Year of China Events

The first event I attended at Reinhardt University for the Year of China was a small festival called "Year of the Dragon at Reinhardt."    This festival was held in the middle grassy area between the campus lunchroom called "The Gordy" and the campus library.  The festival was an eight to ten booth event focusing on everything that had to do with Chinese Culture.  Music of China was played over loudspeakers from the campus bookstore during the event. 

Many of the booths at the festival had games and crafting including taspestry that you could design with your name written in Chinese lettering. There were also booths selling Chinese tapestry made laptop bags, chimes, shirts, earrings and much more. One booth was handing out Chinese cookies and candy for that little bit of Chinese charm in your mouth.

In the Gordy lunchroom, they were serving a special chinese meal for the event.  The Chinese food was amazing, and I wish that they would have it more often. 

 Click below to see a festival hightlights video made by Reinhardt's very own Video Production Staff

 

 

 The other event, I attended for Reinhardt University's 2012 "Year of China" was the Photography Exhibit held in the art building.  Professors Pam Wilson, Larry Webb, and Dr. Gregory among others, showed their best photos taken during a trip they went on together to China this past summer. 

 

I really enjoyed seeing the array of photograghs that came from the professors who taught me here at Reinhardt.  Pam Wilson's amazing photos concentrated on close-up shots and depth of field shots that both showed a great use of contrast and lighting.  Her best works were two close-ups of Chinese children, capturing China's youth in the form of a portrait.  The way the photos were composed was so good you could connect right into the eyes of the subjects.  There was also a photo of an older woman with a beautiful lined face that had much depth.  However, Larry Webb, concentrated on medium shots that showed Chinese rituals in action.  In these shots, you could see what they wore, how they danced and their facial expessions during their meaningful ceromonies.  The bright use of colors and framing are the skills at play in Professor Webb's photography.  I did like the other professors' photography, Dr. Linquist and Dr. Gregory, but Larry Webb and Pam Wilson seemed to understand best how to capture the essence of the Chinese culture in the photos, while also understanding basic elements of composition and lighting.  There was one photo that was of a woman holding her child in a field where she worked that was very impressive.  As I looked at these pictures, I could see the bright use of color in the clothing, the beauty of the land and mountains, the importance of ritual and family, and the strong work ethic in the faces.

Economic and Political Systems and Their Effects

Nathan Schulman
November 12, 2012


This blog entry will look at economic and political systems and their effects on today's consumption and globalization.  I will first discuss Annie Leonard's video on "The Story of Stuff," followed by Barbara Miller's dicussions of political anthropology and economic systems.

I watched a video online called "The Story of Stuff."  It was very cleverly put together, with animation behind the speaker, Annie Leonard.  She did research on our economic system in the United States and its affect on globalization. 

Leonard broke down the systems within globalization and American consumption.  The first step was extraction (pulling resources out of the ground).  Leonard said that we Americans use too much stuff, and we are running out of  our natural resources in the U.S., so, we are using "stuff" from Third World Countries.  The next phase is production that uses toxic chemicals, hiding them in household common goods like personal computers and pillows.  This actually creates human pollution.  The third step was distribution of products (selling, buying, importing).  An example given for this was a $4.99 Radioshack portable radio; it would cost more around the globe in various areas to get the parts needed to make the radio and ship it to the store.  She brought up externalized pricing where the people who made the parts that go into a product and the people who shop for the products by paying taxes help pitch in to making it possible for product price deductions.

Then Leonard discussed "use."  She said we are a nation of consumers, and that 99% of the stuff we buy is trashed within 6 months.  This is called "planned obsolence" and it occurs so that we will buy more stuff.  She also mentioned "perceived obsolescence" where we are made to think we need the newer improved product or updated packaging when our existing product is still quite functional.  Next came disposal, which creates more and new toxins.

The point of Leonard's video presentation is that our whole system of economic prodution is in crisis.  Recylcing helps, but it is not enough.  She ended her presentation with the idea of sustainability and keeping it green as we create a something new. 

I really did like the way Leonard explained everything.  It is clear to me that we need to make huge modifications in our economic system to protect our natural resources.

Chapter 8 discussed political anthropology, the study of power relationships in the public domain and how they have evolved through different cultures (from foraging communities with minimal political organization all the way to the state, which is an organized political structure that is more complex and possesses power).   This chapter also mentions legal anthropology which studies cultural variation in social order and conflict, and norms and laws in different cultures.  Legal institutions often maintain social inequality and injustice. Anthropologists study international organizations such as the United Nations to see their role in peacekeeping and conflict resolution.  I am glad I live in a country that has many freedoms.

Chapter 3 discussed the different levels of economic systems which include foraging, horticulture, pastoralism, agriculture and industrialism.  Each of these systems become increasingly complex.  In Annie Leonard's presentation, it became clear that economic globalization is changing livelihood, consumption and exchange around the world.  An example given in Miller is the work of Katherine Milton who studied indigenous foragers in the Brazilian Amazon.  Western goods, like steel machetes, axes and cooking pots were left for the Indians.  After using these goods, they were unable to think of returning to daily life without them.  They then had to work to earn money or make goods for trade so they could purchase new items.  Now time is devoted to production instead of other traditional activities.

Chapter 9,10,11

The human language system is broken down into productivity and displacement.  Productivity is the ability to communicate a large number of messages efficiently with the use of a variety of signs and symbols.  Displacement is the ability to refer to events and issues that are not presently relevant.
Our book describes verbal languages as a combination of sounds, vocabulary and grammar.  Anthropologists use the concept of ethno-semantics, a study of words, phrases and sentences in cultural contexts. Anthropologist have found that in many cultures there many words for one concept of single idea (ex: rocks or snow).  Nonverbal language combines sign language and gestures with silence that can mean low status or high status (an example is a judge in a courtroom or umpire of baseball team).  The hand gesters used by the umpire is communicated with the pitcher to choose the right pitch.

Media Anthropology is the cross-cultural study of communication through electronic media.   There are two models to help understand language and culture.  One model says peoples language affects how they think (Sapir and Whorf hypthesis).  The second model is called Socio-linguistics.  This emphasis how peoples culture shapes their language and its meaning.  The chapter discusses links between language and social inequality and power.  An example is "Ebonics." African American students may speak one way at home and speak another way at school or work.   Languages both have continuity and they change over time.  It is so important to keep cultural languages alive.

The chapter of Miller discuses Religion, which is beliefs and behavior related to supernatural beings and forces.  Religious beliefs are expressed through myth and doctrine.  The chapter discuses Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, African Religions and Rastafarian; as well as Christianity and Judaism.

Finally the reading concludes with a discuses with expressive culture, which is behavior and beliefs related to art, leisure and play.  Anthropologist consider emic definitions of art cross-culturally.  Miller distinguishes between Western art, Fine art vs. Folk art and non-Western art, which is useful and artists are usually not trained.  An example of ethno-anthropologist is Chernoff and his fieldwork in Ghana.  He became a student in the master drummers of Ghana.  The social status of artists is shown in gender division of the Navajo of Arizona where the women weave and the men do silver smithing.

Performing arts are more specialized in state level societies, which have political structure and organization.  Art forms and styles, like language, are associated with micro cultural groups' identity and sense of pride.  They express power issues, Resistance, social control and maintenance of hierarchies.  Performance Arts include music, dance, theater, rhetoric (speach -making) and story telling.

Ethnomusicology is the cross-cultural study of music.  My uncle is the ethnomusicologist at the Ohio State University.  He has studied the culture and people of Madagascar through their music.  The chapter discusses many examples of ethnomusical studies.  Brazilian country music is an example of the globalization of music borrowed from U.S. country music.  Brazilians have a form called "dupla" which means two brothers that emphasizes kinship and caring, which is a Brazilian traditon.

The chapter ends with the distinction between play and leisure.  Play has rules, chance and tension; leisure can be activities like reading or relaxing on a beach.  Anthropologists study the social roles and statuses in different groups.  A great example is baseball.  In America, individualism on teams is valued; in Japan, there is the concept of "Wa,"  which is discipline and self-sacrifice for the good of the group.

Namu - Leaving Mother Lake Full Overview

Nathan Schulman
10/7/12

Yang Erche Namu- "Leaving Mother Lake" - Book Profile/Moso SubCulture Review



Namu's memoir takes place in the remote areas of the Himalayas (Northern Yunnan); a place the Chinese call "the country of daughters." This is the home of the Moso, a society in which women rule. In this society life is pretty simple; Namu doesn't yet know of popular media and its sources, about electricity, modern clothing like shoes and industrial customs like everyday working plumbing.

Many customs of the Moso society have been passed down for generations.  Property is passed from mother to daughter making the upbringing of matrilineal descent.  The Moso people favor daughters over sons as women inherit the family home and rule the household.  Marriage is a foreign practice and therefore, Moso women may have lovers and many children.  Children live in their mother's homes and take the family name of maternal ancestors.  The men in the house are brothers and uncles of the women and they assist in raising the children, herd the yaks in the mountains, sometimes ride horses with the caravans, or become Buddhist Lamas.  All Moso women are hardworking and skillful. They plow the earth, chop wood, sew clothes and butcher animals.

Namu writes saying throughout the chapters of the book how much she loves her family, especially her mother (Ama Latso).  She praises her skills at everything, her courage, love and support.  In the early chapters, Namu states how having a strong and close relationship with her mom has meant so much to her.

Most people in Moso families stay together.  Daughters and sons remain with the mother’s family for their entire lives. Dividing the maternal house goes much against Moso tradition.  All Moso speak the same language (which is unwritten), but each village has its own dialect. They abide by rules of honor and harmful gossip is forbidden. Also, generosity and hospitality are very important ideals. No one would ever be rude to a guest.  In this memoir, we find that both Namu and her mother, Latso, both chose to break with some of the Moso traditions.

Yak butter is very important to the Moso people and is considered a sacred, cosmic thing (used for teas, sculptures, and healing ointments.  In her memoir, Namu shares that she spent 5 years with her uncle in the mountains where she helped him to care for the yaks and horses. It became very cold in the winters, and when Namu arose in the morning, she would let the yak urinate on her hands and legs to warm her up.  I find this odd and interesting, however, I realize that I have never experienced such cold weather, and am usually inside my heated home during the coldest times.

 

Namu shared how Zhemi (her father, called “uncle”) returned to the Moso village bringing gifts. He brought her a treasured pair of red shoes. Here the reader finds out that most Moso do not wear shoes even in the icy snows of winter. Their feet become very rough and cracked.
In the later half of her memior, Namu shared her journey from Moso society and culture, into the bright lights and media-focused industry of the music business.  Namu never knew what the outside world had to offer.  She was clueless to the "industry" culture that was out there; however, Namu had a passion to find out what was beyond her small village.  As her story progress, dreams, Namu made her way to Shanghai, where there was a fine music school, the Shanghai Musical Conservatory.  After five years learning to read music and play piano, and to speak and write Chinese, she later hit the recording studio and released multiple records.

The video above is Namu with another famous Moso singer. The stage visuals and lights cause the quality to look bad, but the audio sounds good.

 

This is a video of a Moso folk song (this clip is not connected to Namu herself).  The Moso songs have few tunes and are for specific reasons, like praising mother, singing to a lover and rhythmic work songs.

Mosuo Dancing Team

 

 

Namu's memoir is very easy to read and is almost like a novel in the sharing of her experiences with her mother, Latso, her time in the village, and her explorations out into the world at a very young age.  After she won singing contests, and had the opportunity to travel, she wanted to follow her own dreams.  Even though the reader learns of the importance of the Moso customs, Namu's strong and courageous spirit leads her away from her village home.  She is fearless in her resolve to become a famous singer, and she finds her way to Shanghai.  After five years away from Zuosuo,  Namu returns home to her Ama, and she says that there is no purer beauty than her country.

Cultural Anthropology - Global Medicine (Ethno-Healing)

Cultural Anthropology: Ch. 5 - Cross-Cultural Healing Systems (Ethnomedicine)

Ethnomedicine is defined in our current chapter, "The Study of Cross-Cultural Health Systems" as global health systems of prevention, diagnosis, perception and classification of health problems, along with healing processes and healers.

An emic is an insider's perception for why they do what they do.  Medical Anthropoligists study both the disease and illness of the health problem.  The disease aspect is the biological health problem which is both objective and universal.  The illness or symptoms are classified as the culturally specific perceptions and experiences of a health problem.  Miller calls this the disease and illness dichotomy.

Important points brought up in the beginning of the chapter:

1) Medical anthropologists study how cultures label, categorize and classify their health problems. This is based on the ideologies and norms found within a particular culture.  A vector is the transmitter of a disease.

2) The idea of culture specific syndromes is introduced.  This is health problems with a set of symptoms associated with a particular culture, and they include social factors such as stress, fear or shock.

As I read about the examples shared in the text, I thought about a huge problem that is culture specific here in the United States:  Obesity is seen as a modern American plague to the rest of the foriegn world. Cultures that are not yet caught up to speed with us in industrialization don't see the hardships it causes.  Obesity is not just a "fat epidemic,"  it is more than the physical self.  The United States of America, is under deep economic stress caused by the demand of the industry culture and the so called "Large Value Meal" trend of the last few decades.

There are people that are a little bizzare and look at take out food as a creative way to eat at home.  Look at this Mcdonald's Happy Meal, Cheeseburger, McNuggets and Fries Pizza before and after it's cooked!! (Gross!)

It all began with Americans eating healthier prior to the Industrial Age when factories took over.  The farmers would grow their own crops and nothing was produced with chemicals, pre-packaged or frozen.  Now with McDonaldization and the evergrowing demand for fastfood resturants on every corner, obesity is worse then ever.  School cafeteria's are serving foods that are high in calories to fill the desire for burgers, hot dogs and pizza rather than having salad and turkey sandwiches (healthy options).  Another side to this is that is it not just the fast food restaurant industry's fault; parents are filling their children's lunchboxes with bad choices also. 

Another epidemic that is going on in America, is the Weightloss Craze.  Every tenth commercial or so is about weightloss pills.  This is the opposite to the obesity problem because every commercial is so sexualized with slender, beautiful actresses.  The tenth commercial comes on and at that point you have seen so many thin girls you're almost ready to buy the pills; its like they timed it just right. But, the pills can cause illnesses like cancer which the advertisers never say.  Here are some examples of all they brands of pills out there:

 

 

Miller discussed ethno-etiology, the cross-culturally specific causal explanation for health problems and suffering:  structural suffering, which is social suffering caused by poverty, war, famine and forced migration, and humoral healing, which is the philosophy of balance among elements within the body and within a person's environment.

 

 

Next the chapter introduced the three theoretical approaches to understanding health systems:

 

1.  Ecological/Epidemiological - This approach studies the importance of the environment.  Research methods used are mostly quantitative and etic (an outsider's analytic way of studying a culture).  This approach studies factors such as urbanization, historical trauma, availability of healthcare, etc.



 

2.  The Interpretivist Approach - This approach highlights symbols and meaning.  Healing systems provide meaning to people and this offers psychological support.  Western medicine calls this the "placebo effect" or "meaning effect."

 

3.  Critical Medical Anthropolgy - This approach analyzes how structural factors such as global media, political economy and social inequality affect the prevailing health system.

 

Finally, the chapter discussed globalization and change.  The example is given of the spread of HIV/AIDS through international travel and migration.  Deforestation and development projects have also caused epidemics through human modification of an ecosystem.

 

Applied Medical Anthropology is the application of knowledge learned in anthropology to further the goals of health-care providers.  This is one of the great benefits provided by anthropologists.

 

My Cultural Roots

The Story of My Family

As I interviewed my Dad and Mom I learned that all of my great grandparents immigrated to the United States from Europe.  I did not get to meet any of them, however, the stories I heard have brought them to life.

Schulman and Mintzer Family

This is the history of my dad's (Harvey Lee Schulman) family roots consisting of the Minzter family and the Schulman family. Anna and Yale Schulman along with Max and Sally Minzter is where all the history began.    The Schulmans immigrated around 1915 to the United States from Europe,an area now known as Belarus and formerly known as White Russia.

My Grandfather Murray Schulman was born in New York City in 1916, and he was one of five children: Jacob, Sam, Murray, Phillip and Julius. His family came to America with almost no money. They lived in the Bronx, New York in a densely populated high-rise area. They settled in a neighborhood where there were a lot of Jewish people. Dad’s grandfather, Yale was a tailor, and his Grandmother Anna was a homemaker and raised her five children. Neither Yale nor Anna learned to drive. Their first language was Yiddush and they learned English in America. Yale was very religious and would walk to synagogue to pray everyday. He also loved fishing and would walk to the nearby pier, fish, and bring home his catch for dinner. My father shared that both of his grandmothers were great cooks. They would cook traditional Jewish foods like matzo ball soup, blintzes and kreplach. Of Yale and Anna's children, one became a lawyer, one an engineer, two business entrepreneurs, and the last was a government administrative worker. Only one of the children (Jacob) went to college, as the others needed to work. Four of the five uncles served in the military during WWII. My dad’s Father, Murray owned a furniture store in Miami for many years.

Murray Schulman

 

Grandma Jeanette (Horowitz, maiden name Mintzer) was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1919.  She immigrated to North America through Ellis Island, New York City in 1927 when she was only 8 years old speaking only Yiddish.



These two photos show Jeanette Mintzer and Murray Schulman (Bottom Center) at Mintzer residence for their wedding

 

 

Grandma Jeanette was also one of five children: Herman, Jeanette, Ethel, Helen and Joseph. Her family came to America looking for a better life from post-war Europe.  None of the children were college-educated.  Her two brothers were builders in South Florida and the Bahamas.  Two of the three aunts worked in retail clothing, and all of them were homemakers.  

 

 After their marriage, Murray and Jeanette had two children:  Eileen (my aunt) and Harvey (my dad).  Murray died when Harvey was in high school.  It was a very sad time for everyone.  Jeanette later met Irving Horowitz and they married.  So Irving was the grandpa that I knew and loved.

 



 

Grandpa Irv was a kind soul, he would always have foriegn coins from his travels for me or neat American Flag memorabilia. He loved telling me stories about how he was raised and taught the right things in school.  He would always have something new to tell me everytime I came to visit.  I would also leave the apartment with him reminding me of a life rule of some sort.  He passed away and I miss him very much.

 

Aunt Eileen married Gary Cohen and they had two children, Mikki and Michael (my cousins).  Eileen and Gary divorced, and many years later, Eileen  married Richard Tyson.  We visit the Tysons whenever we have a chance to get down to Miami, Florida.

 

Me With Uncle Gary At Michael Cohen's Wedding

 

 

This is a photo of my dad, Harvey, Grandma Jeanette,  Aunt Eileen Tyson and my mom, Marilyn with me in the corner.

 

Aunt Ellie, Uncle Dick, Marilyn and Harvey Schulman at The Horrowitz Residence (1984)

 



The Emoff Familly

My mother’s grandparents were Benjamin and Eva Pollack and Joseph and Margaret Emoff.

Marilyn’s grandparents also came from White Russia (now Belarus). She knows less about her grandparents than my father and did not get to know them personally. My mom expressed to me that she is so grateful that I have had an opportunity to have close relationships with all my grandparents. My mother’s parents, Al and Selma Emoff, were both born in the United States. My Grandmother Selma lived in Detroit, Michigan, and Grandfather Alexander (Al) lived in Cleveland, Ohio.

My Grandfather Al was also one of five children: Lester, Arthur, Alexander, Lillian and Florence. His father, Joseph Emoff, died when he was about 4 years old. Great-grandmother Margaret was a homemaker and raised her five children by herself.

My Grandmother Selma was one of three children: Elvin, Rayetta and Selma. Her family immigrated to the United States in the 1920’s. My great-grandparents, Eva and Benjamin did not stay married long after the birth of their children. Their divorce was considered very unusual as people, as a rule, stayed married during that time period. Benjamin was a jeweler. Eva’s family did not consider this to be a very worthy job, though Grandpa Ben made beautiful things and was a kind soul. My mom said that Selma talked so fondly of Eva (her mom).

                          

She said that Eva was very kind-hearted, cared much about her practice of Judaism, was able to make fine lace and other beautiful things, and she enjoyed cooking and baking.  Eva became ill when my Grandmother Selma was about 11 years old, and she was hospitalized until she died.  It was a very difficult time for my grandmother.  When she met my grandfather, the two of them fell deeply in love and created a wonderful sense of family together.  Grandfather Al worked in a shoe store when he was young, and he later served in the army during WWII.  After their marriage, he and Selma moved to Orlando, Florida, where they went into the furniture business.  Al opened the “Home Furniture Company.” 

My grandparents were important people in the formation of the Jewish Community in Orlando, and Al helped many people to decorate their homes.  In Orlando, they had four children: Jerome, Marilyn, David and Ronald.  Baby David died when he was only ten weeks old.  Even though Jerry and my mom were very young, David’s death affected them deeply.  Ron was born later.  My grandparents were not college educated because they needed to work.  Mom shared that she and her brothers all were able to graduate with college degrees and her parents were so very proud.  Family, education and our Jewish heritage were all valued in my grandparents’ home. 

 

My Parents and Me                    

Marilyn & Harvey Schulman

My father, Harvey Schulman met my mother, Marilyn Emoff, when they were freshmen in college at the University of Florida. They later married in 1976. I was born in August of 1983. In the Jewish religion, babies are named in honor of people who have died. I was named after my dad’s father, Murray Nathan Schulman, and after my mom’s baby brother, David Alan Emoff.

Let me show you some amazing pictures of my parents and grandparents enjoying me as a new born!

Harvey Schulman 

           Marilyn Schulman

 Selma Emoff

Jeanette Horrowitz

Uncle Jerry Smiling at me  (10 weeks old)

Me and Great Aunt Lillian with my mom (Marilyn in purple)

 

 

An Important Jewish Tradition at 13 is having your Barmitvah; I enjoyed mine! 

 

 

 Again, hearing the stories of my family has really brought them to life for me.  I appreciate the values that have been passed down to me:  family, kindness, education, religion, work ethic and love!



Leaving Mother Lake - Half Way Review

Nathan Schulman

 

Halfway Book Review

 

Leaving Mother Lake

Namu's memoir takes place in the remote areas of the Himalayas (Northern Yunnan); a place the Chinese call "the country of daughters."  This is the home of the Moso, a society in which women rule.  In this culture and society, marriage is a foreign practice.  Property is passed from mother to daughter (matrilineal descent).  There is a matriach who overseas each family's customs, rituals and economics.

Namu

Namu wants to know about her birth.  Her Ama, her mother, tells her that she was nothing but trouble and that she cried for the first three years of her life.  Ama’s best friend, Dujema tells her the story.  Namu was born in the year of the horse and it was early in winter.  Everyone thought that Latso, (Namu’s mother), was birthing a boy because her labor was so painful.

My mother’s disappointment at my birth was unusual, says Namu.  For the Moso, it is custom to favor daughters over sons. Women inherit the family house and rule the household.  Men’s roles are to herd the yaks in the mountains, to travel with the horse caravans to trade in the outside world, and to make the journey to Lhasa to study the holy Buddhist scriptures and become lamas (holy men), who name the children and send the souls of the departed on to the next cycle of life.

According to family tradition, family should never divide.  Daughters and sons should remain with the mother and other maternal relatives for their entire life.  Ideally, all family members should die in the house where they were born.  However, Namu’s mother had broken with tradition…when she was young she had run away because she was proud and strong…and settled two days walk away in Zuosuo, so her family was different from traditional ones…no men and no grandmothers and aunts.

Zhemi (from Quianso ~ where Namu’s grandmother lived) was Namu’s father.  Women and men do not marry, for the Moso believe that love is like the seasons, it comes and goes.  A Moso woman may have many lovers and many children in her lifetime.   None of the children live with their fathers.  Children live in their mother’s homes and take the family name of maternal ancestors.  Children grow up with their cousins.  The only men in the house are the brothers and uncles of the women, so children have many uncles who take care of them.

So little Namu proved to be troublesome when she cried incessantly…Her Ama took her to the Lama to help with naming her and to get her to stop crying.  The Lama named her Erche Namu, meaning “treasured princess.”  This naming, however, did not stop Namu’s crying.  Namu was exchanged three times with another child (a custom in the Moso culture) in an effort to solve her situation, and each time she was returned, because she kept crying.  Instead, her older sister was sent to live with Aunt Yufang, and Ama gave birth to a little boy, Howei.  Namu became fascinated with Howei, and never cried again.  She had cried enough for a lifetime.

The book goes on to tell the story of Namu’s mother, Latso, who grew up in the region of Qiansuo.  Her mother was the Dabu, head of household, in charge of planning and organizing work and distributing food and other goods.  Grandmother was respected and given attention by everyone in the family.  Dabu are entrusted with responsibility because they are wise, smart and capable.

All Moso women are hardworking and skillful:   plowing the earth, chopping wood, sewing clothes, and butchering animals.  Moso men  helped in the fields, made furniture, and took care of outside business as described above.  Namu’s grandmother educated her daughters to take care of the fields and the house, and she entrusted to her brothers the rearing of her sons, as per Moso custom.

Grandmother lost one of her sons to the caravan, he never returned and she grieved his loss greatly. Namu’s mother, Latso, was grandmother’s third daughter.  Grandmother had hoped that she would become Dabu and succeed her as head of the family.

In 1956, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reached Yongning, the Moso capital.  The Communists came to Qiansuo, and said that “China had ‘turned over’ and a new era had dawned” (p. 22).  Moso women do not travel far, because they are responsible for the crops and the house.  Very few of the women had ever seen Chinese people before.  They invited them to spend the night in their homes.  The Chinese people began their revolutionary work…they hung red banners with Chinese characters that no one in the village could read, held daily political meetings to teach the local masses.  The older people got bored, while the young people were captivated, for the Communists said that the young people are the most vital force in society.

Latso was very influenced by the meetings she attended and Grandmother could see that her education of her daughter was coming undone.  Namu says in the story that boredom turned my mother into a revolutionary.

Moso custom forbids shouting at relatives, so grandmother shouted at the pigs.  She sang words of ritual for people who have lost their souls (the pigs just ran away).  The whole family noticed the change in my mother.  She chose to leave with the revolutionaries.  Ama was too embarrassed and stubborn to change her mind and stay home.

Latso fell in love with Numbu (a courtship song and dancing are described), and a home was built for her in Zuosuo (2 days walk from Grandmother’s home).  Namu says, “My mother’s decision to start her own family was a shocking one.  Dividing the maternal house goes very much against Moso tradition” (p. 33).  Ama’s home was like all the other houses in the village.  All Moso speak the same language, but every village has its own dialect and intonation, and Latso's accent was interesting to her new neighbors.  Numbu lived with his Mother and relations through the female line.  He would visit Latso at night.  When a Moso woman wished to no longer see a lover, she would hang his bag on a nail outside her door, according to custom.  The lover would see this and leave.

Latso had many opportunities to return home to her Mother, but she said, “I am going to show my mother that I can raise my own family” (p. 37).  As the story telling continues, Namu, her Ama and sister, Zhema find out the terrible news that Grandmother is gravely ill. They must hurry to Qiansuo in the morning.   They had much preparation to make for in Moso custom, Ama had to bring a gift for every member of her family as well as for every family in Grandmother's village.  Gifts usually consisted of tea, sugar or wine. Ama's family returns to Grandmother's home too late, for Grandmother has died.  The death rituals leading to cremation of the body are discussed.  Ama returns home a deeply saddened woman.  She continues to do her chores and cooks for her family, however, in a quiet way that shows her grief.

 

So far, this book has been a good read.  Namu writes her memoir in a style that keeps the reader interested, while educating him/her in the customs of a matrilineal society. 

 

Kinship and Social Groups

Nathan Schulman
Cultural Anthropology
9/12/12




All cultures have a way of defining kinship or a sense of being related by blood or friendship.  The kinship system is defined as the predominant form of kin relations in a culture and the kinds of behavior involved.


The Kinship Diagram (Genealogy) is a schematic way of presenting a family tree.  Anthropology focuses more closely on the family descent through parentage. First you look at bilineal descent meaning the child is related by descent.  Unilineal means only one parent is descent.  An example of bilineal descent would be both males and females contribute to making a living allowing for small family units and spatial mobility.

 

 

Each culture has different rules for the kinship system and thus, everyones diagram will not be drawn to a uniform shaape, length or size.  Kinship diagrams vary in all forms of designs depending on detail known on your family background.  You do not have to shove all of your diagram on one sheet of paper, it can be as many pages as needed for your family background.  Kinship diagrams can branch out to even include you recent friends or ones you knew since childhood.


Social Groups & Social



Socials groups can be things we do for hobby or cultural practice.  One joins clubs, does cultural rituals, joins a sports team or hangs out with friends.  Social groups are defined as social interaction affinities (social communication linkage between two people). 

Chapter 1 & 2

Cultural Anthropology





Anthropology is the study of humanity and it includes prehistoric origins and contemporary human diversity.  It covers a great span of time and a wide span of topics. Though there are four major fields of anthropology, the focus will be on cultural anthropology.

Cultural anthropology is the study of living people and their cultures.  Culture is
learned and shared behaviors and beliefs in a group of people.

An Example of a Subculture:

Harley-Davidson Riders fit perfectly under the Cultural Umbrella.  In America, there are  many cultural ideologies that tend to cross boundaries.  Examples are the tattoo culture, 'Need for Speed' culture (muscle cars, motor boats, fast airplanes), rock 'n' roll, bar culture and gym buffs. 
All of these cultures by themselves are a cultural anthropologist's dream to study. One has to remember even within these are smaller cultural umbrellas (microcultures). 

Harley-Davidson riders take all of these cultures listed above and live them as a lifestyle with a persona to match.  Harley owners wear expensive vests, gloves, boots and most of all, spend most of their money on their bike.  The riders' social norms are mainly to ride solo, ride with your loved one or ride with a few friends combining to make a bunch of noise (the Harley rumbling trademark).  Harley-Davidson riders have their own clubs and motorcycle shows where outsiders can meet and greet, but you must not touch their precious iconic bikes. Within the lifestyle of Harley-Davidson comes many types of enthusiasts.  You have differences being culture, age, gender, race, beliefs and riding characteristics. 

Riding characteristics entail the style and additude in which you ride your motorcycle.  Are you a babyboomer that is enjoying the classic sound of the engine?  Are you a middle-aged enthusiast with his first bike wearing a rock 'n' roll shirt while rinding (showing the love for music)?  Are you a female rider braving it all, showing girl power?  Are you a lawyer dressing for work and riding, who doesn't fully understand commiting to the lifestyle by means of having the Harley rider look? 
All of these rider charactaristics listed above, are some of the various personal traits and riding habits of the Harley consumer/Riders, that you may see on a daily basis weither you are a rider or not.


http://player.vimeo.com/video/29967403?byline=0&portrait=0&color=ff9933
 < ===  More On Harley-Davidson Brotherhood Lifestyle Watch This!

Moving on, every culture shares universal human functions to stay alive.  They are eating, drinking, sleeping and eliminating.  However, all are approached differently around the world.  There are many characteristics of culture: it is not the same as nature; it is based on symbols; it is learned; it begins at the moment of birth; cultures are integrated into a whole system; they interact and change through the process of globalization (the movement of goods, info and people), which is a major force of contemporary cultural.

Four Models of Cultural Interaction

The Clash of Civilizations model divides the world into the 'West and the rest'. 



The McDonalization model says that under the influence of the United States corporate culture, the world is  becoming culturally homogeneous.  The fast food culture has principles of mass production, speed, standardization and impersonal service.

Hybridization is when aspects of two or more cultures blend to create something new.

Localization is when local culture affects global culture and something new is created
Ex: McDonald's will alter their menu to accommodate different cultures.  As demonstrated below you see the many local menu items McDonald's has for Mexico, Italy, China and India.

See a video about Localization of McDonalds in India here:
http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/3891963/mcdonalds-in-india/

People can be a part of multiple cultural worlds because of their class, race, ethnicity, indigenous people, gender, age, and institutions.  There are many concepts and theories about cultural anthropology, but there is a high value placed on diversity in each one of them.