First Year Seminar Assignment

1. Kami Stefanski
FYS: Remote Cultures
1. Overall impressionsof bothcultures:
a. I thoughtthat the culture withthe Yanomami wasveryinteresting.Seeinghow the men
and womenwere treateddifferentlywithinthe culture andthe differentvaluesthat
theybelievedin.IwasveryshockedandconfusedaboutJescoWhite andhisculture.His
entire familywasjustalittle bitinsane andIwasn'treallysure whatto thinkof it. I was
justastonished.
2. What were the implications?
a. Withthe Yanomami people,womenweremeanttobe gatherersandcare forthe young
while the menwere huntersandgotto domore things.Theypracticedreligionby
causingthemselvestohave hallucinations.The mencoulddowhatevertheywantedto
the womenandit didn'tevenmatterhow oldtheywere.The menwere above the
women.Noone inthistribe knew how tocount past the number2. Whensomeone
amongthemdies,the livingwouldburnthem, eattheirashes,andthenneverspeakthe
dead'spersonname again.For the JescoWhite video,menwere more dominant.They
had cars, TVs,radios,etc.Theywouldburythe dead.JescoWhite didn'tspeakof religion
or what he believedin.
3. How dotheycompare to your culture?
a. In the Yanomami'sculture,menwere above womenandinmine,womenandmenare
equal.Yanomami peopledonotcountpast 2 and inmine,we countpast a trillion.
Yanomami people have tohuntinorderto get foodandtheymake all of theirtoolsby
hand.In mine,we canjust drive toa restaurantor store to get food.The Yanomami
people livefarawayfromotherswhile inmine,everyoneissoclose together andthere
are strangerseverywhere.Icancompare my culture toJescoWhite'sa bit more juston
aspectssuch as; drivingcars,havingdrinkslike sodaandbeer,listeningtothe radio,
buryingthe dead,andtheycan do a lot of the same thingsthatI can.
4. What are the similaritiesbetweenthe twocultures?
a. In bothcultures,menare the dominantonesandare violenttowardsthe women.Thisis
the onlysimilaritythatIcouldsee.
5. How doyou thinkthese cultureswere created?
a. The Yanomami people have beenaroundforcenturiesbecause the waytheylive isn't
somethingthatpeople reallysee hereinAmerica.The Yanomami people are equivalent
to cavemen.The JescoWhite culture wasformedbythe thingsaroundthe family.They
were isolatedandoutinthe country.Because theyare isolatedawayfromeveryone

2. else,there isnoone to complaintothemaboutwhat theydoand theydon'tget in
trouble foranything.
6. Shouldwe integrate those culturestooursand how couldwe?
a. I don't believe thatwe shouldbecause achange thisbigcouldcause problemswith
people all over.There will alwaysbe people whowouldn’tagree withitandwouldbe
fightingbackto keepthingsfromchanging.People like routine andtheydon'tlike
change.In the Yanomami documentary,the womenlefthertribe forNew Yorkand
endedupregrettingit.She eventuallymovedbacktoherhome village.Ithinkthatour
culture wouldmissthe technologyandall the stuff we cangeteasilyhandedtoustoo
much.But if we were totry and change our culture,we couldstartby slowlydoing
thingsthat the otherculture does.