Introduction
The main mission of the ethnographer outlined in this paper was to carry out an investigation of the traditional Han society and culture (Jarvenpa, 1998). The ethnographer investigated how the Han lived in the early days, including if they still hunted for food or fished, how the Indians and members of the white community interacted, the communities’ hopes and fears, and how they saw their future. In this regard, the ethnographer investigated the traditional Han society and culture through cultural immersion and participants’ observation of the members of the community.
Methods
Methods: The ethnographer used two methods of collecting information. He engaged in participant observation in close range, by living among members of the community he was studying. He also engaged in face to face conversation with the people to collect firsthand information, for example, he talked to Joe and Mrs. West in the first chapter (Jarvenpa, 1998).
Techniques: He carefully selected the groups he aimed to study; for example, he focused on the hunters and fishermen team in the fourth chapter.
Chapter-By-Chapter Survey
Chapter 1
The first chapter of this ethnography contains vital information regarding the practice of ethnography. The events of this chapter take place in the Han society, and right from the beginning, the readers of this ethnography are introduced to the experiences of a novice ethnographer. In this chapter, the author presents to the readers some of the important skills that should be applied by ethnographers for the successful gathering of information from the field. The author mentions participant observation as a unique skill used by anthropologists in the collection of information. It entails cultural immersion and role-playing by the anthropologists in the community under study (Jarvenpa, 1998). In this chapter, the narrator and his colleague learn important skills of ethnography, taking rigorously systematic field notes, from McClellan through apprenticeship. Doing so effectively supports the goal of this ethnography because it enables the author to gather cultural information of the Subarctic Dene.
Chapter 2
The second chapter of the Subarctic Skid Row is concerned with the author’s first time experiences in the field without his mentor Mrs. McClellan. It is in this chapter that the anthropologist becomes aware of his main mission of investigating the Han society and culture (Jarvenpa, 1998). After being left alone, the author goes to the field and applies the anthropological skills of collecting information, cultural immersion, and participant observation within the Han society. Despite the challenges that the author and his colleague encounter in the chapter, they use cultural immersion and the relevant skills of rigorous systematic note taking to collect data on the society and culture of the Han community in an effective manner.
Chapter 3
In the third chapter titled ‘Crows and Sea Gulls’, the author narrates the events that took place during his time in the field as he moved from the Dawson City, through the land to Whitehorse (Jarvenpa, 1998). The most important event that facilitated the achievement of goals of this ethnography is the Discovery Day, which is a three-day annual event in the metropolis. During this annual celebration, the author managed to learn a lot of significant social and cultural lessons of the Han people, enabling him to achieve the goals of this ethnographic study. In this ethnographic study, the anthropologist aimed at finding out some of the social and cultural events of the society under scrutiny, and the Discovery Day celebration provided him with rich cultural information, such as the types of dressing, dances, foods, and types of drinks of the Han society.
Chapter 4
In this chapter, the author embarks on an anthropological exploration to collect information on the economic activities of the Subarctic Dene community. Before making the final decision on the place to visit, he consults with other experienced anthropologists to shortlist the most appropriate one. He decides to explore the Chipewyan region, which is rich in traditional economic activities, such as fishing, hunting, and livestock keeping. During his journey, the author passes through many places, valleys, rivers, lakes, and landscapes. He also interacts with the locals who teach him the local names of animals and birds, for example, Nunie (wolf) and datsacho (ravens) (Jarvenpa, 1998). The events that the author experiences in this chapter assist him to attain the goals and objectives of the ethnography as he is able to learn the major economic practices and the local language of the population under study.
Chapter 5
The Bush apprenticeship forms another significant experience the author went through as a learner and practicing anthropologist. This chapter narrates the experiences he had in the bushes near the Cache Lake and Chipewyan River within the Precambrian Shield County. In this chapter, the readers can see how the narrator gets immersed in the community that he is studying and how he practically engages in the same activities that its members do on a daily basis. The narrator gets into the canoe with community members, such as Antoine, Bob, and August, who are locals of the Chipewyan Community (Jarvenpa, 1998). In the Bush apprenticeship, the narrator takes part in many of the community’s activities, such as hunting and fishing. He also gets introduced to the community’s health practices, including those involving traditional herbal medicine exercised by Mr. Labidsas, who is the most powerful medicine man in Chipewyan. The events of this chapter help the author to achieve the goals of the ethnography because they enable him to learn the socio-cultural and economic practices of the Subarctic Dene population.
Chapter 6
In the final chapter of this book, the readers can still see the author’s interest in the economic activities of the people of the Chipewyan region, and as a result, he chooses to spend more time with the hunting team to learn more about them. In the process, he gets to learn some of the rituals and religious practices of the Chipewyan community. For example, its members value the great lakes and rivers to such an extent that they offer them tobacco, coins, matches, and other objects (Jarvenpa, 1998). The author also participates in the rituals by throwing a tobacco pipe into Cache Lake. Such rituals are meant to protect the travelers and fishermen from storms and other water hazards. They are also performed by hunters to gain the requisite prowess in the profession. This chapter played a vital role in this ethnography by helping the author learn more about the social, economic, and religious beliefs of the community under study.
Important Issues of the Ethnography
While reading through the book, I noted several important issues from the ethnography. The first important one is the unique skills of anthropologists, for example, the importance of active participation and close observation of the participants (Jarvenpa, 1998). The narrator had to participate actively in the events and activities of the community under study to gather reliable information, and this is directly related to the idea of cultural immersion that has been stressed in this course. Another significant issue I noted is the importance of appropriate planning, interpersonal relationship, and effective communication skills in becoming a successful ethnographer. To interact with the participants during field work, an ethnographer needs to possess the aforementioned abilities to gather valuable information.
Theoretical Perspective
The content of this book illustrates that the author utilizes functionalism in anthropology as his preferred theoretical perspective. In this case, functionalism refers to the anthropological activities that look into how various functions of the community contribute to the survival of the community under study. The activities of this ethnographer were focused on looking at how the various social and economic activities of the people of Subarctic Dene helps the members of the community to face each and every day of their lives. The ethnographer was concerned with examining the hunting and fishing activities of the people in the Han county and Chipewyan region, and how these activities contribute to the growth and survival of the community as narrated in the first and the fifth chapter of the book (Jarvenpa, 1998).
Is the Ethnographer Convincing
I believe that the ethnographer is sufficiently convincing to the readers. The ethnographer employed appropriate and highly effective methods of collecting information from the members of the community under study. The methods, including cultural immersion and active participation and close observation of the participants, are very valuable in collecting information during field work in the discipline of anthropology. The ethnographer engaged in a one on one interactions and conversations with the members of the target community. He actively took part in the social and economic activities of the Han society, for example, hunting, fishing, and other community rituals; hence, he was able to gather sufficient data to deal with the research problems (Jarvenpa, 1998).
Does the Author Generalize the Findings?
Based on the methods and techniques that are applied by this ethnographer, it is appropriate to conclude that the ethnographer has made a generalization of his findings using the comparative method. This is because the ethnographer walked from one region to another within the Subarctic Dene, trying to find out the commonly shared social and cultural values of the members of the community (Jarvenpa, 1998). In this regard, he uses the comparative method to generalize his findings from the different regions, such as the Han County and the Chipewyan region to establish the shared common social, economic, political, and religious practices of the broader Subarctic Dene Society.
How the Ethnography Helped Me Understand My Culture
While reading through this ethnography, I got to learn a lot with regard to the cultural practices of the people of Subarctic Dene. I have learned about the origins and the significances of the social, religious, and health practices of the Han society. For example, its religious beliefs and rituals are performed to seek the favor of their Supreme Being. This has helped me understand the origin and significance of religious practices as a member of the Christian community.
How Ethnography Reinforced My Assumptions about Human Behavior
I have learned a lot of important lessons from this ethnography. The content of this book is rich in information about human behavior. Before reading it, I had held the assumption that the behavior of human beings is influenced by their environment. However, I noted the economic, political, and religious practices and beliefs are guided by the environmental factors of the given region. For example, the fishing and hunting activities of the people of Subarctic Dene are due to the rivers, lakes, and bushes in the area (Jarvenpa, 1998). In this regard, this ethnography has helped reinforce the conjecture.
Reference
Jarvenpa, R. (1998). Northern Passage-Ethnography and Apprenticeship among the Subarctic Dene. Albany, NY: Waveland Press, Inc.
