Mapuche Culture - Essay Example

Mapuche‎ Culture al Affiliation Culture is a major component in matters human services. Communication is a vital component while interacting. Cultural beliefs and practices define the nature of interaction and allow the internal community to interact freely. The external environment needs to determine the cultural boundaries and work on conflicting cultures to ensure a positive interaction between the external and internal environments. The social spaces are essential while creating models that would unit different components. The Mapuche culture is complex given the gender role within the community. It is important to study the culture to evaluate different believes and relates them to the human service field. Introduction Cultural components are essential as they define the manner in which people interracial. Interaction is encouraged but some limits are placed to allow certain members of a given community to act in accordance to cultural expectations. The rituals and beliefs within a given community are essential as they bring synergy while at the same time act as means of identify. Defining the cultural spaces could be done in an effort to evaluate a given setup and apply models that would be acceptable in the community. The cultural misunderstanding is major undoing in the field of human service. Understanding the immediate environment is essential as it allows proper planning and application of certain models. The essay will concentrate on cultural practices and beliefs among the Mapuche‎ in Chile. The aim would be to discuss the cultural components in relation to the Human service. The moral and ethical components are derived from culture. Beliefs and practices are aimed at ensuring the external and internal environments coexist. Family setup The Mapuche‎ culture bases on moral and ethical components. The unifying component in this culture is their preservative nature. The cultures are taught throughout the generation. According to Ladio and Lozada (2006), the father in this culture is tasked with ensuring his family is united and that core values are protected. According to the author, the family is made up of the father and other members of the extended family. The females within this culture are placed lower within the ranks (Ladio & Lozada, 2006). The female gender is less involved in matters decision making. The power of the male gender is visible in meetings and other gatherings. During family disputes, the males are actively involved in resolving conflicts. The elders conduct the mediation processes in the Mapuche‎ Culture. The male dominated committee has a major role to play. The elders are members of different families in the society. These committees and other head of the families deal with the intercommunity conflicts. Greetings among the Mapuche Culture among the Mapuche‎ defines the manner in which people share greetings and interact with the internal environments. Greetings are attributed to morals and other societal fundamentals. According to Ferroro and Andreatta (2014) elderly are greeted with respect and are addressed in a manner that shows their position in society. According to this culture, it is considered unethical to bypass an elder without greeting them or showing some levels of respect. The young in society are taught how to show respect by avoiding direct eye contact with the elderly while being addressed. The standing posture is also essential as one need to show maximum concentration while addressing the elderly. The females also are required to show respect while being addressed by the male gender. It is unethical for the elderly to address the young in an abusive tone. Communication in from of greetings in this culture is essential as it draws the line between the youth and the elderly (Ferroro & Andreatta, 2014) Religion Religion is major component in the culture. The culture embraces religion as is used to connect the living and the supernatural worlds. Accruing to Bacigalupo (2010) practice is meant to ensure the living adhere to specific models in an effort to ensure they are rewarded with blessings. The culture places women supreme in spiritual matters. Women are treated with respect given their spiritual role. Religion in this culture bridges the cultural misconceptions on gender. The society paces each gender along the cultural practices. The author indicates that religion among the Mapuche acts as toll to unite the diverse groups within the society. Women are integral as they act as intermediaries between the living and the spiritual world. The women are chosen given their role in they play in the continuity of the tribe (Lozny, 2013). Seeking intervention through the spiritual leaders is a means of the culture placing order and sanctity within the social spaces. Ceremonies The Mapuche practice different ceremonies to appreciate or celebrate different occasions. The major ceremony among these cultures is the marriage and childbirth ceremonies. According to these cultures, the two signify different stages in life (Lozny, 2013). New born are assurance that the linage would continue. Marriage on the hand ensures into cultural relations and it is used to combine different groups within the tribe. The other ceremonies include initiation ceremonies that represent the transition of people from one from of life to the other (Moylan, 1999). Ceremonies are used in this culture as a tool of unification given the fact that different parties are involved while celebrating. The unity outline in this culture is essential in any organization given the cross-cultural components. Superstitions The traditional culture believes in certain aspects and ensures members within the society desist from certain practices. According to Moylan (1999), the Mapuche respects the elderly and have mutual respect to nature. They believed that specific herbs and vegetations performed specific duties. The trees were used for rituals and other ceremonies. It is considered a taboo to use specific tress to build or perform specific chores. The tribe also specifies roles to be performed by male and females. Considers are outline for men who perform specific chores designed for the female gender. The society believed in harmony and those evil forces where the reason as to why people falls ill (Ladio & Lozada, 2006) Appeasing evil spirits would restore harmony. The spiritual leaders played integral role and going contrary to these believes may result to years of bad lack. The interaction between unmarried men and women is outline and limitation set to ensure dignity among the youth. Conclusion Cross- cultural approach is essential in connecting the human elements. A person seeking to interact with various culture need to take this approach to ensure effectiveness in service delivery. The Mapuche have specific believes that may limit interaction. Superstitions are the obstacles that would ensure effective delivery of services. Understanding these believes would be essential in ensuring proper models are in place. Religion is a source of moral values and using Mapuche’s culture one can design values that reflect the immediate environment. Core moral values would determine what practices a firm and other organization would place to ensure effectiveness. Any practices that contrast cultural beliefs should be reviewed to ensure models do not conflict with cultural practices. The human service field is about interacting with the human element and studying their ways of life should be essential while designing proper service models. Reference Bacigalupo, A. (2010). Shamans of the Foye Tree: Gender, Power, and Healing among Chilean Mapuche. University of Texas Press. Ferroro, G. & Andreatta, S. (2014). Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Ladio, A.H. & Lozada, M. (2006). Patterns of use and knowledge of wild edible plants in distinct ecological environments: a case study of a Mapuche community from northwestern Patagonia. Biodiversity & Conservation, 13(6) 1153- 1173. Lozny, L. (2013). Continuity and Change in Cultural Adaptation to Mountain Environments: From Prehistory to Contemporary Threats. New York: Springer Science Moylan, L.A. (1999). The Mapuche Indians of Chile: Politics, Resistance, & Tradition. Retrieved from http://www.mapuche.info/mapuint/Moylan990400.html Read More