Yanomamo Tribe Essays - Yanomami, Hei T Bebi, Hedu K Misi, War

Yanomamo Tribe Essays - Yanomami, Hei T Bebi, Hedu K Misi, War Yanomamo Tribe The Yanomamo My name is Eric Dunning and this is my proposal to go and study the Yanomamo tribe in the rain forests of Brazil. I have compiled a historical outline of the Yanomamo tribe and some of their religion and culture, ranging from marital status to the type of food they eat. I have chosen this tribe because according to many anthropologists the Yanomamo are perhaps the last culture to have come in contact with the modern world. The Yanomamo people of Central Brazil are one of the oldest examples of the classic pre-Columbian forest footmen. The Yanomamo live in almost complete seclusion in the Amazon rain forests of South America. The Yanomamo live in small bands or tribes and live in round communal huts called shabonos, which are actually made up of individual living quarters. The Yanomamo language consists of a variety of dialect, but no real written language. Clothes are minimal, and much of their daily life revolves around gardening, hunting, gathering, making crafts and visiting with one another. These small tribes hold their men in high ranks. Chiefs are always men who are held responsible for the general knowledge and safety of the group's women. The men are able to beat their wives if they feel the need to and are able to marry more than one woman at a time. This loose form of polygamy is a way of increasing the population of the tribe. Yanomamo people rely heavily on a system of political alliances based upon relationship. As part of that system, they have incorporated a complex feasting and trading system into their culture. One of these methods of forming political alliances is feasting. Feasting is when one village invites another village for a feast or dinner. During the feast there is a lot of social activity. The Yanomamo dance and mingle with each other along with eating a different variety of foods. The only catch is the other village must reciprocate a feast by one village. This feast is more like an American dinner party in which members of family or social group invite others to attend. A feast however can be dangerous and or fatal for those who attend. The Yanomamo can be very conniving and deceiving. They pretend to be loyal friends and invite the other village for a feast. The other very village very trustfully attends the feast not knowing that this might be their last meal. After the feast when the guests are helplessly resting in their hammocks they are attack ed and brutally beaten to death. The Yanomamo live in a constant state of warfare with other tribes and even within their own groups. Marriages are often arranged according to performances of one's relatives in battles. Ideal marriages are thought to consist of cross cousin marriages and the males of the family and the religious leaders of the tribe perform all marriages. In addition to their strong kinship ties, political alliances and thirst for revenge, the Yanomamo have a detailed religion, based on the use of hallucinogenic drugs and the telling of mythical tales. The religious beliefs of the Yanomamo are quite complex. According to Yanomamo wise men, there are four levels of reality. Through them, the Yanomamo believe that things tend to fall or descend downward to a lower layer is demonstrated. The uppermost layer of the four is thought to be pristine and tender. It is called duku ka misi and the Yanomamo believe that many things originated in this area. This layer does not play much of a role in the everyday life of the Yanomamo. It is considered to be just there, once having some vague function. The next layer down is called hedu ka misi and is known as the sky layer. The top surface is supposedly invisible, but is believed to be similar to earth. It has trees, gardens, villages, animals, plants and most importantly, the souls of the deceased. These souls are said to be similar to mortals because they garden, eat and sleep. Everything that exists on earth is said to have a counterpart on this level. The bottom surface of the layer is said to be what the Yanomamo on earth actually see:

Silk Production and Trade in Medieval Times

Silk Production and Trade in Medieval Times Silk was the most luxurious fabric available to medieval Europeans, and it was so costly that only the upper classes- and the Church- could attain it. While its beauty made it a highly-prized status symbol, silk has practical aspects that made it much sought-after (then and now): its lightweight yet strong, resists soil, has excellent dyeing properties and is cool and comfortable in warmer weather. The Lucrative Secret of Silk For millennia, the secret of how silk was made was jealously guarded by the Chinese. Silk was an important part of Chinas economy; entire villages would engage in the production of silk, or sericulture, and they could live off the profits of their labors for much of the year. Some of the luxurious fabric they produced would find its way along the Silk Road to Europe, where only the wealthiest could afford it. Eventually, the secret of silk leaked out of China. By the second century C.E., silk was being produced in India, and a few centuries later, in Japan. By the fifth century, silk production had found its way to the middle east. Still, it remained a mystery in the west, where artisans learned to dye it and weave it, but still didnt know how to make it. By the sixth century, the demand for silk was so strong in the Byzantine Empire that the emperor, Justinian, decided they should be privy to the secret, as well. According to Procopius, Justinian questioned a pair of monks from India who claimed to know the secret of sericulture. They promised the emperor they could acquire silk for him without having to procure it from the Persians, with whom the Byzantines were at war. When pressed, they, at last, shared the secret of how silk was made: worms spun it.1 Moreover, these worms fed primarily on the leaves of the mulberry tree. The worms themselves could not be transported away from India . . . but their eggs could be. As unlikely as the monks explanation may have sounded, Justinian was willing to take a chance. He sponsored them on a return trip to India with the objective of bringing back silkworm eggs. This they did by hiding the eggs in the hollow centers of their bamboo canes. The silkworms born from these eggs were the progenitors of all the silkworms used to produce silk in the west for the next 1,300 years. Medieval European Silk Producers Thanks to Justinians wily monk friends, Byzantines were the first to establish a silk production industry in the medieval west, and they maintained a monopoly on it for several hundred years. They set up silk factories, which were known as gynaecea because the workers were all women. Like serfs, silk workers were bound to these factories by law and could not leave to work or live elsewhere without the permission of the owners. Western Europeans imported silks from Byzantium, but they continued to import them from India and the Far East, as well. Wherever it came from, the fabric was so costly that its use was reserved for the church ceremony and cathedral decorations. The Byzantine monopoly was broken when Muslims, who had conquered Persia and acquired the secret of silk, brought the knowledge to Sicily and Spain; from there, it spread to Italy. In these European regions, workshops were established by local rulers, who retained control over the lucrative industry. Like the gynaecea, they employed mainly women who were bound to the workshops. By the 13th century, European silk was competing successfully with Byzantine products. For most of the Middle Ages, silk production spread no further in Europe, until a few factories were set up in France in the 15th century. Note 1The silkworm isnt really a worm but the pupa of the Bombyx mori moth. Sources Netherton, Robin, and Gale R. Owen-Crocker, Medieval Clothing and Textiles. Boydell Press, 2007, 221 pp. Compare prices Jenkins, D.T., editor, The Cambridge History of Western Textiles , vols. I and II. Cambridge University Press, 2003, 1191 pp. Compare prices Piponnier, Francoise, and Perrine Mane, Dress in the Middle Ages. Yale University Press, 1997, 167 pp. Compare Prices Burns, E. Jane, Sea of silk: a textile geography of womens work in medieval French literature. University of Pennsylvania Press. 2009, 272 pp. Compare Prices Amt, Emilie, Womens lives in medieval Europe: a sourcebook. Routledge, 1992, 360 pp. Compare prices Wigelsworth, Jeffrey R., Science and technology in medieval European life. Greenwood Press, 2006, 200 pp. Compare prices

Free writing journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Free writing journal - Essay Example He was rich. He had a great a education. From the description of the speaker, we can assume that Richard Cory was also a very popular man who knew how to fairly treat people. Richard Cory was our dream. The characteristics that were presented in the poem indicates that there is much more than what we see from people we encounter everyday. We may not know it but our tough boss or our friendly traffic cop could have had a very bad childhood experience that tainted their view of the world as they were growing up. We would only see the outward appearance of the person and what they would like to portray. This shows that we all have masks, just like Richard Cory. That is why everyone was surprised when he committed suicide. We have different experiences, expectations and perspectives about our lives. But what is common between each one of us is the need for us to keep some things private. We choose what who we are in the eyes of other people. That is exactly the reason we should not judge anyone. And we should not assume that someone is happy or sad just because of what they are showing you. It’s just sad that we make the same mistake over and over. We never learn. Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy is about a girl who struggled to meet the social expectations of beauty. She was so obsessed with the idea of being beautiful that she was willing to sacrifice her own life just to achieve it. We are born with our natural beauty. But as we grow older, we are faced with the different expectations of beauty. Some societies see beauty as fair or white skin, high cheekbones and pointed nose. A slim figure is also another expectation of beauty. When you are heavy or fat or dark skinned or with thick curly hair, you are not a part of the beautiful circle in the society. Since we come from different societies, we have different expectations. It is a sad thing, though, to find a society that puts great bearing on the physical appearance of girls.

Democratic or Undemocratic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Democratic or Undemocratic - Essay Example 46). In layman’s terms, the government is mandated, among other functions, to regulate commerce and collect proper taxes and tariffs on imports, except for commercial imports. With such emphasis, aside form other financial policies; the constitution mainly protected the interests and concerns of wealthy businessmen. Because it was only the wealthy and the privileged were the ones who can afford to run for public office, as opposed to the poor, the hopeless, and the uneducated, one need not wonder why such provision is so. Politicians cannot gain money from public office. Hence, they can only utilize their power to manipulate and protect their own interests at the expense of the underprivileged members of society. On the same basic premise, Article 6 also protected the wealthy by stipulating that allowed speculators to make considerable profit. Public treasury were used to create private capital and credit for huge investors, thus debit payment came from the pockets of the public into the pockets of the wealthy, high class members of society. Another issue that was given special commendation in the constitution was the issue of slavery, as those member states who had three fifths of slave population were given more seats in Congress, more than it should have given its number of voting population. The aforementioned were only a few of the numerous â€Å"undemocratic† provisions in the constitution. Through time, and some careful amendments done, lawmakers have done some democratic concessions that had somehow compromised its earlier mistakes and misgivings. One important democratic provision was the election of the president and legislators at a limited span of time, thus eliminating lifetime claim in public office. This aspect eliminates, or limits, the possibility of corruption, dictatorship, or any other vested interest in one’s leadership. On the other hand, Article 6 indicated that â€Å"no religious Test shall be ever be required as a

The Everglades :: Free Descriptive Essay About A Place

The Everglades How come the Everglades are so hard to love? How come some people go there and come back full of mosquito bites, all disappointed and upset from their Everglades trip, while others become so involved that they cannot forget the Everglades and choose to live surrounded by them? What is it? Why do some people get it and why do others not? There sure is something. Everglades, tell me, what is your secret? Why are you so harsh with some people and so generous with others? What do you need from us? Is there a password? "Open Sesame." I'm the Everglades, the largest national park of Florida. I'm so unique that I do not need your love. I have too much to do to protect my people against you, humans. Why do you want me to give you something when you give me such a hard time? I lived in peace for five thousand years without you, humans. I succeeded for a long time in holding you back, away from my dear species and me. But I failed. Little by little, you have invaded and devastated my land. You have destroyed my water flow, made almost extinct some of my most precious species. I had to surrender and ask for help. I made a deal with your American government to be protected and became a national park some fifty years ago. In exchange, I had to agree to show my wonders to people who come to visit me. However, I did not forgive men so easily. You have betrayed me so many times. As for my little tree snails, you have ruined them. You have destroyed my artwork. For so many years, I was patient enough to create tree snail hammocks, all with their population of tree snails unique and beautiful. Each hammock had tree snails with a different pattern of colors. But, you, humans, have destroyed everything; your cupidity and stupidity have altered the distinctiveness of my little tree snails. Because of you, they are no longer unique. Nevertheless, I know that I can trust some of you as I can trust my friends the Indians. They have always showed me respect. I lived in peace with the Calusas, Ais, Jeaga, Tequestas for so many years. I helped the Seminoles when they were escaping from the White men.

Deception Point Page 30

The President shook his head. â€Å"I'm afraid I didn't make myself clear. You'll be doing the briefing from where you are via video conference.† â€Å"Oh.† Rachel hesitated. â€Å"What time did you have in mind?† â€Å"Actually,† Herney said, grinning. â€Å"How about right now? Everyone is already assembled, and they're staring at a big blank television set. They're waiting for you.† Rachel's body tensed. â€Å"Sir, I'm totally unprepared. I can't possibly-â€Å" â€Å"Just tell them the truth. How hard is that?† â€Å"But-â€Å" â€Å"Rachel,† the President said, leaning toward the screen. â€Å"Remember, you compile and relay data for a living. It's what you do. Just talk about what's going on up there.† He reached up to flick a switch on his video transmission gear, but paused. â€Å"And I think you'll be pleased to find I've set you up in a position of power.† Rachel didn't understand what he meant, but it was too late to ask. The President threw the switch. The screen in front of Rachel went blank for a moment. When it refreshed, Rachel was staring at one of the most unnerving images she had ever seen. Directly in front of her was the White House Oval Office. It was packed. Standing room only. The entire White House staff appeared to be there. And every one of them was staring at her. Rachel now realized her view was from atop the President's desk. Speaking from a position of power. Rachel was sweating already. From the looks on the faces of the White House staffers, they were as surprised to see Rachel as she was to see them. â€Å"Ms. Sexton?† a raspy voice called out. Rachel searched the sea of faces and found who had spoken. It was a lanky woman just now taking a seat in the front row. Marjorie Tench. The woman's distinctive appearance was unmistakable, even in a crowd. â€Å"Thank you for joining us, Ms. Sexton,† Marjorie Tench said, sounding smug. â€Å"The President tells us you have some news?† 33 Enjoying the darkness, paleontologist Wailee Ming sat alone in quiet reflection at his private work area. His senses were alive with anticipation for tonight's event. Soon I will be the most famous paleontologist in the world. He hoped Michael Tolland had been generous and featured Ming's comments in the documentary. As Ming savored his impending fame, a faint vibration shuddered through the ice beneath his feet, causing him to jump up. His earthquake instinct from living in Los Angeles made him hypersensitive to even the faintest palpitations of the ground. At the moment, though, Ming felt foolish to realize the vibration was perfectly normal. It's just ice calving, he reminded himself, exhaling. He still hadn't gotten used to it. Every few hours, a distant explosion rumbled through the night as somewhere along the glacial frontier a huge block of ice cracked off and fell into the sea. Norah Mangor had a nice way of putting it. New icebergs being born†¦ On his feet now, Ming stretched his arms. He looked across the habisphere, and off in the distance beneath the blaze of television spotlights, he could see a celebration was getting underway. Ming was not much for parties and headed in the opposite direction across the habisphere. The labyrinth of deserted work areas now felt like a ghost town, the entire dome taking on an almost sepulchral feel. A chill seemed to have settled inside, and Ming buttoned up his long, camel-hair coat. Up ahead he saw the extraction shaft-the point from which the most magnificent fossils in all of human history had been taken. The giant metal tripod had now been stowed and the pool sat alone, surrounded by pylons like some kind of shunned pothole on a vast parking lot of ice. Ming wandered over to the pit, standing a safe distance back, peering into the two-hundred-foot-deep pool of frigid water. Soon it would refreeze, erasing all traces that anyone had ever been here. The pool of water was a beautiful sight, Ming thought. Even in the dark. Especially in the dark. Ming hesitated at the thought. Then it registered. There's something wrong. As Ming focused more closely on the water, he felt his previous contentedness give way to a sudden whirlwind of confusion. He blinked his eyes, stared again, and then quickly turned his gaze across the dome†¦ fifty yards away toward the mass of people celebrating in the press area. He knew they could not see him way over here in the dark. I should tell someone about this, shouldn't I? Ming looked again at the water, wondering what he would tell them. Was he seeing an optical illusion? Some kind of strange reflection? Uncertain, Ming stepped beyond the pylons and squatted down at the edge of the pit. The water level was four feet below the ice level, and he leaned down to get a better look. Yes, something was definitely strange. It was impossible to miss, and yet it had not become visible until the lights in the dome had gone out. Ming stood up. Somebody definitely needed to hear about this. He started off at a hurried pace toward the press area. Completing only a few steps, Ming slammed on the brakes. Good God! He spun back toward the hole, his eyes going wide with realization. It had just dawned on him. â€Å"Impossible!† he blurted aloud. And yet Ming knew that was the only explanation. Think, carefully, he cautioned. There must be a more reasonable rationale. But the harder Ming thought, the more convinced he was of what he was seeing. There is no other explanation! He could not believe that NASA and Corky Marlinson had somehow missed something this incredible, but Ming wasn't complaining. This is Wailee Ming's discovery now! Trembling with excitement, Ming ran to a nearby work area and found a beaker. All he needed was a little water sample. Nobody was going to believe this! 34 â€Å"As intelligence liaison to the White House,† Rachel Sexton was saying, trying to keep her voice from shaking as she addressed the crowd on the screen before her, â€Å"my duties include traveling to political hot spots around the globe, analyzing volatile situations, and reporting to the President and White House staff.† A bead of sweat formed just below her hairline and Rachel dabbed it away, silently cursing the President for dropping this briefing into her lap with zero warning. â€Å"Never before have my travels taken me to quite this exotic a spot.† Rachel motioned stiffly to the cramped trailer around her. â€Å"Believe it or not, I am addressing you right now from above the Arctic Circle on a sheet of ice that is over three hundred feet thick.† Rachel sensed a bewildered anticipation in the faces on the screen before her. They obviously knew they had been packed into the Oval Office for a reason, but certainly none of them imagined it would have anything to do with a development above the Arctic Circle. The sweat was beading again. Get it together, Rachel. This is what you do. â€Å"I sit before you tonight with great honor, pride, and†¦ above all, excitement.† Blank looks. Screw it, she thought, angrily wiping the sweat away. I didn't sign up for this. Rachel knew what her mother would say if she were here now: When in doubt, just spit it out! The old Yankee proverb embodied one of her mom's basic beliefs-that all challenges can be overcome by speaking the truth, no matter how it comes out. Taking a deep breath, Rachel sat up tall and looked straight into the camera. â€Å"Sorry, folks, if you're wondering how I could be sweating my butt off above the Arctic Circle†¦ I'm a little nervous.† The faces before her seemed to jolt back a moment. Some uneasy laughter. â€Å"In addition,† Rachel said, â€Å"your boss gave me about ten seconds' warning before telling me I would be facing his entire staff. This baptism by fire is not exactly what I had in mind for my first visit to the Oval Office.†

Women Of The World s Evils - 1192 Words

This long winded sentence further elaborates Ellis argument. Men are further corrupted by the other men he encounters because he is born with this unavoidable corruption and sin within him. He can try all he wants to have good integrity, but he will always fall short because men are set to be immoral and fraudulent. This, according to her, is why women need to be so submissive to men. Women are the opposite of men, they are always morally good and have a clear, corrective character. When men are ensnares of the world’s evils, women are what saves and keep men virtuous. Men just simply need to remember a women’s good character to help them stay ethical and wholesome. These late 19th, early 20th century beliefs on the differences of men†¦show more content†¦Katniss lives in district 12, the poorest district that provides coal. Every year, each district has to provide one boy and one girl from the ages of 12 to 18 to fight in a battle to the death called the hunge r games. This comes as a punishment for a rebellion that end 74 year prior. This year Katniss’s little sister selected, but Katniss volunteers to take her place. The boy that is selected is Peeta Mellark. The two are sent to the capital to train. After a week, they are sent to the arena. Thanks to Katniss’s hunting and survival skills and some rule bending, both Katniss and Peeta are crowned the victors of the game. From the very begging, it is clear that Katniss does not fit in the gender roles set up in the 19th century England. The most obvious example of this is her role in the family. After her father died, Katniss took the role as the provider and head of the house not even touching Ellis’s â€Å"domestic sphere† (1527) that is so important for a woman according to her. Katniss was able to do this at the age of 11 thanks to her resourcefulness and hunting skills, just the thought of this would have made Ellis faint. In general, Katniss takes on more male gender roles. She is not dainty or ladylike. In fact, she is the opposite, she is strong, bruiting, and not very nurturing. Peeta even called her a â€Å"lethal person† (Collins 258) in the arena. She does not care about looks or what other people think about her until it is crucial to