Lecture Week 6 Prof. Dwight Read Anthropology 131

In Group, Out Group For their to be an in-group, there must be an out-group, That is, a conceptual structure of opposition. persons Group Other Phenomenological Property ANot Property A Ideational persons Group Property A

Opposition Can express opposition with “not”: X has property A, Y does not have property A Some semantically labeled oppositions arise from the nature of things: day/night, man/woman (not day = night, not man = woman) Some oppositions are constructed when “not A” is diffuse and not specific: good/evil (many ways to be “not good”), boss/worker

Constructed Opposition Concept: “Us” Property A Property B Concept “Other” Property not A Property not B Concept “Not Us” (diffuse) UsThem Property A Property B Property not A Property not B

Link Oppositions by Analogy B/~BA/~A B ~B :: A ~A A ~A B ~B

Example man/womannature/culture or woman : man :: nature : culture man : woman :: nature : culture man woman nature culture

Waorani (Ecuador) Waorani “the people” Cowode outsiders cannibals kill on sight Binary opposition Warani relation not known Guirinani relation known share generalized reciprocity qui marriageable cross cousins “consanguines” not marriageable parallel cousins arrange marriages

Egalitarian (no political positions) Situational leadership (no recognized leadership position) Individual responsibility Individual autonomy (including children) -- individual can’t be forced to do what he or she does not want to do

Male/Female Opposition Waorani “the people” Male Hunt Fell trees Clear garden plots “revenge” killing Yaede waepo ‘pregnant father’ Taboos: Cannot touch poison Keep ‘pregnant-causing’ penis and urine out of fishing streams Female Gather Carry water Garden weeding Food preparation Pregnancy taboos: Cannot make poisons for fishing

Patrilineal Descent Group Reference male Patrilineal Descent Group: All persons who can trace back to reference male through father links

Matrilineal Descent Group Reference female Matrilineal Descent Group: All persons who can trace back to reference female through mother links

Descent Groups Social unit composed of several families Corporate Group -- own resources in common Corporate authority is vested in males Care and upbringing of children assigned to women Usually exogamous marriage

Family Formation (Patrilineal Groups) Patrilineal Descent Groups authority

Family Formation (Matrilineal Groups) Matrilineal Descent Groups authority

Patrilineal Lineages Residence: Typically, patrilineal lineages are patrilocal Inheritance: Sons inherit from fathers (daughters do not inherit) Consistent system in terms of lineage structure and authority (within generation), residence (spatial location) and inheritance (across generation) Husband + wife is the smallest reproductive unit and the smallest possible lineage unit; it is easy to form new lineages

Patrilineal Lineages (cont’d) In-marrying wife is “alienated” from her natal group; she may not have any close relatives in her new group She is initially in a subordinate position, but gains authority through her sons and their in marrying wives (she has authority over her daughter-in-laws) In terms of gender sexual identity, a woman tends to be seen as providing the “fertile ground” on which the male seed may grow

Matrilineal Lineages Residence: No typical pattern Inheritance: Sons inherit from mother’s brother (daughters do not inherit) Not a consistent system in terms of lineage structure and authority (within generation), residence (spatial location) and inheritance (across generation) Husband + wife + wife’s brother is the smallest possible lineage unit; it is more difficult to form new lineages

Matrilineal Lineages (cont’d) Female --> wife: she is not “alienated” from her natal group; Husband is in subordinate position, in terms of family structure and lineage authority In terms of gender sexual identity, a woman tends to be seen as the source of fertility and of life, male role is downplayed

Matrilineal Lineages: Issue of Authority = Wife’s lineage Husband’s lineage Reference ancestress = Authority ?

Male Authority Male has authority over children by virtue of being the father (genitor) Male has authority over children by virtue of lineage membership (lineage based authority) Patrilineages: a singe male may exercise both kinds of authority Matrilineage: authority is potentially split between two males: genitor and mother’s brother

Conflict Resolution and Feuds Resolve conflict through close kinship relations (ostracization) Factions (distant kin) can lead to feuds Feud are with the qui group (potential affines) Feud began around 1900, continued until 1958 (41% of deaths due to feud killings) Feud involves four hostile groups

Beginning of Hierarchy: waorani missionaries Dove (female) Gatekeepers Kin ties marriage Resources: western goods, markets, jobs, medicine Quichua Alternative culture Social institutions Religious ideology cowode