Kwakiutl

an obligation to provide for and to be provided in a community. Gift-giving, though it seems simple, has been the subject of countless anthropological works, including the discovery of the Potlatch. The Potlatch is a gift-giving practice among the Kwakiutl, and thanks to its ambiguous nature, it has become a fascinating point of research for anthropologists (Mauss 5). Although the act of potlatching entails the giving away of food and wealth in a guest-host setting, it is also used to settle title

Ruth Benedict was an American anthropologist and folklorist who greatly influenced philosophy through her studies of isolated societies. Her theory of cultural relativism has met both great acclaim and vehement criticism as an explanation of morality and behavior. Stepping away from the stance of ethical absolutism she calls us to take a different and perhaps harrowing approach, examining morals as socially approved customs rather than immovable and eternal cornerstones of all cultures. I argue that

Anthropology as the study of culture is an intricate practice guided by theory to generate explanatory value from encountered societies. This paper will examine two contrasting angles provided by Ruth Benedict’s configurational anthropology in Patterns of Culture and Marvin Harris’ cultural materialism in Cannibals and Kings. Whereas Benedict’s configurational anthropology approaches culture as an expressive art form, Harris’s cultural materialism explains the peculiarities of cultural customs as

Early North American cultures often used their art to express their spiritual rituals and beliefs. North American Eastern Woodlanders were an established, settled community. Their burial rituals led them to build great burial mounds such as the Serpent Mound in Ohio. The Eastern Woodlanders believed that tobacco was sacred, and that smoking it was a form of prayer. It is interesting that, although the tobacco originated in the South and was brought North, the stone pipe originated in the North. These

migrate South and East for up to 15,000 miles from their starting location. The beginning difference between Indian tribes that formed were the structures of their houses. In the Alaskan region Indians lived in rectangular, plank houses called Kwakiutl. However in the Wichita area the tribes lived in domed, thatched houses. In the Prairie area the people would form earth lodges and in the Northeast the Algonquians designed a barrel-roofed rectangular house. The style and

The traditional Kwakiutl story, The Boy and the Loon, comes from a group of First Nations’ people who live along the coast of British Columbia. This tale exhibits many characteristics that are present in most First Nations’ stories. The Boy and the Loon begins in the past, stating “Many generations ago, there lived a handsome young boy” (Lelooska 14). By starting with this phrase, the storyteller is showcasing a historical tale that teaches people how to behave. Many First Nations’ stories begin

Haisla people have occupied lands for more than 9000 years. In 1918, an influenza pandemic has reduced the Haisla population and wiped out the Wolf and Frog clans, the Haisla community have been recovered and continues to evolve. Today, there is are about 1700 Haisla, half which lives in Kitamaat Village. Haisla culture combines with the traditional heritage of Canadian culture. In 1998, a Na’Na’Kila Institute was established that helps protect and the development of the Haisla culture, including

Are Ethics Relative? Ruth Benedict: Ethics Are Relative ID # : 0804014743 “Ruth Benedict: Ethics Are Relative … Morality is culturally relative.” In this paper, I’m going to discuss the argument that the famous American anthropologist, Ruth Benedict, has put forth regarding ‘ethical relativism’. Ethical relativism is the theory that holds that morality is relative to the norms and values of one's culture or society. That is, whether an action is classified as right or wrong depends on the moral

THE AMERICAS TO 1500 I. Methodology in the History This period, which deals with the world the Indians knew before the arrival of European explorers, poses difficulties flowing mostly from the lack of the usual evidentiary foundation for doing history: written documents (for example, letters, speeches, treaties, constitutions, laws, books, newspapers, magazines, almanacs). This lack need not be a major obstacle to historical study, however. Indeed, one of the most important things we can accomplish

Carine Kessie Prof: Van De Water English 2010-29 Friday 24, 2017 Origin of Werewolves Throughout history, there are records of the trials of confessed or accused werewolves. In fact, they were questioned and executed the same way witches were, because they often witches were considered also werewolves. These so-called “werewolf’s trials” give us a historical glimpse at rampant human belief in werewolves. Some of the people who were accused of being werewolves were arrested because villagers needed