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Native american cultural differences
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In the Amazon between Venezuela and Brazil, there is a tribe of native people known as the Yanomami. The Yanomami are an ancient people who are relatively unaffected by the civilizations and technology of today.
They are a culture of hunting and gathering. The men are warriors that help to defend the tribe from other tribes, hunt for meat, and attack opposing tribes. The women stay home and cook, raise the children. Many people stay in the shibono, or community complex. The children are raised for a rough life, to be warriors. They learn that every injury suffered must be repaid. Men are the powerful gender, with all the rights. The relationships created by having in-laws are the basis for their power. If a favor is granted, it must be returned. A person is always supposed to be loyal to their family connections.
A shaman is appointed to be the head of the tribe. Spirituality is a very important, everyday thing. The tribe is constantly at war with demons. There are ritual hallucinogens that are used for contact with spirits and the spirit world. The spirits control events in life which the shaman attempt to harness. The shaman gains the powers of these spirits by going to the spirit world, and he uses these to put curses on enemy shamans and heal tribe members from the vices of demons. Diseases and illnesses are causes by the demons and as such can only be heal by spiritual power.
When someone dies their bones are burned and crushed into ash and consumed by the relatives. It puts a persons soul at peace to find a resting place within their family, it would be an abomination to bury them in the ground. Once this ceremony is finished the person is gone. Their name or person is never to be mentioned again.
Enemy tribes fight and put curses on each other. To become allies again they must trade and negotiate. Then, the tribes combine together with a large peace celebration. They conduct a dance in ceremonial dress and test each others strength.
Further, prayer and medicine interplay to paint a classical image of the Native’s creed, yet, for many obsolete or preposterous existences of the shaman. To re-install beliefs present in the world for thousands of years, but have been disappearing, writers such as Neidhardt introduce the element of the
It is Chagnon’s conclusion that Yanomamo villages grow to a certain size, than split off to form new villages. The offshoots in turn also grow and eventually split off. These migrations can be the result of stress within the village. A village is under constant tension from conflicts within, as well as from outside. Inside tension can be brought on by personal conflicts between men in the village. The reasons for these conflicts can vary from unaddressed grievances from the past, conflicts over women, perceived insults or breeches of etiquette. Depending on kinship and lineage obligations this may cause different political alliances to form. At this point before things get too bad, the aggrieved party may decide to leave the village taking his kin with him to form his own settlement elsewhere. However if tensions finally boil over, a duel or fight may erupt sometimes fought with axes or clubs. These fights may result in death or serious injury. At the very least, a new grievance is born from the out come that eventually festers into a new conflict at a later time. Outside pressures can come from attacks from other villages; usually t...
Napoleon Chagnon has spent about 60 months since 1964 studying the ‘foot people’ of the Amazon Basin known as the Yanomamo. In his ethnography, Yanomamo, he describes all of the events of his stay in the Venezuelan jungle. He describes the “hideous” appearance of the Yanomamo men when first meeting them, and their never-ending demands for Chagnon’s foreign goods, including his food. There are many issues that arise when considering Chagnon’s Yanomamo study. The withholding of genealogical information by the tribesmen, and how Chagnon was able to obtain his information is an interesting and significant aspect of this study. Why did Chagnon feel that this genealogical information was important? And was Chagnon’s choice to study the Yanomamo, despite their hesitancy to cooperate, a wise and ethical one?
The Yanomamo are a tribe of twenty thousand who live in about two hundred and fifty widely dispersed villages in Brazil and Venezuela. It was first thought that the Yanomamo were a group of hunter-gatherers, but contrary to that thought they actually cultivate their own crops for food. They also hunt and forage, but only as needed.
The main characters, the Hmongs, are a culture of refugee families that supported CIA efforts in Laos. Their culture embeds deep spirituality into its health care, by the doctors of the Merced County hospital. The notion that herbs were strictly to heal the spirit was of course a source of contention for the physicians of the hospital, though nurses might feel that the symbolic effect alone is worth seizing. In other words, whether the physicians ...
Wade Davis’ article, Among the Waorani, provides much of the content brought to light in Nomads of the Rainforest. His article delves deeper into their culture and motivations allowing one to more fully understand their beliefs, relationships, and savagery. Both the documentary and article attempt to create a picture of their close-knit relationships and their desire f...
Throughout ancient history, many indigenous tribes and cultures have shown a common trait of being hunter/gatherer societies, relying solely on what nature had to offer. The geographical location influenced all aspects of tribal life including, spirituality, healing philosophy and healing practices. Despite vast differences in the geographical location, reports show various similarities relating to the spirituality, healing philosophy and healing practices of indigenous tribal cultures.
“In most human society's death is an extremely important cultural and social phenomenon, sometimes more important than birth” (Ohnuki-Tierney, Angrosino, & Daar et al. 1994). In the United States of America, when a body dies it is cherished, mourned over, and given respect by the ones that knew the person. It is sent to the morgue and from there the family decides how the body should be buried or cremated based on...
The Yanomamo’s or also referred as Yanomami and Yanomama, are a group of nearly 35,000 indigenous people who live in some approximately 200 villages in the Amazon rainforest of South America between Venezuela and Brazil. Like most other tribes the Yanomamo migrated across the passages between Asia and America about 15,000 years ago making their way down to South America and is one of the last ancient cultures still remaining. The meaning of Yanomamo is “Human Being.” The Yanomamo are made up of four subdivisions within their tribe and have their own language which consists of: The Sanema which live in the Northern Sector, the Ninam which live in the southeastern sector, the Yanomam that live in the southeastern part, and the Yanomamo which live in the southwestern part of Yanomami area. The Yanomamo were one of the tribes that remained unknown until the 1960’s who were discovered by anthropologists, Napoleon Chagnon and which his first impressions described them as fierce people.
The religion of the Ojibwe is centered on a belief of a single creating force but according the Minnesota Historical Society the religion also, “Incorporated a wide pantheon of spirits that played specific roles in the universe.” These different spirits took on different roles, some to protect the Ojibwe hunters, protection from illness and while in battle. Each person had a personal guardian spirit which was one of their most important. Their guardian spirit would come to them in a dream or vision and could be called on for protection and guidance. The tribe also had spiritual leaders, which were feared and respected because of their supernatural powers that could be used for good, or evil. Dreams were related to religion and spirit guides. Natives believed dreams carried great significance and that they would provide visions of their future and how to live their lives. The Ojibwe would go on annual fasts to renew the vision of their lives and reflect.
Death comes to all in the end, shrouded in mystery, occasionally bringing with it pain, and while some may welcome its finality, others may fight it with every ounce of their strength. Humans have throughout the centuries created death rituals to bring them peace and healing after the death of a loved one.
I have researched an historical outline of the Yanomamo tribe and some of their culture and religion, ranging from the food the people eat to how they get married to each other. I have chosen this tribe because according to many anthropologists the Yanomami people are one of the last tribes that had come in contact with the western culture. The Yanomamo people of Central Brazil are one of the oldest examples of the classic pre-Columbian forest footmen. The Yanomamo people are almost completely secluded living in the Amazon rain forests of South America. The Yanomamo live together in tribes or small bands and live in round communal huts called shabonos. The Yanomamo language consists of many different dialects, with no real written language. Clothes are rarely used, most of the Yanomami spend their time doing daily chores such as gathering food and materials, visiting with other people in the tribe and making things like tools. These tribes hold the men in the society in high standings. The chief of the tribe are almost always men who are held in high standings with both the men and women of the tribe. Husbands are often allowed to beat and abuse their wives if they feel it is necessary, they are also able to marry more than one wife. This is a way for the tribe to increase its population by having a loose for of polygamy. Yanomami people often base their politics on alliances that they have with other tribes. As a result of this system they often use trading in their society. One of these methods of forming political alliances is feasting. Feasting is when one village invites another village over to have a very large dinner. During this feast people have a lot of socializing going on. The Yanomamo talk and dance with each other al...
After the death of a person the eyes are closed, so the person can finally rest in peace. Some Jews place the body of the deceased on the floor immediately after death. This is done to cool the body to slow the deterioration of the body and also fulfill the biblical prognostication "for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return"(Genesis 3:19). A candle is then lit and placed near the corpse head to show respect to the soul that departed. In the past twenty-six candles were light around the body; twenty-six is the Jewish numerical number meaning "God." Today this is done only to show respect to the dead. Jewish people treat a close family members death similar to Americans. Relatives and friends of the deceased feel great distress, sorrow, and pain.
The role of the shaman was different from tribe to tribe. There are common roles that all shaman shared. Shaman were communicators. The shamans would provide advice to the member of the tribe. The shamans were also known as educators. They were the keeper of certain traditions, myths and wisdom. Shaman had spiritual healing power. They possessed the ability to treat certain sicknesses caused by evil spirits. Shaman also possessed mystic abilities. They were able to communicate with spirit world. They would achieve this by leaving their own body and entering the spiritual world for
In the Jewish faith, death is seen as a natural process. Jewish rituals surrounding death focus on showing respect for the deceased and consolation for the living. After death, the body is never left alone. The body is laid on the floor, covered, and candles are lit with the “shomerim” meaning “guards” watching over the body. Many Jewish communities have a burial society, called the chevra kaddisha (holy society), that clean the body and wrap the body in a plain linen shroud. The body can not be cremated or embalmed and autopsies are discouraged. Coffins are not required according to Jewish customs, but if one is used, there must be holes drilled into them, so they come in contact with the ground. The dead are placed in a plain casket and buried within 24 hours, before sunset, on the day of death. Jewish mourning traditions begin grief with the tearing of one’s clothing (Rich, 1996). Mourners “cut their clothing with a razor- on the left for a parent; on the right for a spouse, child, or sibling- to symbolize the tear in life that death has produced (cite textbook, pg 358).” After burial of the deceased, a healing meal is made for the family, which is followed by the next phase of mourning, known as shiva. Shiva is a seven day ritual in where mourners sit on low stools or on the floor, do not wear shoes, do not shave, do not work, do not bathe, have sex, or eat meat, and remain in the same clothes they tore at the time of death. Following shiva, mourners do not attend social gathering for 30 days, this is known as shloshim. If someone is mourning a parents death, the “shloshim” is expanded to one year (Rich, 1996).