Remember you must post early and return to the discussion to post responses to your colleagues. For complete instructions for discussion boards, click here: Instructions for Discussion Boards. For the remaining units, you will respond to Part 1 first and then I will add a second layer to the discussion for Part 2.
Part 1
View the PowerPoint presentation and study lecture/reading material. Then respond to the following hypothetical scenario:
You are a member of an anthropological team studying a tribe in the Amazon whose members have had little contact with the outside world. They are protected from extensive outside contact because they lack immunity to diseases, meaning that contact could be deadly. You learn that some of their practices do not meet the standards of international human rights. For example, they are hunters and gatherers who move from place to place frequently. The elderly who cannot keep up with the tribe are left behind to die. What would be your response? Would you support leaving the tribe alone or trying to change their ways?
Remember to incorporate information from the lecture or other sources. Informed opinions are persuasive!
Give a response to this below post classmate response after you finish the original post. I hope it all sooner.
Post 1:
As I think about different tribes that currently live secluded away from civilization like the Sentineli islanders, Surma or Jarawa tribes I think about the importance of securing what is important and normal for them. As we might think it is intriguing to learn about the ways
of these tribes we must also take a step back to think about how that will affect their villages. Putting myself in the mind of an anthropologist which is the duty to study the cultural social practices and beliefs of people and how it can affect current societies. I find it crucial to respect the practices of others because many times it is what they have been taught since they were born and they don’t understand another way. Some things work for others in different times and areas of the world which is what makes certain cultures so unique. It gets tricky when they migrate frequently because you risk them killing other people or species on the journey because just like anyone I am sure survival instincts come to play in the migration. As referred in the lecture about the French discovering the native people in Canada and identifying what was their benefit to stay they discovered the furs would be the financial gain. So I ask myself even though we are observing details for the international human rights aspect, are we only studying for a benefit of what they can be used for or are we really on the mission to teach for the better and stop inhuman practices. The elderly that can’t keep up might be a hindrance for the tribe but maybe it is a mutual agreement when you reach a certain level that they might see it as an understood transition. But for people viewing it from the outside we see it as being harmful. In an area I am not from I would definitely support leaving the tribe alone because it’s their practices that becomes their law in their territory.