Chapter 3 and 8: Economic and Political systems

Chapter 3 introduces the concept of mode of livelihood which is the dominant pattern in a culture of making a living in culture. So what are five major modes of livelihood and their characteristics?

Foraging is defined as a mode of livelihood based on resources that are available in nature through gathering, fishing, hunting, or scavenging.  To me, these foragers are hunters; however, not trophy hunters but hunters that have to do so in order to survive and be able to eat.  These would be people living in deserts, tropical rain forests, and people living in the lifestyle of limited resources.  Today, there are hunters all over the world that do eat the meat that they kill but also do it for the love of the hunt and the trophy.  Foragers are different from hunters as we know it.  Foragers are forced to hunt and scavenge for food and other resources.

Horticulture is defined as a mode of livelihood based on cultivating domesticated plants in garden with the use of hand tools.  This is still practiced throughout the world and i don't see it going away anytime soon.  The is a popular part of horticulture that grows flowers and other plants that people use as decorations in and around there house as well as gifts. 

Pastoralism is defined as a mode of livelihood based on domesticated animal herds and the use of their products.  This is very alive throughout the world.  We see it everyday while living in the South.  Most of us pass a pasture with cattle or some sort of animal livestock when we travel anywhere.  This mode of livelihood provides millions with food to eat.

Agriculture is defined as a mode of livelihood that involves growing crops on permanent plots with the use of plowing, irrigation, and fertilizer.  Or otherwise known as farming.  This is a ritual and mode of livelihood that isn't disappearing.  Farmers provide millions of people food to eat as well as themselves.  Not to mention, farmers provide the grocery stores we shop at with their produce so it is an essential part of our everyday lives. 

Industrialism is the mode of livelihood in which goods and services are produced though mass employment in business and commercial operations and though the creation, manipulation, management, and transfer of information via electronic media.  This is perhaps the most recent and most relative to our studies today.  In our capitalistic world, most goods are produced not to meet basic needs but to satisfy consumer demands for nonessential goods.

Chapter 8 focuses on political and legal anthropology.  Political anthropology addresses the area of human behavior and thought related to power.  Legal anthropology addresses issues of social order and conflict resolution cross-culturally.

Power is the ability to bring about results, often though the possession or use of forceful means.  This closely relates to authority and influence.  Those who have political, social, and economic power have more leverage in our society. 

A band is the form of political organization associated with foraging groups, involves flexible membership and no formal leaders.  Like a pack of wolves. 

Tribes are a more formal type of political organization.  Typically associated with horticulture and pastoralism.  Tribes are composed of several bands, each with a similar language and lifestyle.  Tribal groups may be connected through a clan structure, in which most people claim descent from a common ancestor although they may be unable to trace the exact relationship.  Kinship is the primary basis of membership.  Most tribes are found in the Middle East, South Asia, the Pacific, and Africa.  I feel the most thought about tribesmen are those of Native Americans.  Some of us are descendants of Native Americans and they are more relative to us because we have studied them, they were the original tribe of our nation. 

Chiefdoms are forms of political organizations that include permanently allied tribes and villages under one chief.  Chiefdoms have large populations and are more centralized and complex.  Hereditary systems of social ranking and economic stratification are central features of chiefdoms. 

A state is a centralized political unit encompassing many communities.  The state is now a form of political organization in which all people live. 

Chapter 6 and 7: Kinship and Social Groups

What is kinship? Kinship is defined as a sense of being related to another person or persons.  Cultures provide guidelines about who are kin folk and the expected behavior of those people. 

Kinship is linked with modes of livelihood and reproduction.  Nineteenth century anthropologists found that kinship was the most important organizing principle in nonindustrial, nonstate cultures.  How couldn't it? The kinship group performs the functions of ensuring the continuity of the group by arranging marriages; maintaining social order by setting moral rules and punishing offenders; and providing for the basic needs of members by regulating production, consumption, and distribution.  I am glad for myself that i am not apart of a kinship group where marriages are arranged and the harshness of social order lacks. 

Western cultures emphasize as primary 'blood' relations, or relations through a biological mother and father.  'Blood' is not a universal basis for kinship, however.  Even in some cultures with a 'blood'-based understanding of kinship, variations exist in defining who is a 'blood' relative and who is not.  Miller gives an example in the textbook saying in some cultures male offsprings are considered one of 'blood', and female offspring are not. 

Kinship to me is 'blood' related and are the people in my family culture.  Those immediate family members stretching toward cousins are all considered in my kinship 'circle' so to say.  However, as we discussed earlier in the semester.  Even though some of these people are kin, how many of them i see as part of my cultural identity?  I believe that my cultural roots and identity was shaped my those kin-folk (besides friends and school) that were around me the most and were mostly involved in family activities and get togethers rather than those i saw once every year or so. 

In some cultures, a form of sharing is a second important basis for kinship.  Sharing one's child with someone else through either informal or formal processes is a cultural universal.  Sharing-based kinship is created through the transfer of food, including breast feeding.  In some cultures, children breastfed by the same woman are considered kin and cannot marry.  As an outsider to these rituals, i find it hard to believe that i could adapt and believe those things.  Growing up how i did, i couldn't imagine sharing a child with someone else and having the mother of a child let someone else breastfeed them and share everything with them.  It seems very out of the ordinary coming from an outsider.  Now, for these people that perform these rituals, it is everyday life and completely normal because it is embed again, in their cultural roots. 

A good topic and relative to us today in the U.S. is fostering or adoption, since it has become popular in today's society.  Are these people (kids and foster parents or adopted parents) considered kin?  I believe that they are considered kin.  Even though they are not biologically linked, the kids are raised and nurtured by these parents and the kids are instilled by the parent's beliefs and thoughts to form their cultural identity.

Another major basis for forming close interpersonal relationships is through marriage.  Anthropologists recognize that some concept of marriage exists in all cultures, though it may take different forms and serve different functions.  Forms of marriage change variously across the world in different cultures from monogamy (two people) to polygamy (multiple spouses). 

In chapter 7, in focuses on social groups and social stratification.  A social group is defined as a cluster of people beyond the domestic unit who are usually related on a basis other than kinship, although kinship relationships may exist between people in the group.  This to me would be my friends, teammates, fellow students, professors, and other people i know but are not kin to.  Members of all social groups have a sense of rights and responsibilities in relation to the group. 

What does it mean to be a friend?  Friendship is defined in the book as close social ties between at least two people in which the ties are informal, are voluntary, and involve personal, face-to-face interaction.  So, according to this-- those friends that you have on facebook that you never seen person to person and have only interacted with them online, they are not considered your friend.  That is something to think about and argue, if they are your friend on facebook and you talk to them online but never have person to person, are they your friend.  According to this theory of friendship, they're not. 

Social stratification was also discussed in the chapter which consists of hierarchical relationships between and among different groups, usually on the basis of some culturally defined concept of status.  An example i think of when it comes to Social stratification is in the business world.  Possibly the CEO of a business and their employees.  The CEO is known and respected but probably not someone you go have a drink with. 

Immigration

After watching the film in class, Little Alien, it made me think what would I do if I was in their situation...  Illegal immigrants is a highly associated topic in today's news all around the world.  We hear about it more around the U.S. with the border of Mexico and Arizona as well as local immigration laws in our state of Georgia.  However, immigration happens all over the world as people try to flee from their countries in which they live in poverty and do not have a chance to grow or be free.  They have a dream of living in a place of freedom and living their life being able to grow, work, and just live without having the fear of getting killed. 

There are huge arguments about the issue of illegal immigrants and how they should or should not be able to travel and live in another country.  There are laws abandoning it and also highly enforced border regulations, such as the ones we saw in the movie where there were literally 5 or 6 different traps and fences set up to disallow crossing the border (not to mention the video cameras watching some of the borders, even being able to see at night from long distances). 

The Center for Immigration Studies in 2008 tallied the total of illegal immigrants in the United States to be around 11 million people which was 12.7 million in 2007.  According to their studies, the top three highest immigrated states are California, Texas, and Florida. 


Back to the film, the harshness that these immigrants went through is absolutely crazy.  Some of their testimonies of getting beaten and injured before sending them back was very brutal.  As well as some of their tactics to try and get to other countries.. Some of the immigrants would ride hundreds of miles under tractor trailers where spare tires are kept in order to reach it to somewhere where they dreamed to live freely and start another life.

The question that should be asked is if it were you, would you do the same?  If you lived in poverty and had no hopes of growing and being able to work and provide for yourself, would you try to go somewhere else to start a better life?  Being born in the U.S. and growing up in Georgia, i haven't had to try to immigrate somewhere and try and start a better life.  However, if i was in some of the places these people were in the movie i believe i would try and start a better life somewhere.  Who is to tell me i cant live somewhere in which i want to grow and live freely without harsh governments and wars on the streets everyday. 

The only argument that could seem to be legit is that of tax dollars.  That is a highly mentioned argument dealing with illegal immigrants today in the U.S.  If governments would consider having start up programs for these immigrants to become legal and get a job so they could pay taxes before forced out, then it would be better. 

What would you do if you were in their situation....

Cultural Roots

I am a very family oriented person and wouldn't be who i am today without the influences of those i have been surrounded by growing up.  Everyone has their own views and opinions on particular subjects; however, those can ultimately be influenced by how one is raised and who your surrounded by. 

I was raised in a household in which my parents weren't separated, in a family that loved one another and in a southern atmosphere.  I grew up with the 'southern boy' manners implanted in me from early childhood (meaning i was raised to respect elders, open doors for ladies, and treat girls with respect). 

I grew up in a household that wasn't wealthy, but was well established and didn't have to live in poverty from not having enough money for my parents to raise me and my siblings.  One reason for this is work ethic.  My parents worked hard and continue to do so to support my family and give me and my siblings things others might not have the pleasure to have.  That work ethic was instilled in me at an early age and whatever i put my mind to do, i will get it done.  Now, this came with the help of playing sports.  Sports drive me and id so growing up.  I got into playing sports at an early age because that is what my older brother did as well.  I followed in his footsteps and my parents lead the way with encouragement.  Growing up, i was outside a lot playing with my brother and just being in the outdoors drove me.  If i grew up in a household that wouldn't allow sports or didn't support them, i wouldn't be the same person.  I am blessed to be raised in a home in which I had the choice to do so. 

Growing up, i was around my family a lot and most relatives lived relatively close by so we got to visit them regularly.  It became a ritual for members of the family to meet on Sundays after church to eat lunch and my grandparent's house.  Both sides of the family would do this.  Both sides of the family have similar beliefs in ways of respecting others, having good manners, and believing in God.  I was raised attending a Baptist church and that was instilled in me by my family and so was the importance of God and the Bible.

In doing this cultural roots project, i wanted to figure out more about my ancestors and where they came from.  Starting on my mother's side and grandmother's (Anne Silvers) side of the family, my great-great grandfather was full blooded Cherokee Indian and they originated form North Carolina.  My great-grandmother had 18 children and only 9 survived due to disease of polio and scarlet fever that was spreading at the time of the early 1900s.  On my grandfather's side, all generations served in the military.  They served in World War II and the Vietnam War.  My grandfather, who is no longer with us today, had an honorable discharge from the army after being injured by a grenade exploding near him.  It causes him to lose his hearing on one side.  After the wars, my grandfather and his parents worked on their farm in the Carolina hills.  I was very close with my grandfather (Frank Silvers) and he took me fishing all the time, which i still love to do.  He passed away when i was 10 years old, so i wish i would have had more time to spend with him.

On my father's side of the family, I found some greatly interesting things.  My great-great-great grandfather, on my grandmother's side, was Sam Bass.  Sam Bass was an American outlaw.  He married a full blooded Cherokee Indian whom lived on a reservation in Idabel, Oklahoma.  Their daughter married a man named Robert Pearle Manning, who came over to America on a boat from Scotland.  Most of the people on my father's side of the family were brick masons and farmers, except for Sam Bass.  Sam Bass and his outlaw days are written in history books.  After a failing business, Sam Bass turned to robbing trains.  He formed a gang and robbed the Union Pacific gold train from San Fransisco, California.  Bas and his men intercepted the train on September 18, 1877 at Big Spring, Nebraska, stealing $60,000, and it is to this day the largest single robbery of the Union Pacific.  He died on his birthday at the age of 27 after being shot by a Texas Ranger named Richard Ware. 

Even though i don't take on the same views or traits as Mr. Bass, I found it interesting to have him a part of my ancestors. 

My grandmother (Mary Osborne), on my father's side, was very close with me and i saw her a lot.  She loved me very much and taught me a lot.  She showed me right from wrong and gave me encouragement along the way.

The only grandparent that i have still alive is my grandmother on my mother's side (Anne Silvers).  I love her a lot and love going over to her house to eat some some good home cooking.  So, in doing this cultural roots project it was a little difficult in finding all this information.  I had to call up relatives, aunts and uncles and so did my parents to find more information on our ancestors.  I enjoyed getting to know a little more about my family and ancestors.

Speckled People

The Speckled People, written by Hugo Hamilton was a memoir about a family divided by cultures.  It is the story of a young child's life, trials and tribulations narrated by Hugo himself.  Hugo shares his story and his life of a confusing journey trying to establish his cultural roots and identity. 

Hugo's mother was from a small town in Germany and his father was from Ireland.  His mother lived in the times of Germany under the rule of the Nazis.  She left Germany and went to Ireland where she married a man named Jack Hamilton, Hugo's father. 

Growing up, Hugo is divided by two culturs and languages in German and Irish.  He is also divided by the English language in which most of the other kids in Dublin use, which is where Hugo lived.  To fit in with the other kids and to adapt to culture, Hugo believes him and his siblings need to speak English to have normal lives.  This brings a struggle between the kids and their father, Jack because he believes in the old language of Ireland and believes that the kids shouldnt speak English. 

Jack's goal was to try to make Ireland a new Germany and to reverse the pattern of natives immigrating to America or England.  He wants his children to speak the native language and not adapt to English or even their mother's language, German.  He wanted to restore the Gaelic language for the sake of giving back the Irish people their unique identity.  Hugo was kept from society by his father and even sent to Irish schools. 

Hugo's mother doesnt interfere with the language war between her children and their father because she believes she is in a better place and knows where she came from to get there. 

As Hugo grows older, he begins to establish his own beliefs and resists the controlling father and his behavior.  He begins to make his own cultural decisions.  As the story ends, his father suffers a weird accident of a bee sting and eventually died.  The struggle that Hugo faced was fought thorugh and he started to make his own story.  The book is written to help convey that people's cultural roots does have an effect on people growing up but as they mature they will find themselves making their own decision and writing their own name in history.

The story that Hugo shares with the world is very good and gives everyone a sense of the cultural differences and cultural roots that establish people.