Native Highlands Of The Great Papuan Plateau

After reading the novel Nest in the Wind: Adventures in Anthropology on a Tropical Island, written by Martha C. Ward, I learned about a culture on an island that is much different but similar in many ways to ours. The Climate of the Island was tropical with heavy rainfall. The Island was known as a “tropical paradise”. Ward a female Anthropologist went to this Island to study its inhabitants . Some area she focus on was Family, Religion, sex, tradition, economics, politics ,medicine, death, resources and daily activities . Ward approach to getting this information as accurate as possible was to live among the Pohnpeians as . She got involved in their culture and community. She even , though unwanted gained rank in their society. Her and

As anthropologist Bruce Knauft described, the Gebusi clan had words that described many different aspects, examples included oil the Gebusi word for tomorrow and yesterday and owa for grandparents and grandchildren, but the most defining one was kogwayay, a catchfall marker to describe all of their cultural distinction. Because of kogwayay’s branching terminology, kogwayay is also the Gebusi’s word for ethnicity, the identification with a cultural group because of shared values customs and beliefs, while inversely excluded from different groups. One aspect that contributes to the Gebusi’s sense of kogwayay is religion. Through Knauft’s book we see their religious ways introduced and watch them change and adapt with the dynamics of cultural change over time.

Socially and Emotionally the family is a big influence in a child’s development. Parents have a big role by providing care and guidance for their development. Unfortunately some families cannot promote the development of a child because of the conflict among the parents. A single parent can have difficulties in boosting a better development in children and young people, sometimes a child is separated from its siblings and this can affect them too.

In this section the author talks about the way of conducting the study which is the basis of this book. She has chosen a total of twelve families including six white, five black and one interracial. All the families had children who aged from 9-10 years. She visited these families at least twenty times in a time span of a month and spend time around the space where their everyday lives evolve.

In addition, most societies have stories which describe how superhuman beings created the natural world and society, inventing food and plants, pigs and pig exchanges, male and female cults, sorcery, and other aspects of culture ("Culture of Papua New Guinea"). It is also commonly accepted that with age and maturity most people will develop supernatural powers and abilities. As Christianity has spread throughout the country, most Papua New Guineans fail to see a contradiction between traditional views and practices and Christian beliefs, continuing to practice both side by side.

The, “Sorrow of the Lonely and the Burning of the Dancers”, is a ethnography written by anthropologist Edward Schieffelin, derived from his fieldwork with the Kaluli people of Papua New Guinea. The main focus of the book of the book is how many of the fundamental notions that are implicit in Kaluli culture are found in the Gisaro ceremony, which Schieffelin uses as, “a lens through which to view some of the fundamental issues of Kaluli life and society” (p1).

While Barker focuses on clans in Papua New Guinea and Hedican on Scottish clans they both come to the same result, clans are hard to gain consistent information on and much of their histories are muddled, complicated, and contradictory specifically with the whom is related to who debacle and the ‘true’ back story/ symbols accompanying each clan. Both Authors also explore the kinship terms of Papua and how it differs from the Westerner way of labelling family members (cousin being the broadest Westerner term) compared to the flexible descent groups and hazy distinction that separates immediate and extended family in the villages of Papua New

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.

Annette Lareau, author of Unequal Childhoods Class, Race, and Family Life, revealed her research findings in this enlightening text featuring twelve socially, economically, and culturally diverse families having a child nine to ten years of age respectively in their nuclear family unit. These families were garnered from the author’s coinciding study comprised of eighty-eight children. Lareau, along with her research assistants, visited each family approximately twenty times. Visits included time spent within the home, as well as family events, school functions, doctor’s visits, structured activities, shopping trips, and church services. Wide-ranging contexts allowed researchers a unique opportunity to observe and record a multiplicity of interactions within each family unit.

He describes the beauty of the Masin’s environment including spectacular beaches, sea, and rainforest. Chapter one highlights subsequent chapters; for example, Chapter 6, which explores the Maisin’s efforts to conserve the rainforests and beauty that surrounds them. The first edition of this book ended with the 2002 campaign in which Maisin’s prevented logging on their lands. This current version extends to on-going threats of logging, mining and climate change. Barker’s fieldwork spans three decades and depicts what he learned about Maisin culture, values, spiritual ways and transitions over time. A brief history (p.23-30), covers events before and after independence of Papua New Guinea in 1975.

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.

When the father of a new child buries the placenta under the parents’ bed, so that when the child dies they can retrieve the honored skin “jacket” (placenta) and put it on for safe travels through the spirit realm, home is a significant and integral part of being for the Hmong. In all their lengthy history the Hmong have never had soil to call their own yet their resilience in their attempt to establish roots wherever they relocate to, is

Different cultures have different ways of experiencing aspects of their culture. There are many similarities and differences between the Yanomamo and Samoan peoples. Cultural differences and similarities need to be paid attention to. Also, the similarities need to be celebrated. The Samoans and Yanomamo have different and similar subsistence methods, division of labor, occupational specialization, exchange of goods, and the economic link to power. The differences and similarities between the Yanomamo and Samoan peoples are striking and deserve thorough examination.

YANG, Kao Kalia. The latehomecomer : a Hmong family memoir. 1st eds. Minneapolis: Coffee House Press, Coffee House Press, 2008, 277pp. (ISBN

“Ancestral lines” by John Barker is a book about the anthropologist’s experience in the Uiaku village located in Papua New Guinea. In the first chapter, Barker tells his readers briefly about him and his education, his and his wife’s experience with the Maisin community, and talks in great detail about the Maisin and their culture in the Uiaku village.