Cultural Anthropology

Running head: PUEBLO REVOLT The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 Kelley Christy Grand Canyon University HIS 103 May 17, 2009 The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 The English and Spanish strategies at colonization in the late 1600’s were very different, resulting in very different outcomes. The English methods of displacement and extermination of the native populations led to wholesale destruction of the cultures targeted. On the other hand, the Spanish attempted to peacefully associate with the local populations.

This lead to the creation of a hybrid culture of Spanish and Indian peoples. The birth of this new culture demonstrated the success the Spaniards had in the waning days of the century (Otermin, 2007). The Spaniards used the idea of converting the native populations to Christianity and forcing their values to match their own (Otermin, 2007). Eighty years after the establishment of the first colony in the Rio Grande Valley by Juan de Onate in 1598, Spanish missionaries had built thirty missions as well as thirty religious stations.

The Pueblo tribes and the Spanish colonists coexisted but not without conflict. Thousands of Pueblos were converted to Christianity. The converts adopted the rituals of the Christians, such as the Christian form of marriage and baptism. They also practiced the Christian burial rituals. However, these converts also observed their native religious rituals. This straddling of both religions angered the Franciscan missionaries.

This anger drove the Franciscans to destroy religious objects and shrines of the natives, and punish Indian ceremonial leaders (Otermin, 2007). In addition, the Spanish forced the natives to provide slave labor to build churches, as well as work in mines and farms for the encomenderos. These encomenderos were Spanish colonists whose role was to protect the local natives from hostile Indian tribes. Late in the seventeenth century, diseases imported by the Spaniards such as smallpox and measles, began to decimate the Indian population.

Natural disasters such as crop failures and major droughts added to the misery of the natives. Attacks by the hostile Navajo and Apache tribes aggravated the strained relationship between the Spanish colonists and the Pueblos (Otermin, 2007). In 1670, a missionary claimed he was bewitched by a Pueblo community. Several Indians were executed and several more were beaten for this offense. From this, the seeds of revolt were planted. Ten years later, Pope, one of the beaten natives rose to lead a massive revolt.

Pope’s united forces sought to drive all traces of Spanish influence from their lands. The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 was successful in ridding the Pueblos of the Spaniards for a decade. Pope’s efforts united the Pueblos against an oppressive Spaniard regime and gained their people a few more years of independence. Reference Otermin, D. A. Mexican American Voices: Resistance and accommodation in New Mexico. (2007). Digital History. Retrieved May 14, 2009, from: www. digitalhistory. uh. edu/mexican_voices/voices_display. cfm? id=24

Incas vs. Aztecs Prior to Cortez landing, there were many civilizations that held power in the Americas. These groups included the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Mayans, Toltecs, Aztecs, and Incas. The two of these civilizations that had some of the most lasting effects were the Aztecs and the Incas. These two civilizations had many similarities and differences. One of the major differences between the two civilizations is their location. The Aztecs lived in Central Mexico while the Incas lived in the Andes Mountains.

The location of the civilizations affected many of their customs. The Incans mummified their dead by leaving them on a mountain cliff side where the winds would dry the moisture out of their skin. Then they would take the mummies to large events and carry them around. The Aztecs did not mummify their dead or have any customs like this. Because the Aztecs lived in Mexico which is a fairly dry area, they needed a way to irrigate crops. They built chinampas which were floating farms that were always irrigated by the body of water it was floating in.

The Incas used a form of agriculture called terrace agriculture were they would build flat layers into the slope of a mountain out of specific materials so they could grow food on mountain sides. That was another technique they formed because of where they lived. Another difference between the two civilizations was the size. The Inca civilization covered over 50% of the East coast of South America and had a population of about 20 million people. The Aztec civilization only controlled Central Mexico and only had a population of 15 million people. Because the Inca civilization was so big, they needed a way to get messages around.

They developed a large messaging system with messengers called chasquis that used a way to get messages around called quipu. The Aztecs did not have anything like this. Inca was so large because it conquered many other civilizations that had their own languages. This made it difficult for some people to understand each other. That’s why they developed a unified language called Quechua that everyone had to learn. The Aztec civilization was more like the Persian Empire and allowed anywhere they conquered to stay the same and keep their language as long as they paid their taxes and accepted that the Aztecs’ rule.

Another difference is the punishment that a village would get for disobeying the Incan or Aztec civilization. The Aztecs would go into the village and burn it to the ground. They would take everyone inside and either kill them or enslave them. The Incans would go into the village and relocate them. In Inca this is just as bad as killing them because the civilization is in the mountains and it is very hard to start living in the mountains with nothing to start off with. If they try to go back to their village they usually have to cross many mountains which was also very difficult.

Something else that was different was the merchant class of the empires. While they both had good economies, the Incas did not have a large merchant class and the merchant class they did have only traded locally. The Aztecs had a large merchant class that would take very long journeys to distant lands. The Inca government controlled all long distance trading and they did not allow the merchants to have a lot of freedom. Also, the Incas did not have a currency system while the Aztecs used cocoa. The two civilizations also formed differently.

The Aztecs started from three large cities forming an alliance and together they conquered land and people to establish their powerful civilization. The Incans started as a nomadic family or clan that settled down and started a trading colony. Then more and more people came and it eventually turned into a civilization. Those were the many differences between the Aztec and Inca civilizations. The Aztec and Incan civilizations also had many similarities. One of the major similarities was that they both flourished at about the same time.

The Aztecs flourished from 1300 A. D. to 1521 A. D. The Inca flourished from 1300 A. D. to 1533 A. D. Another similarity is that they were both ruled by an emperor. They also both thought gold was very important. Incas used gold for everything because it was so common in the mountains. Aztecs called gold the sweat of the sun and their sun god was their most powerful god so they must have thought gold was important. They were also both monotheistic, worshipping many nature gods and goddesses. They also both thought their sun gods were very important.

The Aztec sun god was named Huitzilopochtli and the Inca sun god was Inti. Inti was the most powerful god in Incan religion. It was thought that the people in the originally family that started the Inca civilization were children of Inti and they said all future rulers must be a descendant of Inti. Huitzilopochtli in the Aztec religion was the god that supposedly told the Mexica to find a place where they would see an eagle sitting on a cactus with a snake in its mouth and that was where they were to settle. This place was Lake Texcoco. Both of these gods were very important to them.

Another religious similarity was that they both perform sacrificial rituals. They also had the same style pyramids that had a wide square base that lead to a point at the top with stairs going up the side. Those were the similarities between the Aztec and Inca civilizations. The Aztec and Inca civilizations are still some of the most powerful civilizations that have ever existed. They had a huge impact on the countries that exist there today. The Mexican flag is even based off an Aztec myth. They had many similarities and differences which made them the civilizations that they were.

Holding Amok can bring the host close to financial devastation however, the political and communal gains room Increased status can outweigh the cons. Reciprocity Is a mutual/cooperative non-market exchange of favors. Merchandise, or rights where a return is generally expected. Examples of the things exchanged are goods or services between two or more individual groups or the exchange of rights or privileges of trade between individuals or groups. Through the process of natural selection, over time humans have formed emotional connections to others and involve In long-term interactions in which reciprocity aids everyone Involved.

The highlanders of Papa New Guiana otherwise known as the Cakewalk believe In arraign not for the love but for pig tending. Usually Cakewalk marry to have the woman tend for the pigs while the man is away. Among is an example of this, he has many wives take care of his pigs and if the wife’s do not tend to his pigs they are seen as not being responsible. It is the wife’s duty in that culture to tend to the husband’s pig. The Handyman from the Amazon originate from Brazil. The Handyman men marry to Increase their status and grow stronger.

The men find It appropriate to marry women with many brothers so that the man who may have only had two brothers, married into a family with four. The newly wed Handyman man will now have more brothers to fight along his side if the situation ever called. Cousins also make the situation for the man very good. Both of these tribes see marriage for its functional uses rather than for the uses we think about in America such as love and happiness. Marriage in these tribes come first as something used to increase ones wealth or power.

The primary economic tender for the Cakewalk was pigs. Pigs have been In the tradition of Amok for centuries. Only recently have modern consumer items such as cars been added to the Amok as a result of globalization. We also saw the Cakewalk exchange pounds, and discussed how powerful it is to put ones face on money. Personally I saw your perspective on that concept fascinating because you were right in every way. The Cakewalk and the Handyman are both fascinating tribes to study. This assignment on reciprocity really has me thinking.

Culture is a well organized unity divided into two fundamental aspects – a body of artifacts and a system of customs – Mammalians. “Humans cannot eat, breathe, defecate, mate, reproduce, sit, move about, sleep or Ill down without following or expressing some aspect of their society culture. Our cultures grow, expand, and evolve. It is their nature. ” – Marvin Harris. The culture of a people is an ensemble of texts, themselves ensembles, which the anthropologist strains to read over the shoulders of those to whom they properly belong. ” Geezer, Balinese Cockfight (p. 2). “Man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun. I take culture to be those webs, and the analysis of it to be therefore not an experimental science in search of law but an interpretative one in search of meaning. ” Greet, Interpretation of Cultures (p. 5). “People do not realize how greatly culture Influences their behavior until they come across other ways of doing things. ” “Culture is learned behavior. ” A person is not born with a culture. Culture is universal. Every human being possesses it by virtue of their biological state. Cultural Anthropology) Is Inherently pluralistic, seeking a framework In which the distinctive perspectives of each culture world can be appreciated. ” “[Cultural practices are meaningful actions that occur routinely in everyday life, are widely shared by members of the group, and carry with them normative expectations about how things should be done” (Gooding, Miller and Sessile, 1995). “A collective name for all behavior patterns socially acquired and socially transmitted groups. ” Dictionary of Sociology and Related Sciences. Culture is a civilization… s that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man (sic. ) as a member of society. ” – Edward Taylor “Culture embraces all the manifestations of social habits of a community, the reactions of the individual as affected by the habits of the group in which he lives, and the product of human activities as determined by these habits. ” -Franz Boas. Coloratura Anthropology focuses on how language, customs, and culture in general develop.

Cultural Anthropologists compare and contrast the vast range of cultures with the popes of better understanding “the diversity of human behavior, and ultimately to develop a science of human behavior. ” – Fried,J. Cultural Anthropology. What is traditional (or folk) culture? “Traditional culture is the habitual behaviors or thoughts of any given social group, and there is not only the chance of customary behaviors occurring; customary behaviors are expected and generally required by members of the society (Smith- Seymour, 1986).

Folk culture is a model of the peasant community characterized by economic self- efficiency, intimate social ties, the strong role of ritual and tradition, and the relative isolation from urban centers. The concept of folk culture is that it represents an attempt to characterize the values and social structure of traditional, rural communities existing within complex societies. What methods do they use to study culture? Fieldwork: visiting and living among a particular people.

Mapping, inventories, census, behavior protocols, questionnaires, projective tests, collecting genealogies, kinship terminologies, oral traditions, recording cases, and racing networks” (Hunter and Whiten, 1976). In order to study these cultures, ethnographers had to become part of them. Live with the people for extended periods of time. To study different groups of people, the scientists had to become immersed in their study. One important qualification that anthropologists should possess is a strong awareness of their won culture.

Although it is necessary for Anthropologists to be as culture tendencies in order to comprehend another’s culture. Therefore, absolute objectivity, which would require that the Anthropologist have biases, and in research exult no culture at all, should be given up in favor of a relative objectivity based on the characteristics of one’s own culture. The Anthropologist is forced to include himself and his own way of life in his subject matter.

In order to study others, and to study culture in general, the Anthropologist uses his own culture. What is material culture? Culture involves much more than behavioral traits; it includes all produced artifacts – tools, art, books and texts, etc. “Probably no other country in the world has such high regard for material culture as the United States. “Cultural materialism is a type of analysis that looks at ecology and economics for explanation of cultural beliefs and practices.

It tries to explain cultural habits in terms of basic needs. ‘A cultural materialist view of history looks for relationships between the use of new technologies, population booms, the material improvement of life, and the collapse of civilization” (fisher, 1986). What is cultural diffusion? “The worldwide tendency of human populations to share and pool creative efforts which are in origin locally known and used. ” -David Hunter.

Cultural Anthropology is a term that is in everyday lives and topics. When one thinks of anthropology they think of the study of old remnants commonly referred to as archaeology. This, however, is not the only form of anthropology. There are four types of anthropology and they are archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. However, Cultural anthropologists are every where and study people of all walks of life. One can find a topic and find some type of study that an anthropologist has conducted on the matter. The following are five articles that explain how anthropologists are every where.

Chapter: Corporate Anthropologists, page 24 The article talked about how anthropologists play an important role in the corporate environment. Anthropologists have been working with businesses since the 1930″s, however in the 1980″s this field experienced significant growth. This was due to the “globalization of business activity and the increased awareness of the importance of culture for business,” (Laabs 24).

Cultural anthropology is the study of existing people and corporations find this information useful in trying to understand human behavior within their own organization. Business anthropologists have been studying the corporate world for years, on such varied topics as how to encourage more creativity or how best to integrate multicultural learning techniques into an organization”s training program,” (Laabs 25). Most anthropologists who work in the corporate environment do not use the title of anthropologist. There are currently over 200 anthropologists working in this field. The article then gave an account of one anthropologist”s experience in the corporate environment.

The article concludes by saying what corporations think of the value that anthropologists add to the companies and that the role will continue to grow. The anthropologist that contributed to this article was Lorna M. McDougall. She works at Arthur Andersen”s Center for Professional Education, which is located in St. Charles, Illinois. McDougall is “studying why people from some cultures learn best from lectures, although others learn best through interactive learning,” (Laabs 25). McDougall has played a large part in developing Arthur Andersen”s Business English Language Immersion Training (ELIT) program.

This program builds a language skill that allows for communication between two parties where English may be a second language. This program also provides an awareness of each culture”s business ethics. “The results of her work have helped instructors, who train Andersen consultants working in 66 countries, be better teachers,” (Laabs 25). McDougall is the first onsite anthropologist employed by Arthur Andersen and continues to be a great resource for the corporation. McDougall used an “anthropological methodology” by listening in on classroom sessions and conducting interviews.

From the information that she gathered she noticed that “people from certain cultures are used to two-way communication in the classroom, although others just sit quietly while the ‘professor lectures”,” (Laabs 26). McDougall also teaches some of the management development classes and also contributes to the training classes. Her main areas of concentration for anthropological study include a technique where sometimes a management team proposes an idea and at other times she will propose an idea. She has also studied the meaning of gestures and colors for different cultures.

She discovered that white in some cultures means marriage and in others, white means death. All her anthropological work has played a major part in Arthur Andersen”s company. I did my presentation on anthropologists and the role that they play in corporations. Until recently I was aware that culture played a defining role in companies that participated in globalization. I did not however know the role that anthropologists contributed to this topic. I recently worked a Technological Symposium for my company and this was a huge event where people from all parts of the world attended.

It was at this convention that I learned that other cultures do business differently than Americans. It is not just a language barrier but a culture barrier. I am also aware of the work that anthropologists contribute to the development of web sites that are viewed worldwide. The anthropologist”s experience and mine are vastly different. She is quite a bit more experienced in the topic of corporate anthropologists. However, she and I both realized that language is not the only barrier that corporations face when expanding the operation globally.

As the awareness of this field becomes known it will continue to grow. Chapter: Culture and the Evolution of Obesity, page 92 The article provides “a cross-cultural and evolutionary analysis of how both biological and cultural factors in obesity evolved. This analysis explains the sociological distribution of obesity today. It also emphasizes that peripheral body fat (characteristic of women) is a small health hazard compared to abdominal fat (characteristic of men),” (Brown 92). Peter Brown, the anthropologist who wrote the article, gave his perception on obesity.

He believes that “an anthropological model of culture has significant advantages over the commonly used undifferentiated concept of ‘environment” for generating hypotheses about behavioral causes of obesity,” (Brown 93). Brown states that the problem of obesity and overweight is that today”s industry thrives on the culture belief about having the perfect body and sexual attractiveness rather on the medical perspective. Obesity and being overweight is not just a psychological issue but a serious health issue. Brown claims that there are four facts about the social distribution of society that must be addressed.

They are: “1) The gender difference in the total percent and site distribution of body fat, as well as the prevalence of obesity; 2) the concentration of obesity in certain ethnic groups; 3) the increase in obesity associated with economic modernization; and 4) the powerful and complex relationship between social class and obesity,” (Brown 94). He goes on to further state that “human biology and behavior can be understood in the context of two distinct processes of evolution,” (Brown 96). The two processes are natural selection and historical changes in the structure of cultural systems.

Furthermore, Brown states “Because the concept of culture is rarely considered in medical research on obesity, and because I am suggesting that this concept has advantages over the more common and undifferentiated term environment, it is necessary to review some basic aspects of this anthropological term,” (Brown 97). He provides a diagram that explains culture in relation to obesity. He concludes that fatness is “symbolically linked to psychological dimensions, such as self-worth and sexuality,” (Brown 99) but continues to state that this is not a consistent symbol.

In some cultures fatness symbolizes wealth and health. Lastly he concludes that culture and its relation to obesity can be concluded practically and theoretically. “First, recognition of cultural variation in beliefs and behaviors related to obesity needs to be incorporated into health programs aimed at reducing the prevalence of obesity. The second conclusion regards the need for more research on the role of culture, as it interacts with genes, on the etiology of obesity,” (Brown 101). As a woman in today”s American society I am very aware of the problems and hype about obesity and overweight.

I am constantly trying to lose weight or maintain it. I am never satisfied with the way I look. Every where we look thin women are displayed on pedestals and obese and overweight people are shunned. I personally consider somebody who is overweight lacking in sexual appeal and self-confidence. The thinner that I am the more desirable I feel. I know that other cultures do not view obesity in this manner. For example I am sure that a person in South Africa who is overweight is considered to be of great status. I just hope that one day nobody will be looked at or judged on their weight.

I really enjoyed the anthropologist”s point of view on the obesity issue. The only thing that I disagree with is that such important issues such as bulimia, anorexia, and other eating disorders were not addressed. In an article in which weight is discussed these issues go hand in hand. For every person who is obese there are three that are fighting an eating disorder, and this is prevalent in all cultures. Peter Brown only once touched basis on the dieting craze that floods the world and this was very brief. Then he states that it is only wealthy women who are obsessed with dieting and this is incredibly false.

Chapter: White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, page 134 The article begins by the anthropologist explaining that men have privilege over women. “Denials which amount to taboos surround the subject of advantages which men gain from women”s disadvantages. These denials protect male privilege from being fully acknowledged, lessened or ended,” (McIntosh 135). Then the article proceeds to discuss how whites, whether they realize it or not, have a considerable advantage over other races. She lists twenty-six ways that whites have the upper hand.

She then concludes with her personal analysis her experiences. McIntosh explains that as a white person she had been sheltered from the privileges that she had. “I think whites are taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege,” (McIntosh 135). She compiled a list of things that she encounters daily that are a privilege to white people that may not come so easily to a person of a different race. For example one item states that she “can turn on the television or open the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented,” (McIntosh 135).

She then claims that if all these items are true that we are not living in a free country and that certain opportunities are available to whites. She concludes by stating that she hopes that social systems need to be redesigned. I am a white female so I was able to place myself in the anthropologist”s shoes. I grew up in an upper middle class neighborhood went to private school and I was still taught all about the different races. There is an entire month dedicated to Black History in schools. Thus, I experienced reverse discrimination, not a privilege for being white.

When applying for scholarships upon entering college I was repeatedly turned down only to see a fellow student of a different race, with lower grades, less academic activities, and lower rank receive the scholarship because of their race. Affirmative action allows for a less qualified candidate to receive the job so that the company can have a certain number of ethnic people employed. There is a black Ms. America and a Black Ms. America, yet the former Ms. America was black. There are sororities that are specifically for particular races yet regular sororities can not discriminate on race but the race specific ones can.

The anthropologist and I have very different opinions on being white. She claims that it is a privilege and that other races suffer, I strongly disagree with her. Where was her research done? Did she not look into such issues as reverse discrimination, affirmative action, and the privileges that are granted to others based on their race? The article was completely absurd. What was her basis for such an article? White people have to prove themselves where as others have doors opened for them because of the way our ancestors treated them.

McIntosh needs to do a lot more exploration into the topic. “Lee Cronk discusses possible cultural misunderstandings that were involved in the creation of the unfortunate (and racist) term Indian giver. These misunderstandings were offensive to both Native Americans and whites. Europeans thought that gifts should be freely given and that the gift is less valued when there are strings attached,” (Cronk 143). Due to the before mentioned when anthropologists study gift giving rituals they are more interested in the relationship between the giver and the receiver than the actual item being given.

The article makes several references to past situations and gives several examples of anthropologist”s point of view. The anthropologist”s experiences came from first hand knowledge when trying to give gifts to the people that they were studying. One anthropologist by the name of Richard Lee, from the University of Toronto, had an experience with the ! Kung hunter-gatherers. He gave the tribe an ox as a token of good will but all the ! Kung did was complain about how scrawny the ox was. “Only later did Lee learn, with relief, that the ! Kung belittle all gifts,” (Cronk 144). According to the !

Kung ridiculing gifts “is their way of diminishing the expected return and of enforcing humility on those who would use gifts to raise their own status within the group,” (Cronk 144). Another example from an anthropologist was by Rada Dyson-Hudson, from Cornell University. Dyson-Hudson gave the Turkana”s of Kenya pots, maize meal, tobacco, and other items. Much to her dismay it was less than appreciated. “A typical response to a gift of a pot, for example, might be, ‘Where is the maize meal to go in this pot? ” or, ‘Don”t you have a bigger one to give me? ” To the Turkana, these are legitimate and expected questions,” (Cronk 144).

As a child and as an adult the whole gift giving process is different. I can remember getting a gift and never thinking anything of it. As an adult if I get a gift that is quite elaborate I always want to return a gift even better the giver. It is as if I want to one up the giver, as if it is going to make me a better person to give the better gift. As a child I remember receiving items from childhood friends and when a fight would occur the friend wanting the gift back, and this was referred to as Indian giving. Now as I get even older gift giving rituals such as Christmas has become consumer warfare.

I think that gift giving is a touchy topic in all cultures. The similarities between the anthropologist”s experience and mine are amazing. It just goes to show that gift giving is a process that will never be fully grasped no matter how much research is done on the topic. Chapter: society and Sex Roles, page 159 Ernestine Friedl (Human Nature, 1978) The article begins with the anthropologist giving two contrasting examples of the roles men and women play in different cultures. Following this introduction the thesis is given that the roles will never be clearly defined as long as examples from other cultures are used in the argument.

The article continues to site examples about how men are the dominant sex because they are the hunter”s and provide the resources. Several examples of tribes are given to support his hypothesis that as long as men provide the resources than they will have the upper hand. He concludes by stating that as women continue to gain positions in roles that allow them to provide the resources than they will be able to make demands to change the sex roles. Friedl makes the argument that to understand society and its sex roles one must not “toss examples from the world”s cultures at each other like intellectual stones,” (Friedl 160).

He states that the differences, biologically speaking, can be “clarified by looking at known examples of the earliest forms of human society and examining the relationship between the technology, social organization, environment, and sex roles,” (Friedl 160). Friedl claims that the factors in a society that cause male dominance need to be researched because once these factors are understood than one can apply this knowledge to the constant changes in the sex roles due to the modern society.

Through Friedl”s observations he learned that “The male monopoly on hunting unites men in a system of exchange and gives them power,” (Friedl 161). “Women do not hunt, I believe, because of four interrelated factors: variability in the supply of game; the different skills required fore hunting and gathering; the incompatibility between carrying burdens and hunting; and the small size of seminomadic foraging populations,” (Friedl 161). He also believes that another reason are not the dominant sex is because it is difficult to provide resources when one is pregnant.

I grew up in school learning about how women”s roles in society have evolved over time. I realize that women were not and still are not the dominant sex. This is partly because it is still difficult for women to be in positions of power. I once tried for a position in a spirit organization at Texas Tech University. It was a male organization thus I was declined membership. Even in dating the men pay, open the doors for the women, and play the dominant role. I agree with Friedl in that the dominant sex is the one that provides the resources.

His research was done by past observations and my experience came from personal experience in such areas as dating, work, and school. The times that I was unable to provide resources I was not dominant, but the times that I did provide the resources I had the upper hand. As we continue to grow as a society than women will be in such positions of power and than maybe an equality between the sexes can exist. My favorite article was the article titled “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”. This was because it is such a controversial topic that gets a rise out of me and makes my temper flare.

I would really like to argue my point of view with the anthropologist that wrote the article. It is a topic that is extremely controversial and will be around as long as there are people and different races. In conclusion, I now realize all the studies and broad range of topics that are discussed by cultural anthropologists. They play an important role in every day activities that I take for granted. As long as there are people and at the rate the world changes there will always be a need for cultural anthropologists.

Writing Assignment #1: The Cultural Construction of the Idea of Progress Film chosen: Pocahontas One of Walt Disney’s most famous films, Pocahontas, takes place in the 1600s, as the British discover parts of the “New World” that are inhabited by native Americans. In this film, we are able to contrast the primitive lifestyle and culture of the Native Americans to that of the British, and are able to see how the ideas of “progress” or social evolution play a role in the ethnocentric bias held by the Westerners during this time, causing the primitive stereotypes to be built.

Disney uses the structure of the characters themselves- what they wear, how they speak, what they eat, what they believe in, etc. ; and the plot line of the film, to depict the cultural construction of the idea of “progress”, and evoke the opposing ideas of the “primitive other” and “civilized self”. This film opens showing us the life of the British as they board the ship and while they’re sailing at sea. Disney starts off with the British because we as westerners relate to the British, and see their way of life as normal and civilized.

We immediately relate to the color of their skin, their westernized clothing, the way they speak, and the technology they have access too. While on the boat, John Smith (the male protagonist) refers to the Native American Indians as “savages” who should be killed if they get in the way. This gives us a sneak peak into the mindset of the British and how negatively they view the Native Americans. Leaving us with the belief that the Indians are savages, Disney then introduces Pocahontas (the female protagonist) and the Indian tribe that has been living in the New World.

Immediately we are exposed to the primitive lifestyle of the Indians. We see that their way of traveling is by wooden canoes, their clothing consist of a brown cloth that covers very little while they also do not have on shoes, they live in tents, and have nothing but nature at it’s purest form surrounding them. We see the women out in the fields gathering corn by hand, while the men are coming home from battle, with only bows and arrows and spears for weapons.

The initial reaction to seeing the culture and way of life amongst the Indians is to see them as “uncivilized” and “savage”, just as John Smith was saying on the boat. However throughout the film Disney begins to challenge this belief and shows us that the westerner’s way of life may not be the best way of life for everyone. Up until this point, John Smith and the rest of the English men had been discovering new places and finding Native American’s that had been living for many years on these foreign lands.

The Europeans always saw these natives as uncivilized, barbaric savages, who needed to be taken over and “westernized”. John Smith makes a comment to Pocahontas about how they could make the Indians life better, and build them roads and tall buildings, and teach them how to “make the most of their land”. This is a perfect example of the ethnocentric bias mentality of the Europeans. They never once considered that someone else’s way of living and culture could actually be a successful.

They thought that their way was the best way, and anything else was just an underdeveloped, barbaric lifestyle that needed to progress into the westernized lifestyle. After John Smith makes this comment about “bettering the Indian’s life styles” Pocahontas is deeply offended and proceeds to sing the popular song, The Colors of the Wind. In this song Pocahontas calls John Smith out on his ethnocentric stance and shows him her point of view, in singing: “You think you own whatever land you land on, The earth is just a dead thing you can claim, But I know every rock and tree and creature, Has a life, has a spirit, has a name.

You think the only people who are people, Are the people who look and think like you, But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, You’ll learn things you never knew you never knew. ” For the first time John Smith begins to listen to Pocahontas and realizes how ignorant him and his crew have been to think they can claim any land they come across, treating the natives like wild beasts.

All this time the Europeans have looked down upon the primitive culture of the natives, thinking that they were sub-human, and needed to be nurtured and tamed just like animals; however in this moment John Smith see’s the free spirit in Pocahontas, and he admires her connection to the nature all around her. He begins to see that the Natives are just normal human beings in their natural element, a thriving off of the world around them, with no need of technology, or any of the advancements the westerners were bringing to the New World.

Overall, Disney’s film, Pocahontas, does a wonderful job contrasting the cultures of the “primitive other” and “civilized self” with Pocahontas and the Indians as the primitive other and John Smith and the Europeans as the civilized self. We are able to see through the Europeans, their ethnocentrism, and their naive attitudes that leads them to believe they own whatever land they land on and can treat the natives however they want. Disney however plays out this film in a way to show us his view on this ethnocentric bias and how he believes it to be wrong and unlawful.

He makes the viewer side with the Indians and portrays the Indians as the good guys and the Europeans as the bad guys. Disney was trying to send a message that this whiteness way of thinking is not always correct and can sometimes bring harm to others even when its not intentional. Works Cited: Pocahontas. Walt Disney Feature Animation, 1995. Film. Seriff, Suzanne. “Cultural Anthropology: ANT 302. ” University of Texas. Spring 2013.

Aztec and Mayan differences One difference between the Aztec and the Mayan is the location, and time period they were in. The Aztec and Mayan lived in the same time period but the Mayan had actually been around longer than the Aztecs. The start of the Mayan empire began before the Aztec as well but, once the Aztec empire began they were the dominant empire in Mesoamerica. Location the Aztec were located in central Mexico were Mexico City now lies and the Mayan were located in the Yucatan Peninsula. Another difference between the Aztec and the Mayan is they spoke different languages. The Aztecs spoke nahuatl and the Mayan spoke Maya.

One of the differences is that the Aztec language was poorly understood and less popular than the Mayan language. The Mayan language however is considered one of the most striking visually writhing systems in the world. The Aztec and Mayan had a different way of ruling their empires. The Aztec were ruled by a supreme ruler. The Mayan had city states each ruled by a sovereign ruler. Because the Aztec were a big group while the Mayan were many groups in one. The Aztec and Mayan had different names for their deities. They both had a feathered serpent god for the Aztec the god was called Quetzalcoatl and for the Mayan it was Kukulcan.

Not only that they also had different gods that had different roles. They also had different views of these gods the Aztec believed they needed to sacrifice a lot of people to please them while the Mayan not so much. Last of all The Aztec were warlike and the Mayan were scientific. The Aztec waged war against other tribes forcing them to pay tribute. The Aztec were proud of their war tradition which in one can be concluded why they died out they lived by the sword and died by the sword. The Mayan studied stars were they came up with a very scientific calendar, and were obsessed with astronomy. Therefore the Mayan were true to life.