V. List the five concepts (from the list that was provided to you above) that you chose to research for your focus group. Include a few sentences that define the concept and how it relates to your focus group. In your Final Project essay, you will compare your own culture to the focus group.
VI. Conclusion
VII. List at least one final thought.
VIII. Reference list
Culture of Kwakwaka'wakw
Introduction
Anthropology is a science of humanity. It deals with the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities of humans. It studies humans from a perspective that put emphasis on diversity of man’s behavior and cultures’ involvement in explaining the diversity. As it looks at man, it looks at their past to their present sweeping across their history over time and how they have changed.
The purpose of this essay is to look at the anthropology of a particular community. The community in question is the Kwakwaka'wakw. The Kwakwaka'wakw are an indigenous people who dwell in British Columbia that is located northern island of Vancouver. Their population is approximately 5, 500 individuals. They are a minority community that have managed to survive and pass on their traditions from one generation to another despite external forces acting on their cultures and traditions.
In the essay the culture of the Kwakwaka'wakw people will be discussed with regard to specific areas of concern. The Kwakwaka'wakw people have built a culture that is rich by acknowledging and is a reflection of the normal environment. Their natural environment composes of animals, cedar, rivers, salmon, trees and, the rest that help sustain the Kwakwaka'wakw spiritually and physically of which they celebrate and honor through their stories, songs, ceremonial objects, and dances. This essay introduces students to the Kwakwaka'wakw’s environment and riches, discovering how those riches are shared in a style that is great through potlatch practice and the way they have managed to keep their culture alive.
Language is the capacity of humans to use and acquire complex systems of communication. Kwakwaka'wakw language is part of a language group called the Wakashan. Their language is composed of four dialects commonly known as Kwak’wala. The dialects are Nakwala, Kwak’wala, Tlatlasikwala, and Gucala. Translation of the name Kwakwaka'wakw is ‘the-Kwakwala-speaking people. As of now less than 5% of the total population speak the language. However recent efforts have been put in place to revive speaking of the language.
Art is a wide range of activities by humans and the resultant products of the activities themselves. In olden times however it thought to represent an underlying element that is common and is shared by all species. Kwakwaka'wakw art includes a wide range of artistries, they include masks, totems, jewelry, a number of curved objects, and textiles. Cedar was the medium that was preferred for carving and sculpting projects because of its availability. Masks are a big thing in Kwakwaka'wakw art as they represent central characters in the dance ceremonies of the Kwakwaka'wakw. Totems are real and emphatically use paints. Chilkat blankets are woven textiles, button cloaks, dance aprons all had tribal designs as their pattern. Adornments were often found on important peoples clothes.
Food is the particular nutritious substance that is drunk or eaten by people while cuisine is the method or style of preparing that food. Kwakwaka'wakw were good fishers, gatherers, and hunters. They lived in the coastal area so their diet was full of seafood which was accompanied by berries. Salmon was caught up river, whale harpooning was practiced where they caught whales. Other foods included caribou, rabbit, seaweed, shellfish, walruses, seals, and sea otters. On the shore the sea birds provided eggs and oil.
Social organization is a system that is characterized by patterns of relationships. Kwakwaka'wakw kinship has its bases on bilinear structure, where there are also patrilineal cultures. They have large families that are extended and are interconnected tribally. They are composed of tribes that are composed na’mima or extended family units. Each na’mima has positions that and privileges and responsibilities were carried in them. The tribes had each about four na’mima, though others had less and others had more.
Social control is the gaining of power over someone with the aim of instructing them on what to do. Kwakwaka'wakw society was amassed into four classes: nobility that is attained through the right of birth or lineage ancestors’ connection, aristocracy where status is gotten through wealth connections, spiritual power or resources which is shown in the potlatch, commoner, and finally the slaves.
In comparison to my culture, well the language is English and it is spoken by about 90% of the people. The English might be differentiated depending on the region where one comes from. Art in our culture is mostly in form of paintings, sculptures, different music genres, and the sport activities that we involve ourselves in. food in our culture mainly consists of beef and meat from wild animals at some times. Some are vegetarians. Most of our food is planted and our cattle are reared agriculturally. Our social organizations consist of families that are related, and may involve extended families. Our social control involves the electing of persons by the population whom they see fit to rule over. No hereditary leadership occurs in our system.
In conclusion the Kwakwaka'wakw are a unique community with a rich culture that is beautiful in the way they practice it and in relation to my culture they are totally different.
In my opinion the Kwakwaka'wakw culture should be saved from extinction since it is will be the same as saving the heritage of the people.
References
Edwards, E., Gosden, C., & Phillips, R. B. (2006). Sensible objects colonialism, museums and material culture (English ed.). Oxford: Berg.
Jacknis, I. (2002). The storage box of tradition: Kwakiutl art, anthropologists, and museums, 1881-1981. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Talking in Context Language and Identity in Kwakwaka'wakw Society. (2005). Chicago: McGill-Queen's University Press.
Johansen, B. E., & Pritzker, B. (2008). Encyclopedia of American Indian history. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO.
Boyer, P. S. (2013). The enduring vision: A history of the American people. Boston: Wadsworth.
