Spotlight on Students: Social Institutions Assignment

The following is a post dedicated to showcasing the work of one of my Anth 101 students.  Students were tasked with comparing three social institutions of a foreign culture to the same social institutions in American culture.  Please show your appreciation and support for this amazing work by an exceptional student.  :)

Inuit Man and his sled dogs (Windows to the Universe)

By: Charina Molina

            The world is culturally diverse place, but each culture contains key aspects that are shared by all. It is important to note that it is with those key aspects where a culture is able to define itself and create a culture that is unique to that area of the world. The Inuit of the Artic can be found in areas of the United States and Canada. This particular culture group is in many ways diverse when it comes to foodways, political structure, and features of gender. The culture in the United States, similarly, is significantly different than the Inuit way of life. Each culture brings new ways of examining culture in a particular part of the world: North America. It is with these two cultures that one can examine the diversity and dynamic aspect of two different cultures. It is also possible to examine the similarities amongst these two groups as they are very close in location. Both the cultures of the Inuit and the United States express differences and similarities in their values, norms, and traditions-aspects of what defines culture. 

            Both the Inuit and American people are based on the same continent: North America. Each culture group, however, has adapted differently to its geographical area, which has led each to diverge in some aspects of their culture. The Inuit have adapted to the weather and the conditions of living in the Arctic Tundra. Specifically, these groups can be found in the Northwest Territories, Quebec, and Labrador in Canada. They can also be found in the above tree line in Alaska, the Inupiat and Yupik, as they are called. Living in these areas has affected the way individuals function as a society, which ultimately affects the culture. They have invented tools and gear that have helped them survive. They have built their homes out of snow (also known as igloos), and some of their beliefs are based on the aurora. They hunt for food and get around on sleds made out of animal bones and their skins. Inuit life has since changed by the twentieth century, but traditions such as storytelling, mythology, and dancing have remained the same (Gardiner).

The American culture, however, is very diverse. It started with the population of aboriginal people that settled parts of North America originally. As soon as European settlers came, the culture of the United States became a melting pot of various cultures. The general aspects of the culture, such as clothing and music, change all the time. The people of the United States act in an informal and direct way. Despite that, the people of the United States are friendly. The culture centers itself around individualism, self-reliance, and egalitarianism (“International”). Each of these cultures are unique but can be similar in many ways.

            Foodways in each culture differ in how the food is obtained, but there are some consistencies with what are staples in the diet. The Inuit live in places where plants do not typically grow, so they hunt for their food (Gardiner). In this way, they are a foraging society. They search out their food, which consists of fish, walruses, seals, whales, etc. They do not overuse their resources as they use the animal’s bones and skin for tools, sleds, and clothing. Their diet “cures illnesses, makes one strong, and provides a level of energy and stamina” (Searles).  In comparison, the United States uses industrial agriculture as a means of obtaining food. Farmers produce many crops, and there is application of industrial principles. This is prevalent in the United States because it is an industrialized nation (Boston).

Similarly to both cultures, meat is a staple to the diets. Americans enjoy their steak, while the Inuit eat their protein sources because that is what is available to them. These foods show an individual’s identity, particularly in males. In both the Inuit and American culture, it is deemed masculine to eat a lot of protein. Foodways are able to show the development of masculinity in both cultures (MacNeil).

            The gender roles in both the Inuit and American culture are specific as they pertain to the biological sex of the person. With the Inuit culture, however, their gender roles are very much pliable. Because they are a foraging society, their gender roles are the least separate in public-domestic spheres (Boston). These roles are “situational and contextual” (Morgan). For example, if a family does not produce a male child the father will teach his daughters how to hunt. In the United States, “feminity and masculinity are clearly distinguished (and enforced) through the use of formal and informal sanctions” (“Gender”). An example of this is the toys that boys and girls are allowed to play with when they are young. In the United States, it is masculine for a boy to play with cars and airplanes, while girls played with dolls (Boston). People who disturb this social norm are criticized. It is important to note that in both societies that the male is the main provider of the family, while the women take up the job of taking care of the home and family.

            The political structures of each culture group differ. As a foraging group, the Inuit do not have a structured society. Ranks and social classes do not exist. With that, each Inuit tribe cannot be considered a political entity. There are few leadership roles in the Inuit tribes. Because they are politically centered around their families, the eldest male usually assume the role of the head person (“Inuit). In the United States, the government is structured, and the people vote to appoint a leader into office. The President of the United States governs a large mass of people, but he has subordinates in which he dictates his authority to. The President has political power but has shown that it is usually to the interest of the people, not for themselves (Welsch).

            Based on the cultures of both the Inuit and the United States, culture is diverse and dynamic. Its fluidity allows for culture to change over time to adapt to the needs of the people at a specific point in time, although that is subject to change all the time. The definition of culture can be interpreted in various ways, as culture encompasses the arts, fashion, literature, food, etc. of a certain people. It is with the study of culture that anthropologists are able to examine the natural actions of a particular group of people. Additionally, one can study why a particular group acts the way they do in social situations. Anthropologists are then able to see how different cultures interact amongst each other. Culture allows for the investigation of certain behaviors amongst a culture group as well as the beliefs that each culture group holds about particular things.

Works Cited

Boston, C. "Chapter 10: Politics: Cooperation, Conflict, & Power Relations." Reno. 29 Apr. 2016. Lecture.

Boston, C. "Chapter 12: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality: The Lives of Women and Men." Reno. 29 Apr. 2016. Lecture.

Boston, C. "Chapter 7: Foodways, Finding, Making, & Eating Food." Reno. 29 Apr. 2016. Lecture.

Gardiner, Lisa. "Inuit Culture, Traditions, and History." Inuit Culture, Traditions, and History. Windows to the Future, 5 June 2007. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/polar/inuit_culture.html>.

"Gender Roles and Gender Stratification." Gender Roles and Gender Stratification. People.vcu.edu, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <http://www.people.vcu.edu/~jmahoney/gender101.htm#usgender>.

"International Student Services." Lewis University Student Services Culture of the United States. Lewis University, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <https://www.lewisu.edu/studentservices/iss/usaculture.htm>.

"Inuit / Eskimo Society." Inuit / Eskimo Society. Astronomy.pomona.edu, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <http://www.astronomy.pomona.edu/archeo/alaska/eskimo.html>.

MacNeil, John Grant. "1.2 Background of the Problem." The Construction of Identity Among Inuit Men in Ottawa Through Foodways (2015): 3. Curve.carleton.ca. Curve.carleton.ca. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <https://curve.carleton.ca/system/files/etd/18dc8725-bb4c-46c1-b127-3a834e804e69/etd_pdf/e5cdd9444cb9b6fe6ee39979762a75a0/macneil-theconstructionofidentityamonginuitmeninottawa.pdf>.

Morgan, Clara. "The Arctic: Gender Issues." The Arctic: Gender Issues. Parliament of Canada, 24 Oct. 2016. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/content/lop/researchpublications/prb0809-e.htm#gender>.

Searles, Edmund. "Difference Through Diet, Property, and Time." Inuit Identity in the Canadian Arctic (n.d.): 247. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.

Welsch, Robert Louis, and Luis Antonio Vivanco. Cultural Anthropology: Asking Questions About Humanity. New York: Oxford UP, 2015. Print.