Creating Own Culture - Term Paper Example

CREATING OWN CULTURE Introduction This is a paper about the creation of a culture of the Gasaile people. It provides a detailed description of the different components that make the Gasaile’s culture unique. Culture can be described as a pattern of human activities that is usually an invisible bond and binds people in a community (Waller 13). The lifestyle of each individual in a certain community is usually a manifestation of their culture. Culture can manifest itself in art, language, literature, religion, moral values and other community activities. Due to different manifestation, culture has caused the diversity among people inhabiting parts of the world. In most cases, culture is shared and is continually passed on to different generations. One of the most significant cultures in the world is of the pastoral communities, specifically the Gasaile People. Their settlement is in the arid and semi-arid areas. Their culture is unique simply because of their pastoral way of life. For a long period, they have raised cattle and other domestic livestock like goats and sheep in the areas stated above. Due to this, they have been able to live side to side with many wild animals hence learning their ways of life. Law Among the Gasaile people, elders form the main ruling body whereby they decide on most matters that affect the community. The Gasaile elders have laws used for ruling of the community and in most cases settle disputes accordingly. Most of these laws are oral but have a great impact on the social lives of each Gasaile individual. Unlike in most communities where execution is a major part of the law, execution in Gasaile is unknown. Payment for breaking the law is mostly done with cattle simply because of their availability. The Gasaile culture also has a way of settling disputes that is recognized as the Amitu. It involves making peace by embarking on substantial apology. Religion Although the Gasaile people have complete respect for their elders, they have complete recognition of a supreme being called Engai. They have believed that their God is made up of a dual nature that is of a black God and red God; where The Black nature is compassionate and the red nature is revengeful. The Gasaile people have set aside a holy mountain where only a few people can speak to their God. These few people usually have special gifts like healing, prophesying, divine calling and other unusual deeds. These deeds are communication of a chosen person by ancestors to mediate between the people and their God. However, it is important to note that the culture of the Gasaile people does not recognize these religious people in the political set. It is also essential to understand that despite technological add ups into the world setting, the Gasaile people have remained Monotheistic (Halm 49). Among the Gasaile people, the chosen person was given the title Laibon and was both the ritual and spiritual leaders of the society. He had the power to officiate and direct ceremonies, offer sacrifices, and provide advice to political elders. He was also a prophet, seer, and shaman and his authority was increased by their mystical and healing powers. The Gasaile community is quite large so leading the whole community is considered a challenge. For this reason, a few age group leaders who are usually chosen before circumcision aided them. It is believed that their God owned everything including their cattle. However, a separation divided the earth and the sky causing Engai to let all the cattle among the people. His reasons are not well known but some people believe that Engai understood that the cattle needed sustenance from grass. It is exciting to know that the elders show that these cattle came to the earth via aerial roots of the sacred trees referred to as wild fig trees. They believe that the Supreme Being commanded them to look after the cattle hence the reason as to why they became pastoralists. They believe that all other cultural activities other than being pastoralists are an insult to their maker and God. Farming was the greatest sin towards Engai because breaking ground on which grass grew was a direct insult to God. Actually, among the Gasaile people grass became so sacred to the extent it was used during sacred festivals. Due to the sacredness attached to cattle, they were used to bridge the gap between God and man in rituals, marriages, and initiation ceremonies and rites passages. Beliefs The Gasaile people have a belief that once a person is born, a spirit takes good care of them until their death. After this, they are taken to different places with the good people being taken to a richer place with plenty of cattle. On the other hand, the evil are carried to a very dry place mostly referred to as a desert. During these ceremonies, people dance around the above-mentioned fig tree that is used as a symbol of ideal life. The Gasaile people believe that they were made immortal until a warrior given the power to bring back life became selfish. He had the power to recite over death but did not use it until his own son had died. This made the creator very angry hence punished the people to die without having to return (Spencer 110). Cattle keeping Cattle keeping are the main activity among the Gasaile people. Mostly, young boys are usually allowed to watch over the herd of cattle during the day and the rest at night. Due to the large number of cattle, the Gasaile people resort to nomadic lifestyles, which lead to temporary building. However, their nomadic lives revolve around specific regions where all cattle graze accordingly. It is essential to notice that in this community cattle are used as a measure of wealth. Language The Gasaile people speak a common language that is known as the Olmaa. Rites of Passage The Gasaile culture is completed by different rites of passage in which every individual has to undergo. All men are supposed to undergo a series of conquests and tests that are used to make certain that they are capable of enduring pain. These tests ensure that they progressively mature from childhood, warrior hood, to elder hood. For the boy-children, a lower incisor is removed using a knife at the age of four. These are progressively followed by tattooing and ear piercing which ensured endurance to small cuts into their skin. It is important to note that ear piercing applied to both sexes of the same age. This practice is not similar to the one practiced today since it involved endurance of great pain. The upper part of their ears was pierced using a hot iron and was left to heal. On healing, the hole was enlarged by the insertion of leaves made in rolls and balls of wood. The more the hole became enlarged the more credit they received. The Gasaile community has great respect for the circumcision ceremony for both their girls and boys. This ceremony involves the endurance of great pain and is used to test the young people’s courage. In this culture, any flinch during this ceremony brings shame to the concerned individual and the whole family. For all who undergo this passage, many gifts in the form of cattle are given whereas those who fail receive ridicule from all the people. The Gasaile women are known to be brave because of the pain they have to endure during circumcision. The pain they are meant to endure is usually in preparation of the tough life and childbearing. Relationships After birth, all children belong to a specific age set that assists in controlling vices like conceit, envy, and egotism. In the age sets, children are taught how to obey the rules covering relationships between age sets, and the sexes. For instance, they are taught the importance of sharing in that warriors have to share their girlfriends with at least one of their age mates. This is used to prove that all Gasaile of similar sex are equal amongst their age groups. However, excised girls are not always allowed in the company of their age mates especially the warriors. In stead, the non-excised girls are the once left to take care of the warriors by providing food and water. This is because of the laws that govern any relationship between a warrior and a non-excised girl. If any girl that is not circumcised got pregnant, both she and the young man would not be left to live in the community. Children are taught how to respect their elders with great concern being given to the girl child. Girls and boys are brought up jointly until they become seven where circumcision separates them. Girls are not supposed to idle around their father even if he is only eating. Boys create a bond with their fathers but boundaries are put to ensure that their dominance does not exceed to the extent of disrespecting their elders. Settlements The Gasaile people lead very simple lives whereby they use locally available materials to make up their buildings. Their homes are semi permanently made because of their nomadic nature. They sleep and sit on mats that are easy to transport each time they move from one place to another. In these buildings, the young people are taught the Gasaile culture during their free time. This is the reason the culture has prevailed for so long. They are taught using legendary myths, folktales, and true stories. Clothing The Gasaile community has a unique type of clothes that are made from their cattle. These clothes are made in varying designs hence defining age, sex, and place. For instance, cattle herders wore hats that were made of calf hides, and women wore hats made of sheepskin and were decorated using glass beads. The young girls make these decorations. Over the years, the culture of wearing skin has been replaced by the wearing of long shukas that are tied on the shoulders. This mode of dressing is still a culture that describes the Gasaile community especially when accompanied with the decoration of all body parts using ochre (Halm 66). Food Since the Gasaile people are pastoralists, their main foods are meat, milk, honey, blood, fat and tree bark. However, it is essential to appreciate that they do not mix blood and meat simply because of their beliefs. This is the reason they enjoy milk for a continued period and start off by eating meat. All the same, some exceptions are allowed like that of the old people and children. Conclusion Although there are various groups with rich cultural heritage, it is essential to take notice of the Gasaile community. Their way of life is of complete uniqueness and the ability to sustain their culture is of great admiration. Works cited Halm, Robert. An American Boys Adventure with an African Tribe. New York: Holt, 1963. Print. Spencer, Paul. Africa South of the Sahara. New York: Europa Publications, 1997. Print. Waller, Richard. Ethnicity and Identity in East Africa. London: James Currey Publishers, 1993. Print. Read More