Mother's Love Death Without Weeping

Eric Thai

March 25 2009

ANT 1001 / TV24A

Mother's Love Death Without Weeping

When one hears the two words mother and child one often thinks of a mother's love for their child. Growing up in a more fortunate childhood I would never have thought such neglect for they own flesh and blood could occur. In "Mother's Love: Death Without Weeping", Nancy Hughes explains why some babies are often left to die by their parents who leave them on the floor without feeding them. The most shocking fact is how they could do this without shedding a tear and how it is frowned upon.

I understand the situation of Alto do Cruzerio being full of poverty and lack of hygiene. What I don't understand and what is not mentioned in the chapter is why do so many women bring the babies into the world without the ability to take care of them. The chapter doesn't mention anything about the male population only that birth control is frowned upon on. What also intrigues me is how they are devoted catholics and believe that the babies that died were destined to become angels.

The mothers of Alto do Cruzerio who often try not to become attached to their babies, reminds me of how some relationships go on. Some relationships I have seen have a case where one partner stays distant in order to avoid the heartbreak of a failed relationship. This is an unhealthy relationship between a couple because no growth in the relationship can occur. Overall I understand that the mothers must remain distant because so many deaths do often occur without any warning.

Hughes, Nancy Scheper. "Mother's Love Death Without Weeping." In Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology, 12 ed. Spraley and McCurdy. Allyn & Bacon. 2006. 45 - 54 .

Life Without Fathers or Husbands

Eric Thai
March 21 2009
ANT 1001 TV24A / Gaunt

"Life Without Fathers or Husbands" by Clifford Geertz

"Life Without Fathers or Husbands" by Clifford Geertz described the Na a tribal society in southern China that has a completely different structure than any group I have ever studied. The Na being a matrilineal society was unusual, but on top of that in their society marriage does not exist and no child has knowledge of their birth fathers. Men and women developed no relations with one another. Sexual intercourse occurred through last night "visits" from men that was on impulse and occured frequently (Geetrtz 78). Men and women would have multiple partners without any strong relation (Geetrtz 78). The Na society's lifestyle had me experience culture shock upon reading this chapter.

Looking through the "lens" I have develop from living in New York for the past eighteen year, there isn't much surprise that one would experience culture shock from this reading. Through enculturalization I was taught that sexual intercourse must be something saved untill after marriage. Though I disagree with these teachings from my parent, I have develop the idea that sex should occur only between two people who have developed a relationship between each other. As a Chinese American I had never heard of such a society before nor ever dream such a society existed. The first questions that came to my mind were how could such a society function without knowledge of their fathers or decent.

Now putting down my own "len's", looking at the Na society I see how their society could function the way it does. A society that has no fathers or husbands, the mother is the one who nurtures the children. The male children grow up and do the arduous labor and go on "visits" to produce children. The female children grow up and in turn have children and also nurture their children. In such a society it was important to have a female to continue reproduction and if there were no females, one would be adopted.

Although different the Na was a society that function in their own way though completely different from ours. One at first would be shock to discover such a society and their way of life. It is important to put down our "lens" and not judge their society through our opinions. The Na's society is another example of a society we must suspend our judgement in order to understand their way of life and how they had prospered.

Bibliography

Geertz, Clifford . "Life Without Fathers or Husbands" In Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology, 12 ed. Spraley and McCurdy. Allyn & Bacon. 2006. 75-83.