The Massain and the Nuer Peoples of Africa

Prompt: Compare and contrast how the Coastal Makah and Plateau Nez Perce relied on their environment to provide food, shelter and clothing.

While reading both ethnographies “The Hadza: Hunter-Gather of Tanzania” and “From Mukogodo to Maasai” it is easy to spot out differences and similarities between both these simple, yet complex, societies. People tend to believe that indigenous populations are always very similar, as I once did, but I would say while reading these ethnographies I found more differences between these communities and cultures than I did similarities. For my essay I am going to compare both the Mukogodo’s culture and life before and after the transition to Maasai to the life and culture of that of the Hadza. I am going to focus specifically on the similarities and differences between labor and labor

In Chapter 2 of Ancestral Lines, Barker explores many concepts relating to the Maisins methodology of subsistence. Barker outlines three main methodologies that the Maisin use to sustain their lifestyle: horticulture, reciprocal relationships and trade. The major items needed for the Maisin to subsist include food,Tapa cloth and a social system (Barker 2016; ). When discussing the concept of horticulture and its importance Barker specifically references the garden as a means of not only providing food for families but also determining gender roles, connecting with ancestors, developing morals and establishing a political identity (Barker 2016; ). The concept of the garden liases with his exploration of the role of different reciprocal relationships

Chapter one, “Fieldwork among the Maisin”, describes how anthropologist John Barker, author of Ancestral Lines, goes to Uiaku New Guinea to study the Maisin people. His specific goals were to study how a people can maintain a cultural identify in a modernizing world and how they can live without destroying their environment. Barker first arrived in New Guinea in 1982 where he examined “how the Maisin make a living, organize social interactions, conceptualize the spiritual world, and meet the opportunities and tragedies of life” (Barker 2016:2). He studied the tapa cloth, a fabric made from bark, that the Maisin use as a connection to their ancestral past and to help define their culture. Barker discovered that the Maisin have faith in traditional methods and do what they can to preserve that lifestyle. Barker‘s work went

In the book “The Dobe Ju/’hoansi”, the author Richard B. Lee, an anthropologist, provides a detailed look into the lives of the South African tribe known as the Dobe Ju/’hoansi. Lee did a great job capturing one of the only societies that live a way of life very similar to our ancestors. I believe each and every reader will take from this book that living this way was not easy and will be grateful for all that we are blessed from in our western societies. Throughout his time with one of the only foraging societies that still exist today Lee takes us on a journey through the Dobe Ju/’hoansi traditional way of life. With this rare lifestyle may question their way of life and its sustainability. When reflecting back on this great read we can grasp their impact on their environment and how globalization can impact the Dobe Ju/’hoansi way of life.

18.  What role did Central Asian and West African pastoralists play in their respective regions?

In the text Loss of Culturally Vital Cattle Leaves Dinka Tribe Adrift in Refugee Camps, it states, “The cow has always been the focus of their culture. Cattle stood at the heart of virtually every important tradition and ceremony in Dinka life. Myths rose up around the animal. The Dinka wrote songs about it. They created dances to honor it.” Clearly, the Dinka tribe honors their cattle, and when they left, they were devastated. Cows were a part of every tradition in Dinka life. Without the cows, they will have to adjust how they perform rituals and other events, for instance marriages. Before the war, the boy’s family would give cattle to the Dinka girl’s relatives, but now, negotiations in the dowry ceremony are held by handshakes and pledges.

The !Kung bushmen of the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa are one of the few bands of hunter-gatherers left in the world. They survive by foraging for their meals while traveling, never settling in one specific area. Hunting and gathering was the primary mode of survival until about ten thousand years ago. Anthropologists have made assumptions about the hunting and gathering lifestyle of current populations because it seems like a precarious method of living. Moreover, the Kalahari area where the !Kung live in was perceived to be baron because it is a desert. However, a study done over a period of years beginning in 1960 led by Richard Lee disproved the common misconception of the life of these foragers, proving that they were not

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” Proverbs 14:34. This is a quote from a web site (http://www.peopleteams.org/maasai/culture.htm), that defines parallels to the culture of the Maasai. The Maasai Culture is from Southern Kenya. The culture is very family based, with many families being quite large. The Maasai own a total land area of 160,000 kilometers ( http://maasai-infoline.org/TheMaasaipeople.html ). Some of the physical characteristics include, but are not limited to, tall height, long pierced earlobes, and thin bodies. The Maasai have a saying for how they believe “it takes one day to destroy a house but to build a new one will take months, perhaps years. If

Commonly referred to as Bushmen by the general public and thought of as being harsh wild people that live in the “unlivable” Kalahari Desert. The Ju /’hoansi tribe native to the southern African desert, located along the border of Namibia and Botswana, have been misunderstood and stereotyped for a long time. This is until a man by the name of Richard B. Lee came along and wrote an ethnography about the local systems of the Ju and completely changed how an outsider might view this rural tribe, along with being a fine example of proper long-term field research in social anthropology. This highly regarded book on the Ju /’hoansi is titled “The Dobe Ju /’hoansi.” Although Lee states in the

In his work, The Nuer, E. E. Evans-Pritchard presents findings from his field research among the Nuer people of the Sudan in Africa. From the onset, it is clear that cows are regarded as being of extreme importance in Nuer society. The Nuer are a pastoral society, highly dependent upon their environment. The only labor in which the Nuer delight, Evans-Pritchard suggests, is the care of cows. Most social activities revolve around cattle, and he urges any research of the Nuer be focused on how cows relate to society. Names of individuals are often derived from cows, such as one's favorite cow, or the cow he or she happens to milk. The games children play are primarily cow-themed,

Some also even raise cattle. Most of the Mazanderani farmers who raise cattle follow after their nomadic ancestors living as nomads.

Africa is a continent that is rich and diverse in terms of culture and traditions. The continent is also considered to be the agricultural hub in the world. Due to this, most of African culture is ultimately intertwined with the foodstuffs that the land has to offer. In general, most of the inhabitants of Africa live within the rural areas and rely on subsistent farming to meet their day to day food needs. Fast food restaurants and supermarkets where processed and packaged food is sold are usually frowned upon and considered a waste of money and resources (AIG, 2011).

Several facts have been advanced to explain the main causes of inter-ethnic conflicts between most nomadic tribes. Most of these issues revolve around livestock ownership and to get access to scarce natural resources such as water. Although the pastoral conflicts have deep roots in history, culture and are generally attributed to their retrogressive and outdated practices, there is more to their current nature and dynamics. In recent years it is mainly due to the proliferation of modern small arms, banditry and predation, commercialization of livestock raiding, dispute over land tenure rights. According to many authors, the cattle raiding which is a cultural practice has become a widespread, sophisticated, more violent, and destructive among pastoral communities in northern Kenya (Kumssa, 2009; Leff, 2009; Mahmoud, 2011; Mkutu, 2008;

The group of pastoral people of India that particularly interested me the most was the Raika. They are truly an extraordinary group of people; they live in and around Rajasthan, in north western India. This region is a semi-desert, a perfect environment for the main animal they herd, the camel. Their entire culture is centered on the noble desert creature, in their stories on the creation of their people it is said that lord Shiva created them in order to tend and protect the camels of Pavrati (n.d. Protocol). They aren’t a fully nomadic people, there semi-nomadic group (2008, April 27). They naturally consume lots of milk and milk products like cheeses and yogurts, because of their camel herding history. Their diet is centered on camel