Hutterites Society The Hutterian Brethren, more commonly known as “Hutterites”, possess many similarities and differences to my own culture as a North American Christian. The life of a Hutterite society is characterized by their historical background, geographical distribution, language, unique cultural aspects, and threats within the colony. I have always been fascinated and curious by the consistent and well-structured way of living that the Hutterites have accomplished over many generations. Ironically, it was the first culture that was spoken about in the anthropology course and book by Michael Allen Park. Therefore, I have chosen to compare and contrast my culture, which I live in today, with the Hutterian Brethren civilization, to further …show more content…
Back in 1528, Anabaptists imprisoned many members of their society due to nonconformity of individuals within the group (Park). This debate started an uproar and separation between the colonies that involved many persecutions. When the execution of the known leader John Hutter, because of his lack of conformity, many members got together and created their own colony calling themselves the Hutterites (Park). For almost 500 years, the Hutterites have maintained an emphasized Christian worldview by pacifism and tolerance. They are recognized as a very self-sufficient culture, in which they completely isolate themselves from the outside world (Park). Their culture is seen as one of the most consistent and structured societies that is still currently thriving today. When you observe, or run into a Hutterite individual, it’s almost like stepping back into …show more content…
Their community lives off agricultural and raise crops and animals depending on the geography and economy of the area occupied. This communal lifestyle regarding all land, resources, and profits are colony property (Park). The Hutterites live in Bruderhofs, which make up colonies of around 100 people (Park). Each and every building has its own individual meaning and purpose, as seen in Park’s picture. As well as the member of the Hutterites, they are very divided by gender roles (Park). This culture is a man governed society, which means the men are the ultimate rulers and bosses over the town, making every decision (Reschly). Women will have more nurturing role, example being a teacher, mother or cook (Park). Men will be have specific positions including colony manager, minister, farm manager, and so on (Reschly). When a town becomes too large, members within the group will migrate through the splitting up of existing units, to recreate a new village from scratch until population overtakes the area again (Park). In my culture, equality rules over most things these days, involving jobs, marriage, and income. Many people fight for gender equality, and try to eliminate gender roles, like we see in a Hutterite society. Their culture has also shunned such worldly items such as television, radio, personal ornamentation, and other modern technology. In my family, everyone has chosen a path in their life career wise
Robbins Burling, David F. Armstrong, Ben G. Blount, Catherine A. Callaghan, Mary Lecron Foster, Barbara J. King, Sue Taylor Parker, Osamu Sakura, William C. Stokoe, Ron Wallace, Joel Wallman, A. Whiten, Sherman Wilcox and Thomas Wynn. Current Anthropology, Vol. 34, No. 1 (Feb., 1993), pp. 25-53
The Hutu’s saw Rwanda as their country and nobody else’s. They had a list of commandments written and for Hutu’s. It was strictly for the justification of the killing of the Tutsi’s. Many Tutsi’s were murdered and the ones that could get away fled to Uganda. Some Tutsi’s revolted and created a guerilla army in pure ressentiment. Hutu’s model was they were catholic and just and the Tutsi’s were communist and they must be exterminated. In one of the scenes in In the Name of God it shows a moment where a Hutu revolt is listening to the Hutu primarily radio show and the radio host is speaking on how Tutsi people are forbidden and they are cockroaches and they need to be exterminated. In the documentary In the Name of God it is a great representation of what occurred in 1994 in Rwanda, and the experiences of the Hutu and Tutsi people. It also shows what led to the disaster of the genocide was that the Christian Democratic International would not negotiate with sharing their power with RPF (guerilla army) or exile
A nomadic people in Papua New Guinea called the Meakambut exhibit several concepts of anthropology and culture. The Meakambut are located in Papua New Guinea, ironically just off the coast of Australia, ironically where some of the aborigines we have been studying are residing. Similarly to the Australian aborigines, the Meakambut have specific social groups that operate comparably to clans and tribes.
They are outcasts…Their way is not our way. They are without leaders. They have no remembrance…We of the jungle have no dealings with them. We do not drink where the monkeys drink; we do not go where the monkeys go; we do not hunt where they hunt; we do not die where they die. (Kipling 30)
Each tribe was led by religious leaders, with no political chief or formal government, and was broken down into bands (hunting groups) and also local descent groups (family units). These family units were vitally important, as all members of a tribe were related. The territory of the tribe was centred on the place where its ancestors had originally settled, and it was b...
In John Barker’s Ancestral Lines, the author analyzes the Maisin people and their culture centered around customs passed from previous generations, as well as global issues that impact their way of living. As a result of Barker’s research, readers are able to understand how third world people can exist in an rapid increasing integrated system of globalization and relate it not only to their own society, but others like the Maisin; how a small group of indigenous people, who are accustomed to a modest regimen of labor, social exceptions, and traditions, can stand up to a hegemonic power and the changes that the world brings. During his time with these people the author was able to document many culture practices, while utilizing a variety of
In Hopi social organization, exogamous phratries are the largest social unit. Within the phratry are numerous matrilineal clans, and kinship is shared amongst all members of the phratry. Each clan has a distinct position within the phratry as well as a set of expected behaviors and responsibilities that are dictated by the prime clan (Connelly, p. 542-543). Furthermore, each Hopi clan share three inherent characteristics that make them synonymous with each other. First, each clan is believed to be descended from a single female ancestor who founded the clan. For this reason, every member of the clan is considered kin, and proper kinship terminology is used for all members. Secondly, each clan has its own distinctive name and clan house where all the clan’s individual sacred objects are stored. Finally, all principal properties, which includes homes and farms, are held in the name of the clan (Bradfield, p. 8).
The two human adaptive strategies I chose to focus on are pastoralism and hunting and gathering. Specifically, I will be looking at the case studies of the pastoral society Maasai and the hunter-gatherer society Nuu-Chah-Nulth; who are also called the Nootka. The differences between the two are vast though there are similarities in how their strategies connect with the natural world. Furthermore, both strategies include complex cultural systems that are maintained though resource guided social organizations and the management their environment.
Genocide is the heaviest side effect of colonialism that takes place in Rwanda during the 1990’s. However, one of the main catalysts of the genocide was tribal hatred between the Hutu’s and the Tutsi’s, “the terms Hutu and Tutsi had become clearly defined as opposing “ethnic” identities, and Belgians made this polarization the cornerstone of their colonial policy” (54). Belgians dispatched scientists t...
Most people haven’t heard of Rwanda so let me fill you in. It’s a little country in the Eastern- South of Africa. Before I get into the messy bits, let’s go back in time, Africa had been colonized by European powers. After that, Europe decided to separate Africa into 50 equal countries, within that Rwanda was formed. Germany took charge of this country but not long after Belgium took it from their hands, Belgium decided to characterized the Rwandans. There were 3 groups: Hutus, Tutsis, and Twas. The Tutsis were favored due to their more “white man” features. Hutus were always taken for granted and were never allowed to be official leaders. After generations of this happening the Hutus decided to strike back and kill of the Tutus, thus beginning
These events were similar in that they both were fueled by a racist pseudo-philosophy initiated by the government. Rwanda gained their independence on July 1, 1962. At this point in time, the Hutu took a majority of the seats in parliament and formed the new government. The Hutu abused their power and persecution of Tutsi people heightened. This aggression lead to the mass exodus of Tutsi tribes from the country in order to seek freedom. In 1964, a group of Tutsi exiles launched an armed raid on Rwanda, the government responded viciously and tens of thousands of Tutsi were killed in retribution by the army and Hutu gangs (White 44). In 1933, Jews in Germany numbered around 525,000, or only one percent of the total German population. The Nazi
The Hutu’s and Tutsi’s racial rift started growing when the countries created a class system while in power. The Tutsi were favored over the Hutu and given privileges. Because of this, mistrust and hatred was introduced. In the minds of the Hutu, they were under the oppression of the Tutsi when the Europeans left..They differentiated the Hutu from the Tutsi. The
These people are the kind of people that are not kind, they are far from. I believe that their destiny is being shaped toward the darker side of life. Those Hutu people that killed Tutsi people must now live with the fact that they have murdered people, they will have to live with that guilt for the rest of their lives. Their future will have been changed from one that could have been all sunshine and rainbows to one that is like a living prison that cannot be escaped. The Hutu people chose to kill, when they could have continued to live in peace, but they let hatred control their thoughts. Driving them away from kindness and showing them a darker future. They did not let kindness shape them and their future. They instead thought about what was best for their tribe and only those that believe the same as them. Paul was a part of the Hutu people, but did not believe the same, he treated them the exact opposite of the Hutu people, and was rewarded for it. In 2000 he was awarded, and given the Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity. Those Hutu people that did the killing were not rewarded, they instead punished
Language is the primary means by which the human species communicate with one another. Within any region of the world, members of the homo sapien species employ language as a communicative and social device, though these may differ according to region. It is often the case that there is linguistic difference across parts of the world, as inhabitants of different regions speak different languages. For example, the main language used in Germany is German, while in France, French is dominant language. Furthermore, even within a language, there are different varieties, such as in the case of English, where a multitude of varieties exist, including British English, American English, Hong Kong English, and Indian English. These branches
The origins of the ethnic tensions in Rwanda can be traced back to the age of European imperialism in the late 1800s and early 1900s. First Germans and then the Belgians took colonial power in Rwanda. Prior to the colonization, “The majority Hutu, ruling Tutsi and smaller Twa minority intermarried and shared the same language, religion, and culture,” ("Brief