One culture that is representative of me is the American culture. The Native American culture specifically, is notable for its wide range of beliefs, art forms, and customs (Eriksen, 2015). It is believed that no other group of individuals has quite the wealthy and kept culture as Native Americans. My culture boasts of a history rich in victory, strife, and struggle (Eriksen, 2015). A majority of today's life was taken from ancient Indian cultures practiced years ago. Furthermore, most symbols people take for granted originated from Native Americans. Their villages and tribes present in the United States have their own culture, history, and language.
Source: Eriksen, 2015
Two interconnected aspects of human culture have been described by sociologists and these are the material and nonmaterial culture (Eriksen, 2015). The former refers to the physical resources, spaces, and objects individuals use to define their culture, for instance, offices, churches, goods and products, factories and plants, neighborhoods, and homes (2015). These physical aspects help in defining its members' viewpoints and behaviors. A good illustration is of young adults in the Yanomamo community in the Amazon who are expected to learn building of weapons and hunt. Contrarily, American young adults are expected to learn how to use computers and the internet, in order to survive in the business world.
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On the other hand, nonmaterial culture is the nonphysical concepts that individuals have concerning their culture, including ethics, language, institutions, norms, beliefs, values, and rules (Eriksen, 2015). The nonmaterial cultural idea of religion, for example, constitutes a set of beliefs and ideas about ethics, worship, morals, and God. In turn, such beliefs determine how the culture reacts to its religious events, topics, and issues (Eriksen, 2015).
Among the aspects of the Native American culture is the tipi or teepee which is generally a cone-shaped tent traditionally made of animal skins upon wooden poles (Eriksen, 2015). Historically this particular symbol was used by indigenous individuals of the Plains Indians, and is still used in the community, though strictly for ceremonies, rather than daily living. I learned that teepees tend to be stereotyped and are wrongly linked to all Native Americans in the United States, despite being unique to individuals of the Plains Indians (Eriksen, 2015). Overall, teepees are durable, providing comfort and warmth during winter. They are also easily disassembled and rebuilt quickly when people need to relocate.
Source: https://www.ducksters.com/history/native_american_teepee_longhouse_pueblo.php
Foreigners who desire to learn more about the Native American culture can actually use Google to search for information. A website that can help is https://www.ducksters.com/history/native_american_teepee_longhouse_pueblo.php
The media I have chosen, that is the social website and images, reflect on the intersection of at least two cultures. As already indicated, there are different tribes of Native Americans in the United States. This means that there are subcultures that tend to show behaviors or beliefs that are quite distinct from those of other groups (Eriksen, 2015). A good example is the utilization of different languages which suggest the cultural intersections of a collective comprehension and experience. Under the Native American culture, there are many subcultures and tribes which speak different languages, such as the Navajo, Kalaallisut, among others (Eriksen, 2015). Navajo is the most commonly used language. Despite these distinctions, all these communities speak the main national language, which is English. Native Americans who are not fluent in the English language can comfortably speak the Navajo one, and vice versa. In the end, these communities are able to blend with each other and understand each other's experiences (Eriksen, 2015).
Ethnocentrism is whereby one believes that their culture is more superior to the rest, while cultural relativism is the belief that all cultures are equal and thus should be respected. The Native American culture is quite liberal and thus advocates for cultural relativism. The way this culture deals with its own presumptions is not pretending that they are not present, but rather recognizing them, and using this awareness that they are not neutral, to inform their conclusions (Eriksen, 2015).
Reference
Eriksen, T.H. (2015). Small spaces, large issues: An introduction to social and cultural anthropology . London: Pluto Press.
