Cultural Anthropology Essays

This essay examines the Rite of Passage known as the “Journey” at Saint Alban’s College, an all-male high school in Lynnwood, Pretoria. In this rite, 10th grade students are required to participate. The essay delves into how the Journey connects to Turner’s theory of liminality. According to Bowie (2006), who quotes S.J. Tambiah, ritual is […]

Blood played a significant role in the history of Mesoamerican civilizations, with practically every group engaging in blood or human sacrifice. While beliefs and practices varied, some sacrificing thousands of people while others sacrificing animals or forgoing sacrifice altogether, blood rituals were performed for various purposes such as coming of age ceremonies, coronations, and temple […]

The movie ‘Bend it like Beckham’ strongly resonates with me as it portrays the struggle between Western and Indian civilization, something which I can personally relate to. The character ‘Jess Bhamra’, a first-generation Australian-born girl with Indian heritage, perfectly personifies this struggle. I have experienced firsthand the challenge of maintaining two very different cultures that […]

The film “Real Womans Have Curves. ” by Patricia Cardoso addresses the different facets of civilization. In the film. Ana Garcia is caught in between two really different civilizations. With the two civilizations at different terminals of the spectrum. and the interior convulsion that goes along with it ; Ana must calculate out how to […]

In chapter 2, the textbook author uses various terms for “indigenous religions”: traditional, aboriginal, indigenous, tribal, nonliterate, primal, native, oral, and basic. Select four or five of these terms and discuss why you believe each of those terms is applicable to the religions covered in this chapter. “Native”.

(1) In chapter 2, the textbook author uses various terms for “indigenous religions”: traditional, aboriginal, indigenous, tribal, nonliterate, primal, native, oral, and basic. Select four or five of these terms and discuss why you believe each of those terms is applicable to the religions covered in this chapter.

African tribal masks are true archeological treasures as they represent specific culture, customs and traditions. Tribal masks help scientists and researchers to understand better African culture and to reveal mysterious rituals and ceremonies.

According to the Caribbean scholar Edward Kamau Brathwaite (1974) Creolization is the process through which the various groups in the Caribbean society absorb each other’s cultural product. Our Caribbean culture as we know it today was born out of many different cultures as the Jamaican national motto reads ‘Out of Many One People’. This change […]

Allen Holmberg was an anthropologist who studied at Cornell University, also serving as the head of the anthropology department. During his time as a doctorate student, he lived with the Siriono, a Native American group settled in Bolivia. Holmberg studied the Siriono people and wrote a book, Nomads of the Longbow, of his findings. Although […]

African culture is very diverse, historic, and artistic. In our land, the land of Cameroon, people were already living here since prehistoric times. This was proven when stone objects were found in many areas around Cameroon. It is close to the Makabai Mountains, which makes our ancestors live in thick forests, in seashores and in […]

The documentary film Cannibal Tours (1988) captures the interaction between American and European tourists and the indigenous people along the Sepik River in Melanesia, particularly Papua New Guinea. The camera follows the tourists as they go to the different villages to be in awe of the handicrafts and haggle to buy these items. They also […]

Each autumn and on the 1 st of November, Mexicans celebrate what is called “the Day of the Dead”. Mexicans are mixing Christianity with ancient cultural influences such as old Spanish culture . They believe that on that day, dead people return to be with their families. Celebrations start at homes and then spread into […]

Cultures throughout the world bury their dead in accordance with their religious beliefs and social traditions. However, these traditions are transient and have changed greatly over the past centuries. The essay seeks to establish an understanding of the customs and death ceremonies in ancient traditions, the Japanese, Native Americans and modern American cultures. (British Humanist […]

“The Man to Send Rain Clouds” is a beautifully written short story by Leslie Marmon Silko. Set in a modern 21st century time frame, this story is about a Native American family’s grandfather passing away and how the family gives him a proper, cultural funeral despite all of the modern traditions/challenges that present them along […]

The Tainos were a gentle and humble people with a very strong social organization. They would settle relatively close to the coast, as to be hidden but to also see incoming people. A Taino settlement could be a small or as complex chiefdom; it was constructed in such a way that the cacique’s (the chief’s) […]

Spanish conquistadores, historians, and missionaries documented the supernatural beliefs of ancient Filipinos. According to Governor Gomez Perez Dasmarinas’ census from 1590 to 1593, the Philippines had a population of approximately 700,000 during colonization. Fr. Pedro Chirino and Antonio de Morga, Spanish writers from that time period, noted that the ancient Filipinos worshipped Bathala as their […]

Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent deity, has had a profound influence on Aztec culture. This god’s impact is evident in the depictions and worship practices of Quetzalcoatl, which have greatly shaped Latin American culture and provided insights into ancient customs and symbols associated with this deity in Aztec society. The Quetzalcoatl legend originated in the Olmec […]

Many authors use their literary works as an outlet for their personal feeling and opinions on issues present within their cultures, history and personal lives. Zohra Saed’s poems, Nomad’s Market: Flushing Queens and What the Scar Revealed, published in 2003, both address issues that she finds significant in her Afghani refugee context. Tim Winton uses […]

Anthropology is the comprehensive examination of human beings, encompassing all aspects of humanity. The term “anthropology” was created by German philosopher Magnus Hundt in 1501 and comes from the Greek word anthropos, which means “man,” and “discourse” or “study.” This fully established discipline explores the definition of homo sapiens, traces the ancestry of modern humans’ […]

The development of civilization began with three basic world orders: egalitarian culture, agrarian culture, and the rise of civilization. Culture is the shared understanding of the systems by which we live. It is classified into seven different configurations: politics, economic systems, religion society, intellect pursuits, art/artifacts, and near aspects/geography. In order to preserve this culture, […]

In “The Sacrificial Egg”, the author, Chinua Achebe “presents the conflict between an African civilization called Igbo and Westernization, specifically European. ” (Joaquin, 2003) The protagonist, whose name is Julius Obi, is a product of European and African culture– he is a Western educated Igbo. The story begins in the empty market named Nkwo. Since […]

Perspective on the Columbian Exchange and Effect on Information Conveyance While most of what has happened historically is clouded by speculation and wonder, some events have been well-documented. The Conquest of the Americas by the Spanish was an event in which many aspects were recorded, which has helped historians tremendously. The Broken Spears is a […]