Ruth Benedict
Ruth Benedict’s anthropological book, Patterns of Culture explores the dualism of culture and personality. Benedict studies different cultures such as the Zuni tribe and the Dobu Indians. Each culture she finds is so different and distinctive in relation to the norm of our society. Each difference is what makes it unique. Benedict compares the likenesses of culture and individuality, “A culture, like an individual, is a more or less consistent pattern of thought or action” (46), but note, they are not the same by use of the word, “like.” Benedict is saying that figuratively, cultures are like personalities. Culture and individuality are intertwined and dependent upon each other for survival.
The Zuni’s, according to Benedict, are a culture that is very consumed with ceremony and ritual. The Zuni’s value the absence of excess, moderation, ceremony and tradition, “He keeps the middle of the road, stays within the known map, does not meddle with disruptive psychological states…even in the exaltation of the dance he ‘remains what he is, and retains his civic name” (79). This quote symbolizes the extreme devotion and belief infested in the Zuni culture. A strong sense of restraint and composure is found in the end of the quote, “even in the exaltation of the dance he remains what he is.”
The Zuni’s prize the unity of the community as a functioning whole. It is necessary in this culture to adapt to the norm of the community in order to be a successful member of society. The Zuni’s are considered to be an Appolonian society. They are group centered, a humble, modest and ritualistic society. In a culture such as the Zuni’s the individual voice can have a tendency to not be heard.
Unlike the Zuni, the Dobu value excess, imbalance, and immoderation. The Dobu are self-sufficient and self-reliant. They live in a hostile environment and wear fake smiles and only care about their own personal gain. Dobu’s will kill, cheat, and steal to get the things they want, “Behind a show of friendship, behind the evidences of co-operation, in every field of life, the Dobuan believes that he has only treachery to expect” (171). The most treacherous, deceitful, and dishonest people are the leaders in this society.
In the very different Zuni and Dobu tribes there is a common theme. The Zuni culture concentrates on the well being of community as a w...
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... to be identical; instead, they must use their differences to their advantage:
… The cultures of Zuni, Dobu.…differ from one another not only because one trait is present here and absent there…They differ still more because they are oriented as wholes in different directions. They are traveling along different roads in pursuit of different ends…(223).
Each society finds the right amount of individuality and culture that works for them. In the Zuni society, a focus on community was more prevalent. In the Dobu society, the emphasis was more self-centered. Each culture is focused on a different end; therefore their method for going about it is different in each setting.
Benedict believes that cultures are like personalities in the sense that both can individually be shaped, created, and changed. An individual takes on the values of a culture, uniting them but not joining them. To say personality is culture would take away from the distinctive character of the individual. Benedict is saying that the distinctive character exists in the culture in which they are born into. The culture does not create the personality. Instead, culture acts as the building block for the individual.
By analyzing the Kawaiisu, a Great Basin Native tribe, I want to explore cultural wonders and observe their society as I compare an aspect of interest with that of another culture in the world, the Chuuk. Comparing different societies of the world will allow me to successfully learn about the Kawaiisu people in a more detailed and open minded manner. Populations all around the world throughout time have had different views and traditions of beliefs. Through this project, I hope to unravel and gain an understanding of different perspectives and ways of life.
The Zuñi Indians live, today, on the Zuñi Reservation in west-central New Mexico. They occupying the north bank of the upper Zuni river valley of western New Mexico and Eastern Arizona since at least 700 A.D. (Theodore Frisbie; Encyclopedia), Resisters, is the best word to describe the Zuni people. They resisted acculturation. They resisted change to their ceremonial cycle. They are a complex people. They have survived because they have resisted (Arizona Rocks Tours), and unlike many other Native American tribes, the Zuñi Indians were never forced to leave their homelands and are even still living there today. (Bigorrin; Learn for today). Now the Zuñi are the more popular name of the Pueblo tribe, though the natives do not call themselves by this name. They have been known to call themselves by Ashiwi, which means flesh. (The Catholic Encyclopedia.). They are a strong matrilineal clan and start young when it comes to family and clan relations. They hold amazing traditions and religious system with priest and women being involved in political situations and men holding more rank in what they have knowledge and skill in. Many things all coming to a head in religion and holding its main roots there. (Theodore Frisbie; Encyclopedia). The Zuni call their home the Middle Place and they believe it is located at the center of the universe. (Arizona Rocks Tours)
There are many different cultures and groups of people that we don’t know anything about. There are a lot of people in the world trying to close that gap. People like Catherine J. Allen, author of The Hold Life Has and Napoleon A. Chagnon, author of Yanomamo. In each of their respective books, they brought us closer to societies I had never heard of until now. We learned about the different aspects of the lives of the Sonqo (Allen) and the Yanomamo (Chagnon). They brought us insight on certain things like gender differences, family relationships and how where they live affects their lives. In this following essay, I’ll be discussing gender differences in both the Sonqo and Yanomamo societies as well as how each tribe uses kinship, reciprocity
A culture’s tendency to be individualistic or collectivistic can be found at the root of
In Benedicts article, The Diversity of Cultures, the main focus is cultural differences. The benefit of this article was the ability for readers to look deeper into the many subjects that warp a culture and separate one from another. The thick description, as Geertz would express, is Benedict’s ability to place the diversities into context from gender roles, puberty rites and language, to age and any events associated with it. Ruth explains the diversity, historically, as a continuation of the past. When something enters a culture it can stick and become embedded into that culture for decades to come. From her critical analysis of culture we learn that “human societies cannot be explained simply by nature…different elements within a culture are interconnected…and must be understood by placing them in their context” (Spillman, 25). This means that in order to ful...
Most of the elements and anecdotes described in this book are simply amazing and very insightful. But the fact that the Dagara culture associates life with a mission particularly caught my attention. This belief is the basic theme of the book. It made me wonder about my own beliefs and my own life mission.
Hill, Willard W. "Some Navaho culture changes during two centuries: [with a translation of the
The way of the Ju/‘hoansi life has changed dramatically in many ways throughout the years. However, it is still possible to reflect upon their original way of life and compare it with their present state of living. Most of the changes occurred due to environmental, economical, developmental, social and cultural changes. All of which play a vital role in determining a Ju’s way of life. Although the land of the Dobe and !Kangwa have developed and changed in recent years, there are still some remnants of how the environment used to be. A significant shift in social and cultural aspects of the Ju/‘hoansi life can be observed in the new environment. However, some important aspects of their culture and belief system are still reflected in their everyday lives.
Cultures are infinitely complex. Culture, as Spradley (1979) defines it, is "the acquired knowledge that people use to interpret experiences and generate social behavior" (p. 5). Spradley's emphasizes that culture involves the use of knowledge. While some aspects of culture can be neatly arranged into categories and quantified with numbers and statistics, much of culture is encoded in schema, or ways of thinking (Levinson & Ember, 1996, p. 418). In order to accurately understand a culture, one must apply the correct schema and make inferences which parallel those made my natives. Spradley suggests that culture is not merely a cognitive map of beliefs and behaviors that can be objectively charted; rather, it is a set of map-making skills through which cultural behaviors, customs, language, and artifacts must be plotted (p. 7). This definition of culture offers insight into ...
...nicity and the primitive’s cosmos: Chronoscopes of desire in travel writing about Korowai of West Papua. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, 21(1), 1-21.
...ct’s work as an advocate against discriminatory attitudes paved the way for tolerance and individuality within social norms and expectations, as she also sought to determine that each culture has its own moral imperatives. Benedict’s life is a shining example of the ability to keep individuality of ones self paramount within the greater society while fulfilling both internal desires for success and creating peace and understanding in the external world.
Culture often means an appreciation of the finer things in life; however, culture brings members of a society together. We have a sense of belonging because we share similar beliefs, values, and attitudes about what’s right and wrong. As a result, culture changes as people adapt to their surroundings. According to Bishop Donald, “let it begin with me and my children and grandchildren” (211). Among other things, culture influences what you eat; how you were raised and will raise your own children? If, when, and whom you will marry; how you make and spend money. Truth is culture is adaptive and always changing over time because
Experiencing a society of multi-cultures is beneficial through a variety of concepts to epitomize each individual identity. A person may vary in the degree to which he or she identifies with, morals, or...
Schultz, Emily A. & Lavenda, Robert H. 2005, Cultural Anthropology, 6th edn, Oxford University Press, New York, Chapter 3: Fieldwork.
In the end, what we learn from this article is very realistic and logical. Furthermore, it is supported with real-life examples. Culture is ordinary, each individual has it, and it is both individual and common. It’s a result of both traditional values and an individual effort. Therefore, trying to fit it into certain sharp-edged models would be wrong.