Black Mans Culture - Coursework Example

Black Man’s Culture Introduction A black man is man who belongs to the racial ification of black people because they have dark skin phenotype in relation to other races (Glenn, 2009, 123). This is my skin type, and that’s why I call myself a black man. In some cases, Miller (2006, 21) observes that one may be called a black man because of fulfilling certain whiteness social criteria, while white men may be called black men if they fulfill certain social criteria that is associated with black people. In America, anyone with certain skin pigmentation and is believed to have an African ancestry is called a black man even if he may be white in color. Therefore, black man is racial classification rather than skin color indicator (Keita, 2004, 07). As a black man, we have many types of culture and in the black man’s society; culture is strictly adhered to as it is what dictates the future destiny of an individual. A black man’s culture may be classified as national Culture, organizational Culture, and functional culture like advertising and religious culture. The culture guides the society in determining the roles and functions of various members of the society in the black man’s society. There are also values (beliefs and principles in a black man culture) and norms (behaviors and practices) in black man culture that are vital in cultural management. These are very important aspects in a black man’s culture because of their various functions. But which are the functions of norms and values in a black man’s culture? Native Americans Many Native Americans are cross breeds between blacks and whites. They originated from the slave trade during the era of European colonization. Though they were regarded as inferior, many of them are great people today in America’s history. Native Americans have myths that support and demonstrate their culture. They are refereed to as folktales and are mainly about ordinary people than gods. They believe that everything, animals, plants, and places, are divine. They animate everything and hence, some people are given animal names and tags like Mr. Rabbit. However, social believes and values are vital and have to be observed without any compromise. Black Man’s Norms and Values As a black man, I am guided by the fact it takes a day to completely destroy a house, but it takes years to construct a new house. Therefore, though modernism is fast eroding many cultures, typical black men believe that abandoning their culture and adopting a new one is very costly. Therefore, the norms and values that are very crucial in preserving a black man’s culture are very important (McWhorter, 2004, 87). We are taught right from childhood the norms and values that their different communities observe. These include respect for their elders, and strictly observing their roles. In dressing, men and women are only allowed to expose the feet, hands, neck and head only, while the rest should be completely covered. Children should not pass in front of their elders or women in front of men. In case of a gathering men sit separately from women and children, as women and children are free to mix. The teenagers are taught the importance of maintaining virginity till marriage, and premarital sex is disregarded and is punishable. A virgin girl receives hefty dowry and colorful ceremony; while those who engage in premarital sex are married off to old men as second, third or fourth wives. Their parents also receive little dowry price and the wedding ceremony might even be absent. This ensures morality in the community in order to receive the reward. The black man’s culture uses norms and values to maintain law and order in the society. Values, beliefs and principles, are hence important and I strictly observe them to ensure good survival. Norms, behaviors and practices guarantee the survival of different culture in the black man’s society. To fully understand this, let me demonstrate this, using my own culture, the Maasai culture from Kenya. The Masai Culture I am a Maasai from Kenya, one of the sub cultures in Kenyan communities that strictly observe and conserve cultural values of our culture. In this culture, the roles that a member of the society plays depend on the gender. Men are the bread winners in a family and their main activity is herding animals like cows, donkeys, camels, sheep, and goats. The climatic conditions of our land are normally hot and dry and therefore, we are forced to move from one place to another looking for pastures and water. That is why we are called nomads. Women take care of home like cooking, taking care of the young ones and building houses, manyatta. Young girls help their mothers as they learn their future roles while boys accompany their fathers in herding. Africa has the greatest diversity of black man’s culture. There are hundreds of different communities who have their own culture. As a Maasai of Kenya, we have a national culture as the Maasai culture. We are recognized especially on our artificial appearance, that is, the way we dress and facial looks. As a Maasai man I have to wear tiled sandals, two checked red, blue or green lessos, various bangles on the hands and pierce the ears until they hang conspicuously. On the other hand, a Maasai man must always carry a stick, bow and arrow, for defending his livestock. These are the typical features of a true Maasai man that are nationally recognized by all cultures in Kenya. As for women, they also dress like men, but are differentiated by necklaces and earrings that they must wear. These necklaces and earrings are usually flora and beaded making a typical masai woman very attractive, the culture also dictates that women and men have to shave their hair, this has made be referred as primitive culture, who have no time to take care of themselves, but only who care for their livestock. The organizational culture of the Maasai community is what guides our role and responsibilities as the Maasai people. On the other hand, it helps us live like a family. We live together sharing everything and helping each other as our organizational culture dictates. This has helped us face challenges of life like insecurity, drought and hunger. Our staple food is mainly from animal products. Our religious leader is called Oloibon, who is highly respected as a spiritual leader. He is in charge of customs, religious and traditional affairs of the Maasai community. However, he is today becoming less and less visible due to introduction of other religions in the community. Non traditional Maasai believe that Loibons are anti-Christ, which are forms of cults. During worship, the Maasai gather together in a religious ceremony, which is presided over by their Loibon. Prayers are made to their gods, through their ancestors who are first appeased by feeding them with milk and blood, which is put in a calabash and then poured down as a sign of feeding them. We eat meat and drink blood and milk. Cows, goats and camels are milked twice a day, while blood is obtained by spearing a cow’s blood vessel at the neck. Enough blood is drained in a container and the injured vessel is later treated using traditional herds. The blood and milk are drunk raw, or are boiled to kill germs and foe preservation. When blood is boiled, it becomes very thick that after completely cooling down, it becomes solid food that is very tasty and nutritious. Though some few maasai like those who boarder communities that are farmers are slowly changing their life style and food, we are generally known as very conservative culture that cannot easily abandon their culture, unless in cases like food, where the situation is extreme. Maasai Rituals and Ceremonies Maasai have many rituals and ceremonies that mark certain occasions in our society. Examples of these ceremonies are Enkipaa, (ceremony of senior boys), Emuratta (circumcision), Eunoto (ceremony of warriors shaving), Enkiama (marriage) and many others. The organizational culture is classified into adults, young adults, warriors, and elders, junior and senior elders. These organizational groups work together and respect must be accorded to the senior organizational group. According to Ole (2002, 29), marriage and circumcision ceremonies are highly valued in the Maasai culture as circumcision form the basis for age-sets, and marriage graduates one fully into adult hood. Every ceremony marks another new life. They are passage rites, which every Maasai child longs to go through as important stages of life. Women have no age set, but they are usually recognized with that their husbands belong to. Ceremonies express self determination and Maasai culture (Ole, 2002, 23). Enkipaa, Eunoto, Emurata and Eukoto e—kule are the most important Maasai ceremonies and passage rites. Due to life’s challenges like HIV and AIDS, many Maasai are no longer undergoing circumcision. Marriage ceremony is highly valued, since it is a passage into adulthood. Our ancestors are polygamous and this practice is still practice in our present culture. Dowry is paid in terms of cattle and the more the cattle the higher the dowry. Marriage negotiations are done by the elders and after agreement, a traditional wedding is organized. The woman has no much say, since marriage partner is chosen by the parents. Unfortunately, many young girls end up being married off to very old men, as long as they are wealthy and can give their parents a large number of cattle, which is a symbol of wealth. Conclusion There are many perspectives of determining a black man. To some it is the human race that has dark skin phenotype while to others, it is the social fulfillments that accomplishes during his life time. Though black people are seen as inferior, they have proved wrong by achieving great in life. Some blacks who have achieved their dreams in life are US President Barrack Obama, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and Kofi Annan, former UN secretary general. Black man is guided by social norms and values, which are very important by ensuring law and order as well as ensuring survival of our culture. Culture of black man is divided nationally, organizationally, religiously and functionally, making it very organized. References Glenn, E. N.(2009). Shades of Difference: Why Skin color Matters. Stanford University Press. Keita, L. (2004). "Race, Identity and Africanity: A Reply to Eboussi Boulaga". Codesria Bulletin (Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa). McWhorter, J. H. (8 September 2004). "Why Im Black, Not African American". Los Angeles Times. http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/_latimes-why_im_black.htm. Retrieved 26 May, 2011. Miller, P. (2006). What’s Black or White About? Paramount Market Publishing, Inc. p. 8. Observed on 25th May, 2011 from http://books.google.com/books?id=1OzZr_U2x_wC&lpg=PP1&pg=onepage&q&f=false Ole, M. 2002. Maasai Ceremonies and Rituals: Celebrating and Preserving Maasai Cultural Heritage. Kenya; Maasai Association. Read More