Azande from an Azande Viewpoint

One of the many old belief systems is witchcraft and sorcery. It is often believed that

All Native American cultures have strong beliefs in life after death, although the means of reaching the next life may vary from tribe to tribe. They traditionally believe that death is a part of a natural cycle in which their spirits are transported back and forth between this world and the spirit world so that they can bring renewal and new life when they return. Most consider this transition to be an honor or privilege since it will ensure the survival of their people. In Native American culture, it is believed that neglect of tribal rituals can result in death and sickness, because the spirit returns without blessings, having been unable to enter the other world. According

Every person on this planet has a set of beliefs and values that they implement into their daily lives, helping them understand the world, humanity, and themselves. This set of beliefs and values can be called a worldview. The worldviews and ways of knowing of Indigenous Peoples (in this paper, specifically Indigenous Peoples of North America) have existed for centuries, yet often they remain in juxtaposition with Western (in this paper, specifically Eurocentric) ways of knowing and Western worldviews. One way of knowing is reliant on science, order, and the

Archangels are extraordinary beings, extensions of God himself, personifying his grace, majesty, and power. All of the archangels are healers. They come as master surgeons to repair our bodies, even as they mend the garments of our souls. This is the true story of Archangel Azrael. Azrael was named the “angel of death,” in the most beautiful and healing sense of the world. However, this is far from the gruesome image of a grim reaper stealing people away. Azrael is also known as the help of God in the Old and New

In the 1600s, a group of Protestant Christians, known as Puritans, migrated to the New World to form a colony completely based on the Bible. Because the Puritans were fundamentalists, they believed everything said in the Bible was a true word of God, and thus, they believed everything in the Bible to be true. This included the Devil and witches. The Devil could possess a human’s body and turn them into a witch. During the 17th Century, witchcraft became a serious offense and lead to 24 deaths. The causes of these many deaths were deep religious beliefs, relations of the church and government, and bored girls striving for attention with the infliction of paranoia.

Just as in our society, men and woman of the Ju/'hoansi ultimately get to choose who they marry. At first, the Ju marriages are set up by parents. Although we might not think that we are set up with our mates, our parents do their best to put us on track to marry the type of guy or girl they think is the best fit for us. In both societies, if a marriage does not pan out, we have the right to get a divorce. If for some reason, one half of a marriage is not happy, they commit adultery just like we do. One of the most important aspects of the marriage relationship is the equal rights that men and women have. The Ju society is an egalitarian society (Lee 2003). This means that men and women have the same rights. In America, we are the same way, but upon further review, it seems that the Ju women have more power in their society than American women do in our culture.

This paper addresses the results of interviews, observations, and research of life in the Ottawa tribe, how they see themselves and others in society and in the tribe. I mainly focused on The Little River Band of Ottawa Indian tribe. I researched their languages, pecking order, and interviewed to discover the rituals, and traditions that they believe in. In this essay I revealed how they see themselves in society. How they see other people, how they see each other, what their values were, what a typical day was etc. I initially suspected that I would have got different responses from these questions but in reality the results in the questions were almost completely the same. I studied this topic because mostly all the people that are

The Sonqo people and the Yanomamo people had their differences, but in the end were a lot more alike than you would think. They both portrayed gender distinctions in everything they did. One gender was always superior than the other, in this case the men seemed to be. Men were always the high and almighty, given way more power than women. As I read more, I began to find some answers as to why this might be so. Each group, the Sonqos and Yanomamos, have their own beliefs and their own way of organizing their pack. This all is different for each group depending on the natural environment they were brought up in and continue to live in. It was very interesting to learn more about these two groups and to see what they all had in common and what they did differently. I enjoyed searching for the frequently asked question as to why they do what they do and if there is any meaning behind it. In the paragraphs to follow, I will be talking more about why gender distinctions develop and also how different environments can shape who you become as an individual and as an united community.

The ethical premise, however, wasn't enough to rid the terrors of its very institution in the United States; it was a practice that had been engrained into American culture, stretching back beyond the first colonies and into our pre-colonial European roots.

In the third grade, I remember bringing noodles to lunch, and all of my white classmates looking at me strangely. Little did I know, Americans did not bring noodles to lunch, but rather simpler things, such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and lunchables. Although my introduction to the western culture was nothing as close to the Ibo people’s introduction to the western culture, it is clear that different cultures often have a hard time understanding the customs of another culture. Okonkwo’s response to new western influences spreading through his clan depicts how the introduction of different cultures can lead to disagreement because of contrasting religious values and customs.

For us to properly learn about culture, we must understand the meaning of cultural relativism and ethnocentrism. The two concepts challenge one another. Reading the article, we must pull away from our ethnocentric views and think critically about the Nacirema people's. However, the description of the culture creates an ideology that is hard to agree with. For example, the Nacirema peoples take part in a rite that involves hog hairs and magical powders. The Nacirema rituals do sound strange and displeasing but, we have to learn to recognize our ethnocentric judgments.

two chains of causation intersected at a certain time and in a certain place, for there is no interdependence between them.” (Pritchard, pg. 70) To the Azande, the only explanation, of course, is witchcraft.

Although many western cultures denounce these practices as being barbaric and unfair these western cultures actually practice genital surgery on children. For example, many baby boys in the United States are circumcised at birth for both aesthetic reasons and for health concerns. Children born with both male and female genitalia are seen as medical emergencies and surgeries to correct this anomaly are done as soon as possible.

dictates who punished when confronted with a crime. While The Azande place the blame on

In order to provide a foundation for her readers to be skeptical of group rights related to multiculturalism, Okin describes several stories, examples, and historical cases of women being controlled within their culture. Her examples include France’s historical permission of polygamy due to the immigrants’ culture; Greek mythology; Adam and Eve from the Bible; Orthodox Jews living in the mountains; and Sarah and Abraham from the Bible. She uses these examples to illustrate her point that, “Most cultures have as one of their principal aims the control of women by men.” (590). Okin describes practices such as clitoridectomy, child marriages, and forcing rape victims to marry their assaulter. She uses these examples to reinforce her point that, “many culturally based customs aim to control women and render them,