Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
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Candyce Kettler
ANT101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Instructor Brown-Warren
June 22, 2012
Introduction
The Semai are semi sedentary people living in the center of the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia. They are most commonly known for their non-violent way of life. In this paper I will go into detail and describe the Semai Cultures gender relations, social organization, beliefs, and values.
Semai
The semai live in areas ranging from the outskirts of cities to the hill jungle. They live off of forest produce, slash-and-burn farming (the cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fields), and hunting and fishing. The Samai are famous for their non-violent way of life, they do not get angry, hit others, or discipline their children.
Primary Mode of Subsistence
Semai use horticulture to produce their food, “horticulture is a nonmechanized, nonintensive form of plant cultivation performed nonrepetitively on a plot of land” (Nowak & Laird, 2010). The Semai make their living on the cultivation of rice, fishing, hunting, and by trading minor forest products such as rattan.
Beliefs and Values
The three aspects of culture I am going to research are beliefs and values, gender relations, and social organization. I will begin with their beliefs and values; The Samai believe in being non-aggressive. “They see themselves as helplessly surrounded by hostile forces, both natural and supernatural, and they proceed with caution in all their daily activities in the face of ubiquitous dangers” (Bonta, 2005). The Samai have two main moral values, the avoidance of violence and the sharing of food. They rely on generalized reciprocity as a way to ensure every member of their tribe has an adequate amount of food. “Generalized reciprocity is a form of exchange in which there is no expectation for the immediate return of an item in exchange for something else; in the long run, things are expected to even out” (Nowak & Laird, 2010).
Gender relations
The Samai believe in gender equality. There are no specific jobs for the men or women, their division of labor is not separated by gender. When the Samai marry they spend equal amounts of time in the wives settlement as the husbands. They move back and forth between the two until they decide where they want to permanently reside.
Social organization
As I have previously stated the Samai pride themselves on being non-violent.