SHAKESPEARE IN THE BUSH 
                                                                          - by LAURA BOHANNA


* Select a quotation which view in your view sumps up the key points of the text.    Copy it accurately and give the page reference. Explain, briefly, why this quote    is so important for an understanding of the article/ extract.

~"Sometimes, you must tell us more stories of your country. We, who are elders,  will instruct you in their true meaning, so that when you return to your own      land your elders will see that you have not been sitting in the bush, but among  those who know things and who have taught you wisdom."
 
 I chose the above quotation, which is also the concluding paragraph of the        story. I really liked how the old man concludes the entire "hamlet" story into        something which kept me thinking for a while about how we all are from different  cultures and how others think or take it from their own point of view. The old man  wants the author to tell more stories to them, because when they share stories about their country, its more or less like sharing their cultures. The old man thinks that they know the true meaning of the story, because they are elder and wise. He doesn't want people to think that they are useless old people in the bush doing nothing but merry-making. He wants the author to let the people of her land know that she wasn't just sitting in the bush, but was sitting among the ones who know things and who have taught her wisdom. We see that the old man wants to be felt important and respected. It is true that we should always learn from our elders through their experiences. Lastly, this quote is important to me because no matter where we belong, there are people who will always accept us for who we are, like how the old man and the villagers accepted the author and her story, though there were errors that was over looked.


* Summarize the basic argument of the article? (What is the author's point of writing this? What is their message?)

~ Basically, when the author started narrating the story, it was clear to us that that Tiv had a completely different way of think and interpreting the story in their own views. By now, I understand that each  society has their own way of analysing or interpreting different culture, though at the end we are all are same. Therefore, the basic argument of the article written by Laura Bohannan is that, the author herself and the people of Tiv belonged to two different society, having their own cultural background , yet at the end the Tiv somehow teaches the author the true meaning of 'Hamlet' from what they thought was true. We should respect other culture equally as we want our culture to be respected. We can either support a culture or go against it, but we cannot change it.


* Is there anything from your own experiences which can help you relate to this? Anytime similar to this has happened to you?

~ Through my experience, I have not come across something that I can relate to the above article, but I don't know if this could somehow relate with the cultural relativism thing. I had a friend who was basically from Manipur, she was a Naga. The society from where she belonged was totally different from where me and my other friends belonged. In her society feasting on dogs was completely okay, and the girls weren't allowed to wear short skirts and if they were seen wearing them, then actions were taken against them, and many more.  When we heard it, we thought that her society was still very orthodox but keeping in mind that it was not her who made the rules, but it was the society where she grew up in and she was forced to follow them, we always supported her. Because at the end we all are the same yet different in many ways :)

 PLACE THAT BRING JOY AND HAPPINESS:)

When we think of life, we usually think about how we have to struggle just to earn a square foot in this beautiful selfish world. Life offers us a bed of roses with thorns in it. Anyways, coming back to my point, we have all heard about this famous saying that "All work and no play makes jack a dull boy". Oh boy, I totally agree with this. Being a teenager we are burned with so many things like studies, homework and other co-curricular activities and our parents expectations. Its really sad that we will have to face bigger challenges in future. The youths and as well as the elderly ones need time to enjoy, relax and have fun. I feel that entertainment is very important to us. I am talking entertainment in terms of something big and fun. Yups, you got me right ! Amusement park it is. Let me share some of the amazing rides that I enjoy :)

GIANT'S WHEEL

This is the most common ride. The best part is that we get to watch the beautiful view of the city. It also follows the law of gravity. The construction of the ride is scary and we can be at a very high feet. It has cars mounted on the outside of the rim, with electric motors to independently rotate each car to keep it upright. Sounds confusing ? The ride looks scary and can make people feel dizzy in no time. It looks like one of the wheels of a bicycle that belongs to the hugest giant. 

MEET HELL, HELLO HELL ! 

I love this ride. It is an indoor amusement ride where riders have to either walk or take a train to see the horrifying site. Its dark and creepy and scary, where we encounter dead bodies, skeletons, bats and coffins accompanied by loud, noisy and ghostly noises. You can feel the ghoosebumps each time you move forward. Its kinda like waking up to hell :p

DRAGON TAIL

This ride is one of the most popular ride ever which is enjoyed by all.It consists of tracks that are designed in weird and twirling patterns. It has scary loops going up and down. We sit in pairs. Its kinda long and turns you to different directions with such speed that can make your hair look like a porcupine's hair sometimes. No matter what, this will always remain my favourite.

 

H2O

A ride enjoyed by many, where you are flushed with water. No matter how scary it looks from up, but when u slide yourself through the narrow channels, you will be enjoying it the most. Its more like a mini swimming pool i'd say.

MOOD CHANGER 

Lastly, come the real happiness. Its not a ride but its a place where your tummy will be fully satisfied and find ease. After all the games and activities, its time for you to energise yourself. We cannot live without it and this place exist in every corner of a town. 

CULTURAL RELATIVISM           
- MARK GLAZER

After reading about Cultural Relativism written by Mark Glazer, I understood that cultural relativism is a very important factor if we want to live in a society where we can share unity and harmony. Cultural relativism according to me means that no culture is superior to any other culture when comparing system of mortality, behaviour, law, gender, caste, religions etc. We should never judge other cultures. We should pay equal respect to all the cultures no matter how different they are from ours. Like Mark Glazer said; "good and are culturally specific and cannot be imposed in cultural analysis." I definetly agree by this statement because what is good in one's culture may not be bad in other cultures. Also, cultural relativism is the philosophical belief that all cultural views are equally valid. What we regard to be true, valued and expected in our social system or environment may not be so in another. Instead of going against their cultural traditions, we should support them and make them feel that we all belong together.

Lets take an example of cultural relativism, say a dog is believed to be the most loyal animal and is also known as "A man's best friend". We all love dogs, I mean who doesn't ? But in some places like in the eastern part of india, like Manipur, Nagaland etc they consider dog to be a food and enjoy feasting on them. It might sound awfully depressing to us but that is part of their culture where we have no right to judge the dog- eating to be "right" or "wrong", because there is no "right" or "wrong". We all should believe that each culture must be understood with neutrality and respect.

Lastly, I would like to conclude by saying that we should all believe that all cultures are worthy in their own right and are of equal value. We should give respect if we want to earn respect.

Thank-you :)

Images taken from google images.

                                              

TRADITIONAL  RITUAL PRACTICED BY THE TIBETANS.

I belong to a society, where we follow rich cultural traditions, customs and beliefs. My ancestors are basically from Tibet. I love my country even though I have never visited it and will hopefully do it in future. My grandparents have lived the Lhasian life in Tibet and they always told me story about our culture and how they lived. Even though it is now governed and ruled by China, the tibetans in China still follow and practise all our cultural traditions and beliefs, that our ancestors practised. The chinese can control us but they cannot change who we are and turn us into one of them. So, basically my Nacirema story would definetly be about my beautiful and rich tibetan culture :) 

So firstly,  Tibet is rich in tradition and many tibetans still have lifestyles that have changed little over generations. It is also a modern country with urban tibetans living lives that would  be recognisable to most people across the world. 

In the tibetan traditions, the whole world is used for a spirit which enters those man and woman who acts as a medium between the natural and the spiritual realms. It is indeed very frightening to watch, knowing that this movement combined with the weight of the massive helmet he wore on his head would be enough to snap his neck. He did it at least fifteen times, leaving no one in any doubt about where the danger lay. Dealing with Nechung is by no means easy. It takes time and patience during each encounter before he will open up. Before the proceeding begins, he also puts on a sort of harness, which supports four flags and their outfit weighs more than seventy pounds and he can hardly walk in it. After a short while, the Kuten, which we call "Lhamo" meaning witch in english enters his body, having been supported until then by his assistants, who now help him over to a small stool set before my throne. At first the paper cycle concludes and the second begins, his trance begins to deepen. At this point, a huge helmet is placed on his head. The item weighs approximately thirty pounds, through before it weighed over eighty pounds. Fancy ourselves carrying that much load on our head ? seriously ? I would be flat on the ground in just one sec. Now the Kuten's face transforms and becomes all scary and strange. this shows that the witch has entered his soul and is now starting to control him. It is something like getting possessed and these rituals are performed by high or very respected or experienced Rinpoches. His breathing begins to shorten and he starts to his violently. Then suddenly the respiration stops. At this point the helmet is tied in place with a knot so tight that it would undoubtedly strangle the Kuten if something very real were not happening. The possession is now complete and the mortals frame of the medium expands visibly. He then stands infront of his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, our leader, and bows down to him with utter respect. He then offers rituals offering to his Holiness. Actually this ritual is performed to bring news from tibet whether its good or bad to his Holiness. His Holiness also asks personal questions from his side and the the Kuten answers them all. After all this rituals have been performed, the Kuten leaves the body of the Rinpoche, who was associated with the ritual collapses, a rigid and a lifeless form, signifying the end of the possession. It is believed that people who get to see this ritual in real life is blessed. And yay !!! I have seen it life back in 2012, in Bodhgaya. 

There are many other cultural rituals performed by the tibetans. I would love to share them with all my blog viewers but unfortunately I already exceeded my word limits. I apologise Mr. Vincent for making to too long. I thought why not introduce something new and interesting to all. To be honest, I really don't know if this is a nacirema story but somehow, I think it, in my point of you. :P last but not the least, I am already learning a lot of new and interesting things in my SCA class. 

Thank-you. :) 

THE PICTURES HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM GOOGLE IMAGES. 

1. How does our cultural worldview influence and inform our perception of people from other cultures?

  We should all understand that our own cultures and life experiences shape the way we perceive places and region. In my opinion,through out our lives, culture and experiences shape our worldview,which in turn influence our perceptions of places and regions. we all come from different cultural background and see other's culture in our own different way and belief. we live in a society full of diverse cultures, which we should all be proud of and respect each other's cultures. likewise, even from the article,"Nacirema" written by Horace Mitchell Miner, made us think and predict the article and the culture of the americans in an unusual and a weird manner. the way the writer described us about their culture made us think that culture they practised were insane and crazy.I felt like the author was trying to test us, what we think about in our point of view. 


2. How can we be aware of and change our assumptions? 

 To be culturally aware, we should firstly be culturally sensitive,because what we assume and think of other's culture without really understanding it well can hurt many individuals.We can also be aware by not discriminating other's culture without even knowing or understanding them.We should not let criticism and judgement to become the cultural differences. differences are neither good not bad, it is what we do with them that makes a difference.Understanding one another's culture is also very important to bring bond. lastly, people see, interpret and evaluate things in a different way. what is considered an appropriate behaviour in one culture is frequently inappropriate in another one. Therefore, it is wrong to assume that a common culture is shared by all members of a racial,linquistic or religious group.


3. How can we benefit from understanding our own cultural worldview and how it affects our relationships with other cultures?

 Understanding our culture first, will help is to respect and understand other's culture. Knowing your own culture helps you relate to others more effectively to. We can benefit from understanding our own cultural worldviews by learning and researching as much about other cultures as we can, and in this way our relationship with other cultures will become more friendly and stronger. 

street credit : on food, cultural and survival of african cities.

Street credit: The cultural politics of african street children's hunger.  

Karen Coen Flynn is the author of "Food,cultural and survival in an african city". This article shows the dynamics of poverty and survival strategies in urban Africa. Using variables like culture,race,class and gender, Flynn explores how people negotiates life and survives in a poverty striken environment and society. the rural people of Africa live a miserable life as compared to the urban cities. The author also throws light on the food provisioning process and how it is affected by poverty, gender and  ethnicity, as well as the concepts of charity, health and mortality. The author also emphasises of the diverse ways in which the children fed themselves, their acquisition of food, in the form of private charity appeared to be strikingly significant because in these situations the children were not the ones seeking to gain an advantage. i feel lucky and blessed since I don't have to go through what the children of some of the african cities are going through.



I really like the text " Even before the children are old enough to go to school, they learn their responsibilities." because here it shows that though the children of the african cities may not be educated and well brought up, they know where they stand and what responsibilities they need to work on. I feel they learn or give importance to responsibilities because they were brought up in a very unhealthy and uneducated society. they went through all the hardship while growing up. for examples, the author even talks about how the female child of the family helps her mother in household works and as well as babysitting her younger siblings, while the male child help their father in outdoor activities indoor to increase the per capita income of their family. I personally feel, that knowing our individual responsibilities are more important to become someone successful rather than just having good brains and not knowing where we stand.

introduction post.

hey guys, my name is tsering. i was born on may 18. i was born in nepal itself. Yay!! jai nepal :) i am a bhuddist. and my natinality is nepal. I speak languages like tibetan and english. I like listening to music and just reading and hanging out. 

i chose anthropology because i believe that its very interesting. we come to know  the different culture and backgrounds of different places. i think,its really important to understand each individuals culture. understanding somebody's culture is like understanding them individually.

As our teacher sir, I  want you to understand us and help us in our everyway.