Ethnography Report Assignment (Sex and Spirituality)

Instruction 

The purpose of this capstone assignment is to demonstrate your comprehension of many of the concepts presented in this course. You must have completed reading “The Gebusi: Lives Transformed in a Rainforest World” to successfully respond to the questions in this assignment. Each question relates specifically to information found in the book. This capstone assignment is worth 150 points or approximately 16% of your total grade. This is not the assignment you want to short-change. If you have questions about the assignment or feel you need some additional time, you should contact me as soon as possible.

Instructions

Produce a paper responding to the six specific questions below.

Number your responses using the question numbers.

For all questions, provide specific examples from the book. Be sure to cite the page numbers of your citation.

Each question is worth a possible 25 points based on the accuracy and completeness of your response.

You should expect to produce a minimum of three paragraphs for each question.

Questions

  1. Discuss three specific examples that illustrate Dr. Knauft utilizing participant observation techniques to understand Gebusi cultural practices.
  2. Explain the Gebusi subsistence methods of foraging and horticulture using one specific example for each method from the book.
  3. Explain how the Gebusi coming of age ceremony is representative of three of the following cultural components:
  • spirituality
  • sexuality
  • material gifts and exchanges
  • kinship
  • friendship
  • gender
  • Explain how gender is practiced within the Gebusi culture by describing one specific example for men and one specific example for women. Do not use the alternative example for one gender as the example for the opposite gender.
  • Explain the part that sorcery played in determining the responsibility for the death of a Gebusi individual.
  • Discuss two examples that illustrate how Gebusi culture was altered by outside influences.