Language

Language is a part of human life. It is how we communicate with one another, but we are so unique and have our own languages for our different cultures making communication between all different types of people. There are ways to communicate with other people that do not know the same language by the universal language of body language. Unfortunately, there are so many pieces to language that even with this we miss out on the written language, the spoken language, and the cultural aspect to language. To get a better understanding of language and the different aspects of language I was asked to conduct a couple of experiments which have shown me the importance of language as a whole and communicating without language in its entirety is nearly impossible.

The first experiment was to try and carry on a conversation without speaking or writing or American Sign Language for about 15 minutes. I have to admit that I did not last that long. The difficulties I had in this conversation were not responding. I like to engage with the people I am talking to so they are reassured that I am listening and I would like them to continue. The only way I could participate in the conversation was through nonverbal, which I feel is less effective. I notice my partner was having a hard time keeping eye contact so the nonverbal cues were not picked up. I think that my partner had a hard time with this experiment because he would have to carry on his own conversation without any participation. I feel like if my partner was female this would have been a much easier task. However my partner blew through many topics just grazing the surface of all of them, most of them about sports. Seeing our conversation as a conversation at a first meeting of two cultures seems like it would be accurate. There was a lot of confusion and uneasiness on continuing the conversation. There was no fluidity or confidence in the conversation. As far as the culture having the upper hand, I don’t believe that there was one that would have the upper hand. My partner did all the talking, but I could tell that he wasn’t sure if I was interested in the conversation, if I was engaged, or if I even understood what he was saying. This caused him to move to a different topic but still receiving the same nonverbal feedback he gave up short of the 15 minutes. I think I could have attempted to make better nonverbal communication to keep him going, but I found being so restricted made it hard for me to do anything short of starting at him with a blank stare. Unfortunately, I think that this would be a common problem any culture not having the same language trying to communicate. There would be a great deal of frustration and misunderstanding. I think that the speaking culture might think that the one not speaking is uninterested or just not understanding and they might just give up thinking that there would be no way of getting through. With this experiment I could see the nonverbal miscommunications that might go on between two people with different languages and the judgments that might follow.

The second experiment was even harder for me, but I grew up with American Sign Language and I find it difficult to talk without using my hands. I have been asked before in conversations to not use my hands, so I have sat on them and it was interesting I couldn’t even talk. Trying to talk without using my hands, body language, facial features, or voice inflection was impossible for me. Not only was it a difficult task for me, but it was uncomfortable and hilarious. This was something so out of my norm that I felt like I was talking like a robot and I couldn’t keep myself from laughing. All of these things made for a short non meaningful conversation. My partner this time really didn’t talk. He just watched in amusement at the spectacle I was making of myself as I tried to communicate the way the instructions said to. I believe that the nonverbal communication is more important than the actual words spoken. I think that through the different cultures there could be some body language that can be interpreted the same universally, but most would have to be culturally accepted. The nonverbal communications give clues to what it is we are saying, for example if we are asking a question. A statement can be turned into a question by the voice inflection and if you tilt your head forwards and raise your eye brows. To communicate the same sentence without any of those clues the listener would not know you were asking them a question. Again, this is within our own culture, other cultures might look at our facial expressions as an insult. I would think that there are people that have a hard time reading body language, maybe someone from a different culture or someone not as observant. I can’t imagine not reading body language, I am very good at reading body language and I pay close attention to it all the time. I think that sometimes I read into body language too much and I may overreact to something said. I can see how not reading into body language could help stay neutral in the work place or in relationships. It could also be useful when around other cultures so you are not reading into their body language and interpreting it according to our culture.

                I have gone to the bank and other places with my grandmother as a child and I have seen her try to communicate to the teller that did not know ASL or have an interpreter. They kept writing back and forth to each other which got frustrating. I could hear the bank teller’s voice strain and she kept trying to tell my grandmother why it didn’t work that way, even though my grandmother could not hear her. That made my grandmother frustrated and she would sign back to her aggressively. I wished I could have interpreted for her but I didn’t know sign that well and I didn’t understand the ways of the world at that time. Though my grandmother understood English and she could read and write, she still was having a hard time communicating. There is an element missing if you try and just communicate through writing. You don’t get the feeling or tone when you read words, or if you do the likely hood of it being accurate is slim. It is very hard to read a statement and know what it is that the emotion behind it. The written language is great to keep a historical documentation of culture. Also, keeping the history of culture written down can be great to inform others and this can be sent around the world and translated to other languages so that everyone can learn about that culture.

                Growing up around another language I have an understanding and appreciation for language. I have struggled as a child to communicate with my own grandparents. The experiments I have done remind me of all the elements of Language and how important they all are not only singly but more importantly cooperatively.

Zulu and Andean Indians

(Zulu - 1)    The Zulu people live in  KwaZulu, in Africa where the land is a flat coastal plain and a subtropical climate. It is mostly sunny all year, but there is rain fall during the summer months. January is the hottest month of the year. The hottest can be up to 32º C and the coolest it will get would be about 17º C. Of course this is not including the humidity. Being closer to the equator means receiving a higher amount of UVA and UVB Rays which can provide vitamin but can also cause skin cancer if over exposed. Also, the heat will put strain on the body. With the heat mixed with the humidity physical labor would be strenuous  to the human body.

(Zulu - 2)    The Zulu physically have dark skin pigmentation, tall, slender and tone. When reading about how physically we evolve to our environment it makes sense that the Zulu people physically look the way they do. The dark, close to black pigment is their skin adapting to the harsh UV rays they are exposed to through out the year. They are so close to the equator and have sunny days most days of the year. For the warm weather, tall thin bodies handle the warmth better than bodies with a larger surface area. through all the picture I looked at I did not find one Zulu that was not slender and tone.

(Zulu - 3)    Just like most tribes, the Zulu were discovered by the outside world. This caused them to have to come face to face with converting Christians. The Zulu people believed in praying to their ancestors for help, guidance, and even herbal remedies for cures to illnesses. They also believed in magic and offering and sacrifice. Once the outside world came into their life they needed to adapt to the new Christian colonist to protect their tribe. They did alter their culture to accommodate for the Christian beliefs by no longer praying to their ancestors or any other practices that the Christians deemed sinful.

(Zulu - 4)    The Zulu people would be African American if I was to classify them in a race. The most most distinct reason to classify them as such is geography, they live in Africa. The Next would be the color of their skin, they have the closest color to black. They have the same facial structure and hair color, type, texture. Looking at their physic, and after reading about our body's surviving better in different environments because of our ancestors evolving to their environment over the years, it is easy to tell that their body type would be best close to the equator, where their is a lot of sun and heat. When reading the article "Does Race Exist" I would love to examine the bones of the Zulu and other races to see if there really is more of a distinction than what the eyes can see on the outside.

(Zulu - 5)    To be honest, questions 1-3 I was comfortable discussing the Zulu people as people. Where they lived and how they lived, but as soon as I had to classify them into a category, especially on physical attributes, I felt extremely uncomfortable. I don't think that my answer to number 4 is all that great. I feel like looking at a group of people and grouping them based on things such as religion, culture, environment, and geography seem more scientific for some reason. I feel like if I group people based on looks it is a stereotype that could have a bias outlook on the individual. It seems more emotional, personal and judgmental.

(Andean Indians - 1)    The Andean Indians live in the Andes Mountains in Central America. This environment is different from the Zulu people's environment. The Andean people are going to be at a higher altitude living on a mountain. The mountain is also covered in a dense forest. If there is a dense forest that means plenty of rain fall. Generally the temperature stays the same through out the year (mid to late 60s) it is mostly the precipitation that distinguishes the seasons. Honestly, this environment seems more desirable, but that doesn't mean that it is still not stressful on the human body. Being in a higher altitude will mean that the air is harder for humans to breath. This will stress out the lungs and the heart.

(Andean Indians - 2)    When looking at the following pictures I found online I noticed that these people's facial features are almost the same as if they could be related. I am not exactly sure how those distinct facial features would be beneficial to the people that live in that area, but it apparently does to with stand evolution. They have tan skin which makes sense for where they are located. they are a little further north of the equator which tells us that they will be receiving less UV rays than people that live on the equator, but not as less as those that live furthest from the equator that do not even get UVB rays. The Andean people have thick skin, shorter, stouter bodies because their environment is cooler and there is more rain. Over the years their bodies must have evolved to retain more fat. The more fat the more insulation to keep body heat in.

(Andean Indians - 3)    Due to their luscious environment these people did a lot of farming and gathering. This was the cultural role of the man to do the farming and the gathering while the women stayed home and worked on the home, family, and the weaving. The women would weave beautiful, vibrant clothes, baskets, and cloth. Though their environment is cooler and over the years their bodies have adjusted to the weather their culture has made clothes to cover them and blankets to warm themselves. Their beautiful art work has also become a means to trade amongst the outside world.

(Andean Indians - 4)    The race of these people are much harder for me. If there was a race I would categorize them as, it would be Native Americans. I base this on their high cheek bones, mouth shape, tan thick skin, dark, course, thick black hair. There are very common features to the neighboring Mexicans, but I know that there have been Native Americans that came from Mexico area and settled in America, so there are Mexican Native American looking people which might be a better race to categorize them as. Looking close to their culture and arts they are very similar to Native Americans with praying to their ancestors and using dance to tell stories and communicate. Their arts like the color of the clothes and cloth look more similar to the Mexican culture.

(Andean Indians - 5)    My race analyst seems weak compared to the deep physical research that anthropologists can do. Seeing the actual bone structure of these individuals and comparing them to the Native Americans and the Mexicans I bet it would be much easier to see the differences or similarities. Evolution takes a long time so i am sure the bone structure, if they were from the same 'family' wouldn't be to easy to distinguish. Not only seeing the bones, but the DNA. After reading about race I think that race is not skin deep. There has to be something more to race than just what someone can see physically. Again, that seems bias and judgmental. If that is the point of race then i guess it is a good think that we have rules to keep people politically correct.








Work Cited:

Zulu - Introduction, Location, Language, Folklore, Religion, Major Holidays, Rights of passage, Relationships, Living Conditions. Advameg, Inc. 17 April 2012
<http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Zulu.html>

KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa - SouthAfrica.com. South Africa by Big Media Publishers. 17 April 2012
<http://www.southafrica.info/about/geography/kwazulu-natal.htm>

Weather of Kwazulu Natal | By South Africa Channel. New Media Holdings, Inc. 17 April 2012
<http://www.southafrica.com/kwazulu-natal/climate/>

Zulu Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com Articles about Zulu. The Encyclopedia.com. 17 April 2012
<http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Zulu.aspx>

Central American and northern Andean Indian (people) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia Britannica Facts Matter. 18 April 2012
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/102247/Central-American-and-northern-Andean-Indian>

Christian C. "Andes Mountain Climate Highland Climate (H)"Andes Climate. 2002. Bryann Schaffner 2010. 18 April 2012
<http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/andes_climate.htm>

Nacerima

I would describe the Nacerima people as faithful, ritualistic, secretive, superstitious, and self conscious.

Faithful. The Nacerima have such faith in the medicine man and the temple that they would risk their life and their treasures just to be cured by the medicine man in the temple. In order for one to enter the temple one must provide a worthy gift, and if one manages to live through the harsh conditions that the medicine man makes him go through he will still have to provide another worthy gift to exit. Miner writes, "The fact that these temple ceremonies may not cure, and may even kill the neophyte, in no way decreases the people's faith in the medicine men." These people rarely see people leave the temple alive but they still put their faith in a temple that they believe can cure them. They sacrifice their lives and their possessions to prove their blind faith.

Ritualistic. Nacerima people have rituals that they keep secret. They do these rituals privately within their own home and it is for the whole family to do, Miner describes it as follows, "Each day every member of the family, in succession, enters the shrine room, bows his head before the charm-box, mingles different sorts of holy water in the font, and proceeds with a brief rite of ablution." In reading this article it is easy to point out the many different rituals that they have but this sentence show the devotion that they have for their shrine on a day to day bases.

Secretive. There were many examples to pull from Miner's article to show how the Nacerima people are secretive. They are very private people that keep their shrines to worship within their own homes. There are usually enough shrines within the house so each member of the family can have their own shrine to worship alone, Miner writes, "While each family has at least one such shrine, the rituals associated with it are not family ceremonies but are private and secret." These rituals are not discussed at all within families, the only time they are discussed is "with children, and then only during the period when they are being initiated into these mysteries." Once you have been taught the ritual it is never discussed again. Even though the Nacerima people are secretive, they did share a little piece of their mystery with Miner, he was allowed "to examine these shrines and to have the rituals described to me." Though Miner only saw a small glimpse into the private rituals of the Nacerima, there are plenty more secrets to uncover.

Superstitious. When reading about the Nacerima I could see that they are very superstitious people who believe in magic, potions, charms, and medicine men. Even once they receive a magic potion or charm from the medicine man and it has played out its worth, they will still keep it within their shrine box, Miner describes it "As these magical materials are specific for certain ills, and the real or imagined maladies of the people are many, the charm-box is usually full to overflowing." Within this shrine box there could be potions that have been there years. There could be so many that the family wouldn't even know what it was originally for. At that point what is the point in keeping it, maybe because they feel it is still helping prevent that illness from coming back to their family.

Self conscious. Though it seems that there are a few of the Nacerima women that actually show off their bodies and "make a handsome living by simply going from village to village and permitting the natives to stare at them for a fee," most of the Nacerima continue their mysteriousness with their bodies, maybe it is because of their "belief underlying the whole system appears to be that the human body is ugly." Men hide their bodies from even their own wives. The women cover up and hide their bellies if they are pregnant. But just like most societies there is an ideal image and it is nice to see that there is something that our society here can relate to which is body image. Though the Nacerima seem shy and cover their bodies they also have rituals "to make fat people thin and ceremonial feasts to make thin people fat. Still other rites are used to make women's breasts larger if they are small, and smaller if they are large." Maybe the Nacerima people want to reach this ideal body image and be more like the women that make money by having people stare at them for a living. Or maybe they want to feel more positively about their bodies and the only way is to make themselves look perfect in their eyes.


Part B

1.) I think that the 5 descriptive words works well for describing Americans. I think the word that is the best descriptive is self conscious. Body image is very important to Americans, I even mentioned how this is just like our culture so this is something that the Nacerima are similar to Americans. the next descriptive word is ritualistic, most Americans come home sit on their couch and watch TV. It might not be ritualistic like kneeling by the foot of the bed before bed each night, however it is still a ritualistic behavior. I think that most Americans can be considered faithful, but not in a blinding trust in a religious way. Americans are so stuck in their ways with TV that I could see someone outside of the American culture mistaking TV to be our God. Even though Americans are outspoken we are very secretive. We live so close to one another, but we do not want anyone to interfere with our life. We keep to ourselves and mind our own business except for those that are famous, we do not allow them to have the same privacy. I think that superstitious is the one word that least describes Americans, but it can still describe some Americans, but I think as a whole this is not the best way to describe an American.

2 & 3.) I can only see 2 of the words I used as having ethnocentrism even thought I tried to read the article with and open mind and not judge. I did however find myself thinking that this culture of Nacerimas are crazy. Once I read that this was about Americans I could not wait to go back to the article and re-read it. Once I started to read it again I could see how an 'outsider' could take what we do and write about it in such a way to make it seem like we are some villagers out in the middle of nowhere that has not been truly discovered. the two words with any kind of judgment attached is self conscious and secretive. I feel like those words are just generally have a negative connotation, and if I were to use it to describe my own American culture it wouldn't be bias or judgmental, but since it is being used to describe the Namericas it is ethnocentric. Using the word self conscious seems to have a negative connotation as if the Namericans are insecure, but I can not find a more open minded word besides self aware of physical appearence. Instead of  using the word secretive a better word would be private. The Nacericma people live a private life only allowing those they trust to witness their shrines and explain their ritualistic behavior.

4.) This lesson on how easy it is for one to see things so one sided has got me thinking.  I feel like I am a very open mined person and it was so easy for me to pass judgment on the Nacerima people based off of my own culture. I feel that the shallowness of my own culture is causing such a bias opinion on the Nacerima people because that is apart of my culture I like the least and I feel like that is the strongest similarity between the two cultures. Even knowing that I am being bias I cannot find a better way of looking at both cultures. this shows me how hard it really is to be an anthropologist. Not only do you have to have a great understanding of your own culture and how you feel about it personally, but you have to keep putting yourself in check and analyzing every thought and feeling when learning about another culture. In comparing my culture with the Nacerima I can find similarities and differences, but seeing the similarities and differences can bring how I feel about my own culture into how I feel about this new culture I am trying to learn about. This is already starting me off on either a negative or positive attitude towards the culture. This can greatly impact how I would describe the culture to another person or how I would write about the culture. This can be a bad thing because my bias opinion can greatly influence the reader or listener and they might react the same way based on my bias statements. Honestly I do not think that any one person could perfectly look into a culture and be 100% non bias or judgmental. I think that this is something you can train for and improve upon over time, but never be 100% all the time. I think that some people may be better at it from the start and wouldn't have to work as hard as someone else that might be more judgmental, but people are judgmental by nature and we will always compare to what we know because that is how we were raised. I am curious to know that over the years, after studying multiple cultures or just living in a different culture for so long, if you stop comparing to your own personal culture you were raised in or if you start comparing to all the other cultures you have studied or compare to the one new culture you live in. Or through all the knowledge gathered over time your mind evolves into an open minded, accepting brain that stops comparing. Either way Anthropologist have a great duty to inform the world of the different culture around the world and if they describe the culture with any bias opinions then they can be negatively or positively impacting the world with their bias opinions and not allowing the world to come to their own conclusion.