Cultural Relativism

Understanding other cultures without making judgments about

the way they do things or the way they understand and react

to things is the basic concept of cultural relativity. The

importance of this idea is demostrated by Richard B. Lee in

his story about the Christmas feast with the !Kung.

In this story Lee, a social anthropologist living with the

tribe, experiences a misunderstanding that almost caused him

to pack his belongings and leave the bushmen which were the

subject of his study.

The basis of the misunderstanding centered around the idea

that after a year of using his supplies to gain leverage Lee

would show his generousity by providing a large robust ox

for the Christmas feast. Generousity he expected, as a

westerner, to be greated by praise gratitude and general

appreciation. What he didn't realize was that praise was

not the way of the !Kung people.

For if you take an action in your own culture the reaction

is generally predictable, but if you take that same action

exercised in a different and unknown culture the reaction is

entirely unknown leaving room for misunderstandings. And

vice verse.

The !Kung came to the conclusion that in order to thrive,

survive and keep the peace they must instill an air of

humility within each tribal member who is blessed with

success. This is to keep any individual from becoming

consumed by pride and arrogance which would make them feel

above the other members of the tribe and it's ways. They do

this by insulting the man and painting his perceived success

as a failure. This is their custom and it has allowed them

to survive.

It is also that custom that made Lee feel shame for the ox

he bought because they told him that it was old, boney and

only good for soup. That is were the misunderstanding

insued.

Westerners feel that people should be grateful when they

receive gifts because of ingrained ideas like, reward what

you want repeated and treat others the way you want to be

treated. From the time we learn to speak we ar taught to

say thank you and show gratitude when we are shown

generousity.

The above ideas contribute to the capitalst winner take all

society that we have accepted as the basis for the grand

success of any nation. The !Kung society is more centered

toward the idea that the success of one is the success of

all and that no individual in of himself is greater than the

whole.

Naivity seems to be central in the cause of troubles.

Laura Bohannan believed that even though some things were

relative to certain cultures other things were universal.

This belief inspired her to try and prove her theory while

she was living with the Tiv people of West Africa.

She believes that the beliefs she brought with her from her

culture will easily be related to the beliefs of the tribe

members.