is the symbolism of the drums in Asmat ritual?
What are the symbols of the costumes of Bis?
What is the symbolism in the food served during Bis?
What is the mantis motif and why is it so powerful to many of the Asmat?
What does the nosepiece represent?
37
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
Discuss the role of religion as a source of control and solace (p. 584) in light of social anxiety
among the Asmat over the loss of headhunting privileges?
Kottak discusses rites of passage as part of all religion (p. 584). How are the liminal and
communitas phases of ritual (p. 584-6) relevant to the example of the ritual of Bis we witness in
the Asmat ethnography?
What can you make of Kottak’s discussion on cultural ecology in religion (p. 588-9) and the
Asmat cultural emphasis of trees?
What elements of leveling (p. 591) do you see in the Asmat ritual of Bis?
Given Kottak’s discussion on totemism, how might you interpret the Asmat woodcarvings of
dead relatives (pp. 587-8)?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
How are the spirits of the dead dangerous to the Asmat? Are there similar concepts in the west?
If so, what kinds?
Why do the Asmat believe they live in a dangerous environment? How does this compare with
western perceptions of the world?
How is headhunting a natural and deeply spiritual aspect of Asmat culture? How is war
religious? Are there elements of this in the west today?
What has replaced headhunting in New Guinea? Is this a positive cultural response to the antiheadhunting legislation?
What is the result of anti-headhunting legislation among Asmat groups? Do you feel the
government has the right to interfere with indigenous practices when they affect only those
groups involved?
38
Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition
Chapter 22: The Arts
FACES OF CULTURE I: The Arts
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
The Arts is best shown as a lecture launcher to provide visual stimulation across a
spectrum of cultural artistic practices.
This film introduces the function and purpose art serves in human societies (p. 611). The
role of art in religion (pp. 611-3) is shown through the tomb of Tutankhamen. The temporary art
of Buddhist monks further explores this issue. Issues of art and individuality are explored in
Liberian Necromati body painting and western tattooing and body piercing (pp. 414-6).
Ethnomusicology (pp. 617-20) is addressed in a segment on Texmex music and the sense of
ethnic pride it generates for group solidarity. Likewise, the dying art of fiddling addresses
similar issues in the northeastern United States.
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
What role does we see art play in the case of Tutankhamen of Egypt?
What is the significance of the mandela for Buddhist monks?
What purpose does the creation of complex paper lanterns serve to the Buddhists?
What is the role of temple dancing in Bali?
What are the three worlds in need of balance and how does dancing bring them into balance?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
Kottak’s introduction to this chapter discusses the idea of a music gene (p. 610). How is this
reinforced in the film, if at all?
Kottak discusses the function of art in conjunction with religion (pp. 611-3). What examples of
this survive in the tomb of Tutankhamen? What examples are evident in the temporary art
productions of Buddhist monks? What about Balinese temple dancers or the prepartion of paper
lanterns for a Buddhist religious event?
How does Pierco the clown explore issues of Locating Art (pp. 613-4)?
How do the body paintings of the Necromati women, the tattoos of contemporary western
society, and David Rockello explore the concept of private and public art—art for the individual
and/or art for the community (pp. 614-6)?
39
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
What do the arts embody and what do they provide to society? What are the arts of western
society and what function do they serve?
How do cultural artifacts give us insight into the societies that created them? What do western
cultural artifacts reveal about this society?
What is the role of creating versus the role of the finished work? Which is more important?
How is body painting among the Necromati of southern Amazonia related to tattoos in western
cultures?
What is the role of Texmex music to the community shown in the film? Can you think of other
examples in your life or the news or history that are similar to this use of music?
How is art provocative in the examples of amber waves of grain and Christo’s fence? What is
your response to this and how does that response perhaps differ from others? How are these
differences in response revelatory about society?
FACES OF CULTURE II: New Orleans Black Indians:
A Case Study in the Arts
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
New Orleans Black Indians: A Case Study in the Arts is best shown in its entirety, as it is
as self-contained ethnography.
Art as a cultural and ethnic expression of pride and a celebration of history is showcased
in this film. The commercial Mardi Gras of elitist and secretive Krewes that extend from the
tradition of Louis XIV are bypassed in this alternative Mardi Gras. The roots of the Black Indian
Mardi Gras are embedded in a solidarity against European oppression extending from the forced
migration of Native Americans known as the Trail of Tears to those same groups sheltering
escaped enslaved Africans in the 1800s. Rebellions in the 1800s cost working class blacks their
rights to gather each Sunday in Congo Square in downtown New Orleans. Given only one day a
year to hold congregations, this community developed an alternative Mardi Gras festival devoted
to recognizing and celebrating their historical identification with Native Americans through the
formation of competing tribes, equivalent to the uptown krewes, and also celebrates a rich
African heritage and presence in the Bayou. From this tradition we see the rich pageantry of
tribes modeled after indigenous Americans and secular rituals expressing ethnic pride and group
solidarity—one hundred years of tradition in verbal and visual arts.
40
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
What are krewes?
How far in advance do “tribes” rehearse for Mardi Gras?
What is the typical costume for Big Chiefs?
What does a white costume signify?
How long has this Mardi Gras been practiced?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
When did the function of art change (p. 611, 628-31)?
What multiple forms of art are present in the Mardi Gras celebrations (pp. 413-6, 617-20)
How does each Big Chief make his costume an act of artistic individuality (pp. 614-6)?
How is the music associated with Black Indian Mardi Gras an example of a subject for an
ethnomusicologist ((pp. 617-20)?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
What is the significance of tambourines to New Orleans Black Indians? What other symbols do
are in the arts?
Why is the concept of ‘being whoever you want to be’ so important to this community?
What is the connection between enslaved Africans and Native Americans and how is this related
to the creation of ethnicity?
What is Spy Boy’s purpose and how is this symbolic figure an integral part of history?
Do you see a hierarchy in tribes? Why or why not?
What is the role of women in Mardi Gras? Is that what you would expect?
What are the challenges between tribes at Mardi Gras? Do you find this competition positive or
negative and why?
41
Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition
Chapter 23: The Modern World System
FACES OF CULTURE: Age, Common Interest, and Stratification
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Age, Common Interest, and Stratification asks the question: what is the purpose of
groups? This film is best shown after a lecture to stimulate discussion on the modern world
system and how many social changes have taken place in the last 100 years.
From an ethnographic segment on the Masai men who progress through three social roles
as a cohesive unit throughout life (herder, warrior, and elder) to the social contra dancers in
Northport, Maine, this film explores the concept of how societies assign group membership and
how groups are voluntarily assigned in society. While the Kottak text does not discuss common
interest groups, the segments on common interest may facilitate a discussion on concepts of
social (or vertical in the Kottak text) mobility and open class systems (pp. 651, 654-5). The
Sleeping Car Porter Society, a social group today, plays a large role in the prehistory of the Civil
Rights movement in the 1960s and exemplifies vertical mobility in American culture (p. 654).
The segment on the Young Skulls in the Bronx of New York not only develops this concept
further but also elucidates socio-economic class differences (pp. 655-6). Lastly, the Indian caste
system is explored as an example of a closed caste society (p. 651).
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
What are the three social roles a Masai man will fill in his lifetime?
When do Masai men separate from their families?
What are common interest groups also known as?
What is the historic role of E.D. Nixon in the civil rights movement?
What is the basis of group membership in the Young Skulls?
What are the four castes of the Hindu system?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
Now that you have seen a film segment on the Indian caste system, think about the caste system
of apartheid (p. 651). What are the similarities and what are the differences?
The Interesting Issues: Trouble in Swooshland (p. 652-3) and the subhead Malaysian Factory
Women (pp. 646-8) are examples of stratification and inequity (pp. 648-51). The discussion on
slavery (p. 654) provides a prehistory to the inequity we witnessed in the film in terms of
42
Sleeping Car Porters work wages and treatment. What parallels can you draw between these
instances and the Sleeping Car Porter Society segment from the film?
Vertical mobility(pp. 654-5) and the open class system (p. 651) in America are visible in the
film. What are the examples do you see of these concepts?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
What is the purpose of groups? What kinds of groups does the west have?
Compare the system of the Masai with the U.S. in terms of social roles and inherent obligations.
The Sleeping Car Porter Society is an example of a social club based on common interest. What
other functions did this organization serve? Can you think of any organizations today that serve
a similar purpose?
What is the purpose of ritualized beatings in the Young Skulls and how is this typical of some
groups?
Is class something one is born into or achieves in life? Is class mutable? Is it self-interpreted?
Why is there no serving class in America today and how did this affect the role of women in
larger households according to the Islander in the film?
How did the British use the Indian caste system to their advantage during colonization? Was this
exploitative?
Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition
Chapter 24: Colonial Development
FACES OF CULTURE: Culture Change
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
Culture Change is best shown as a discussion launcher before lecturing on specific
elements of culture change. The historical role of the anthropologist in contributing to change
and the modern role of the anthropologist mitigating the ill effects of change is an important
issue to discuss. Prior to a formal lecture, perhaps students would best be encouraged to
understand these mechanisms through informal discussion.
Graphically addressing the effects of colonialization (pp. 669-73) on indigenous populations, this
film explores difficult issues. The application of western agricultural methods to ritually
controlled, temple/priest regulated growing seasons had disastrous results (pp. 675-7, 683).
Alternatively, anthropologist Steve Lansing introduces a computerized database of priestly
43
knowledge of past growing seasons and the timing of climatic events in a culturally meaningful
way. Previously, priests had to rely on memory to store this knowledge and now they have a
more efficient method of storing information to set the coming year’s ritual calendar. The last
nomadic !Kung (Ju’/hoansi) group of the Kalahari in Namibia are an example of the extreme
limitations governments place on the rights of indigenous populations (pp. 672-5). The end
result was not only a drastic change in subsistence patterns but increased malnutrition and
poverty. The cultural anxiety due to loss of access to cultural tradition is evident. Lastly,
longitudinal changes resulting from urbanization and westernization in a formerly rural Maya
village are explored when anthropologist Hubert Smith revisits the family of his ethnography 20
years prior (pp. 673-5), as seen in The Yucatec Maya: A Case Study in Marriage and the Family.
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
What useful and culturally meaningful innovation did anthropologist Steve Lansing introduce to
the Balinese Temple priests? Why did the priests find his innovation helpful and compatible
with their ancient practices?
How have the !Kung (Ju’/hoansi) been affected by colonialism?
What happened to the !Kung (Ju’/hoansi) cattle?
How did the efforts of the government to protect endangered species endanger the !Kung
(Ju’/hoansi)?
After the introduction of western luxuries of electricity, water, and roads, did the Maya of Chican
change drastically? What is the biggest change?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
How does Kottak’s overview of colonialism compare with the film (pp. 669-73)?
The territorial boundaries imposed by the colonization of Africa (pp. 672-3) affected the
nomadic groups that crosscut these territories during annual migrations. How has this affected
the !Kung (Ju’/hoansi) in particular?
How are the effects of post-colonialism evident in the treatment of the !Kung (Ju’/hoansi) (pp.
673-5)?
Development schemes (pp. 675-7) for indigenous populations often fail. Compare the sisal
scheme of Brazil (pp. 677-9) and the green revolution of Java (pp. 679-81) to the situation
described in the film in Bali (p. 683)?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
What nearly destroyed the complex ecosystem and ritually controlled agricultural practices of the
Balinese? How can anthropologists mitigate these kinds of disasters?
44
Is providing a computer culturally invasive or imperialistic?
The government denied the !Kung (Ju’/hoansi) the rights to hunt animals that were preying on
their herds. Was their judgment based on preservation of endangered game animals? What
kinds of politics might have been involved in this decision?
Is the future of indigenous peoples always going to result in the collapse of traditional
subsistence methods and migration to urban slums?
Are there alternative solutions for providing nonwestern peoples western resources while
preserving indigenous cultural heritage?
Is the preservation of cultural heritage important and why?
Are humans adapted for the world of their creation?
Is it ethnocentric to preserve indigenous cultures?
Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition
Chapter 25: Cultural Exchange and Survival
FACES OF CULTURE: The Future of Humanity
Faces of Culture Film Synopsis:
The Future of Humanity is best shown either to launch a final lecture or class discussion
or to cap off the course.
How are indigenous peoples often forced to deal with the modern world and how many
societies have had cultural artifacts taken and co-opted by the west? The Kwakiutl find
themselves in the strange position of suing the Canadian government for their own cultural
artifacts. The artifacts are returned under the proviso they be housed in a museum. The irony of
anthropologists teaching indigenous populations their own cultures is explored. A conflict
between the Mohawks and Canadian government over the planned construction of a 9-hole golf
course on sacred burial grounds escalades into military action and highlights the loss of rights of
indigenous populations. The Yanomami also are shown to have little control over their own
territory when gold miners start to use their clearings for landing strips. At first, they trade with
the Yanomami but as soon as they outnumber them and the Yanomami are dependent on their
goods, they start to withhold items.
45
Faces of Culture Film Guide:
What is Eldon Davidson worried about in terms of the future?
What is the response of the Kwakiutl to globalization?
How do the Kwakiutl feel about how their culture is viewed by Canada and the U.S.?
How is the “box of treasures” a blend of the past and the present? What purpose does it serve in
the community?
According to Brazilian Albino Kinikinau, how can the west help indigenous populations?
What is the dispute in the Oka territory between the Mohawks and the Canadian government?
How does the modern world affect the Mohawks? Do they have a choice to not be part of the
modern world?
Why is Chagnon concerned about the disruption caused by gold miners to the Yanomami both
culturally and in terms of basic health and survival?
What are the Kwakiutl attempting to rebuild through the cultural center?
Kottak Text/Faces of Culture Film Links:
Compare and contrast the National Museum of the American Indian (pp. 694-5) with the
Kwakiutl “box of treasures.”
What examples of westernization do you see in the film (pp. 695-6)?
Kottak comments: “external regulation threatens indigenous peoples” (p. 696). What evidence is
there to support this statement in the film?
What evidence do you see of resistance (pp. 701-2) in the film?
What are the effects of transnationalism (pp.707-8) on the indigenous populations in the film?
Thinking About Anthropology Beyond the Film:
Why were the Yanomami in a position of power in their biosphere initially and how did that
become a dependent posture? Is this acceptable considering the resources they are not using on
their land?
Have things changed since the beginning of anthropology as a discipline in America?
46
How is the west threatened by globalization?
What is the ironic role anthropologists find themselves playing today according to Robert
Edgerton?
What does the phrase “captive in their own land” mean? Why is this significant in light of the
various culture groups you have seen in the film?
Is this just a problem for indigenous people or is this everyone’s problem?
47