Summary Of Eating Christmas In The Kalahari

Richard Lee Borshay's article titled "Eating Christmas in the Kalahari," describes the author's personal experiences of participating in the observation of Christmas by the !Kung Bushmen. The events outlined in the article take place at the end of Borshay's one-year long ethnographic research spent studying the Bushmen's culture and customs. According to the author, one of the !Kung's main Christmas traditions include hunting and slaughtering an ox that is then shared and feasted on during the holiday festivities. Since one of the anthropologists' responsibilities is not to share their food and other resources with a group that they are studying during fieldwork, Borshay decided that providing a healthy and fleshy ox to the Bushmen would prove

The Bushmen's social organization lacks emphasis on personal achievements and material goods. Since the !Kung culture centers around reciprocity and common exchange and sharing of resources, one of the tribe members' common customs is highlighting each other's humility by criticizing one's success and accomplishments. For Richard Borshay Lee, this type of acknowledgment of personal achievements was a custom that he was not familiar with. In the modern United States, personal triumph and accomplishments are not only of great pride to us, but they are also acknowledged by our friends, family members, and at times even by strangers. In today's world, we tend to forget the concept of humility as our society is obsessed with exaggerated praise for even the most miniscule achievements and criticizing others is viewed as rude, inconsiderate, and inappropriate. I think the !Kung Bushmen's lesson of humility to Richard Borshay Lee was not only a valuable teaching for him but also an amazing lesson of modesty and humbleness to the rest of

Gibbs Jr. In the article, the author describes the practice of moot as a form of social control in a small-scale society. The moot is an institution utilized to supplement more formal dispute-settlement establishments such as a court setting. The moot is a widely utilized practice among the Kpelle of Liberia, and it is a successful form of social control in that society. The moot, also known as the "house palaver," is an informal dispute in which a defendant is judged and examined by non-government related officials (town chiefs, affluent elders, town citizens). The characteristic of a moot vastly differs from the one of the court as it particularly focuses on domestic disputes such as matrimonial affairs. The tone of a moot is also much softer than the one of a court setting. Thus, making it more appropriate for dealing with domestic and matrimonial matters. The structure of a moot is rooted in the implementation of psychotherapy. Therefore, the outcome is frequently positive, with all the parties resolving their conflicts and returning to their daily activities without holding grudges or resentments. The chief factors that make the moot dispute an effective form of social control in cases of matrimonial conflicts are equal attribution of guilt to both parties, the lack of presence of political authority, as well as insubstantial punishments designed not to cause resentment