relations with outsiders
Conflict in the Hills of West Bengal
A recent government decision in India highlighted the differing ways of handling conflict by people raised in a peaceful tradition, such as the Lepchas, versus those steeped in militarism and violence, such as the Gorkhas. Both societies were deeply affected by an announcement from the West Bengal state government two weeks ago. The current round […]
Inuit Cooperate with the Saami [journal article review]
The Inuit Circumpolar Council and the Saami Council, major organizations for both societies, have developed an effective working relationship, a testimony to long traditions of cooperation. A journal article by Shayna Plaut published in 2012 explores the relations between the two groups. The theme of the article is the importance of cooperation. The author quotes […]
Agitation Continues Against Lodge in Tanzania
A tragedy this summer involving a pregnant Fipa woman who was denied permission by a fancy resort in Tanzania from seeking medical help and died as a result, continues to merit news coverage in Africa. The back story is that the woman was traveling with companions along the shore of Lake Tanganyika heading for a […]
Cutting Off the Heads of Semai Kids
How does the Semai community react to visitors, an interviewer asks the headman. His response, given in a new, 14 minute video, is that they are quite used to them. Pointing to a boy nearby, he adds that village children play around them and easily accept them. This was not always the case. The headman, […]
Amish Buggies and Beards
Kentucky and Ohio officials are putting Amish people in jail, in the one state because they refuse to compromise their religious principles, and in the other because a few of them have been terrorizing people. Both issues have been in the news this past week. In late September, a judge in Graves County, Kentucky, sentenced […]
Piaroa Social Interactions, Past and Present [anthology chapter review]
Stanford Zent describes the ethnic boundaries and inter-group relationships of the Piaroa during their pre-colonial, postcolonial, and modern historical periods as generally, though not always, peaceful. His essay, published last year in an edited volume on indigenous mobility and migrations in Amazonia, provides a useful history of Piaroa inter-tribal social relations. After establishing the theoretical […]
Warm Welcome for Amish Migrants into South Dakota
The first Amish to settle in South Dakota arrived in April 2010 when three families moved to rural Hutchinson County, near Tripp, in the southeastern part of the state. Two more families have arrived since then and a sixth family is expected in August, when they should have 50 people living on the farms they […]
Amish Horse Manure Threatens Wisconsin City
The citizens of Viroqua, Wisconsin, find manure on their city streets, dropped by horses pulling Amish buggies, to be offensive—and the city council is listening to their complaints. David Treptow, a resident of the city quoted in a news article last week, told the council that he is tired of shoveling horse manure off the […]
Malaysian Politics and the Rights of the Orang Asli
A Malaysian news source last week indicated that the Semai of Perak State are worried about recent political developments that may signal a return to governmental persecution. On February 5, Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir, from the Barisan Nasional, or BN (National Front) party, was sworn in as the Menteri Besar, the Chief Minister of Perak […]
Amish Respond to Kentucky Power Blackout
A massive ice storm that shut off electric power to much of Kentucky two weeks ago didn’t affect the Amish in that state—except perhaps to bring out the best in them. According to an Associated Press story last week, when the disaster hit, the Amish knew how to help their neighbors, since they are quite […]
