social rules
Mbuti Resist Expulsion from their Forests
An Mbuti group in the eastern D.R. Congo has successfully forestalled government attempts to establish a nature reserve that would have prevented their traditional uses of their forests. Instead, they are working with several major NGOs to develop an effective preserve that will include their indigenous rights to use sustainably the forest products. The Guardian […]
Rules for Maintaining a Peaceful Society [journal article review]
In 1977, a tree fell during an evening thunderstorm on a Chewong camp in a central Malay Peninsula forest, killing and injuring several people. Anthropologist Signe Howell arrived shortly after the tragedy had occurred, but the Chewong dismissed her thought that it was bad luck for them—they had no conceptions of good or bad fortune. […]
Verbal Criticism: Ju/’hoansi Style Punishment [journal article review]
The Ju/’hoansi criticize or verbally punish people whose behavior disrupts the cohesion, harmony, and mutual assistance in their communities. Drawing on her field notes from an eight-week visit to Botswana in 1974, and six weeks of observations in 1996-1997, Polly Wiessner analyzes in a recent journal article the ways the Ju/’hoansi use verbal punishments to […]
