Intro to Sociology Assignment paper

Sociology Assignment Paper

Observation of an Individual’s Culture Different to Mine

Sa’Lerial Williams

College of the Mainland

Professor Sabido

Intro to Sociology

July. 26 2019

Observation of an Individual’s Culture Different to Mine

For this sociology assignment paper, I have selected a group of people to whom I met at an event related to their festival. These people are Nepalese, and their culture is totally different from my culture. One of my friends took me to their event with him; a boy named Bhatt was my friend’s friend, who is from Nepal. Bhatt is an Asian male, I just got amazed at the initial introduction I started observing their culture in detail and was mesmerized. I just loved their culture and that’s why my topic of sociology paper is Nepalese culture. I have observed a lot of things in that event because there was a vast range of Nepalese traditional dresses, food, ways of celebration, etc. and later I also researched a lot about their culture. Individuals of Nepal usually greet others with Namaste as a customary salaam, as they did when I was in that event that is widely practiced in most of the nation. This group is approximately 23 million Nepalese who made 69 diverse linguistic and cultural groups, additionally recognized as ethnic associations existing in various parts of the country (Gopal & Verma, 1977). Essentially every ethnic group has their different clothes, vocalize their dialects or languages, and develop their religious traditions. People live under various distinct environmental and geographic familiarizations, from the low fields near the border of India, northward into the central valleys and hills of Mahabharata Mountain, and up to the tremendous manifest lowlands of the Himalayan region.

Languages: In Nepal commonly, there are a couple of significant groups of people located in high Himalayan range Tibetan font (Bhot Burmese or Tibeto-Burman) and low hill to Indo-Aryan (Bharopeli) mid-hill origin societies. Region of Himalayan villages groups who speak Tibetan origin Gurung of Manang, Tibetan Sherpa, Dolpo, Mustang district and Thakali of high plain of Mustang are observed in subalpine to Tran’s regions of Himalayan. The best recognized are the people of Sherpa who have achieved world fame and attention because of their skills of mountaineering. The word “Sherpa,” in English signified as a mountain leader, and Bhatt my friend's friend is from Sherpa, he had extraordinary skills and strength.

Sub-cultures: In the mid-hill frequently located Chepang, Gurung, Sunwar, Rai, Magar, Tamang, and Limbu groups, as well as different Mongoloid groups, exist in these areas. In towns, Kshetri, Punjabi, and Marbadi where different diverse groups are located. The groups of Magar, Gurung, Limbu, Rai, are popular in the world because of Gurkha solder.

Geography: In Terai Plain Lal (Mithila), Yadav, Jha, Singh, Majhi, Rajput, Kshetri, and many more people populate in the dun plains where various professional collections are existing and remaining forced collectively by the beliefs of harmony and peace (Mikoš, Vilímek, Yin & Sassa, n.d.). Mithila groups of Terai are famous for their official folkloric arts and landscapes. However, frequently either residing in the Terai region or hilly district, their basic occupation is traditional agriculture broadly utilized.

Symbols: The culture of Nepal has various symbols from Buddhist and Hindu roots. Symbols like decorated walls, buses, and trucks, and Promising symbols, including the ancient Hindu emblem and trident of Shiva. Other important symbols are the images (plow, sun, and tree) applied to favor governmental gatherings. Their national animal is Achham cattle Zebu, which became their symbol too. The national animal is Himalayan Monal pheasant, national dance is the Newa dance, and the national instrument is the folk Madal drum. All these things have become a symbol of their identity in the world and a way to keep tradition going.

Ethnic Relations: The community consists of various cultural, linguistic, and racial groups that are frequently classified within three general classes: indigenous Nepalese, Tibeto-Nepalese, and Indo-Nepalese. The Indo-Nepalese emigrated from India across many centenaries; following Hinduism, speaking the language of Indo-Aryan and have Caucasian backgrounds. They have improved primarily in the river valleys, Terai, and the lower hills.

Social Construction: Nepal holds a vastly diversified homeland of different ethnical associations and has the typical social structure of a family. In general, residing in the joint family arranged hometown, understanding and respecting individual socio-inherited guidance period to period is observed in Nepalese. Persuading physical desire simply in people is limited; men and females socialize distinctly both after and before marriage with group functions. Usually, the wedding is planned by parents with the assistant of a wedding consular known as "Lahmi," I found this culture is very impressive. But now a day, love marriage is likewise famous between new generations. People have the right to take their spouse and choose their prospective happy. There is no method to answer that society of the Nepalese endured unscathed by global developments, information technology hugely affected the new generation, largely in main towns and villages of the world and chose various interesting techniques.

Castes and Classes: Historically, class and caste situation correlated with each other, by the most leading ranks becoming the most massive land, political, and capital impact. The lowest castes people couldn't hold investments or support knowledge. Although rule, class relationships do not more important set class features have acquired present-day cultural delamination: Untouchables remains to be the weakest division of the community when the upper classes manage to be prosperous and politically powerful. When the property is, however, the ultimate standard of money, few classes that practice in enterprise and business have managed properly under contemporary democracy than own landowning classes. Developments in the political and financial system have presented few chances for branches of historically disadvantaged classes.

Social Stratification Symbols: Ethnic and caste groups are frequently identifiable through both environmental features and techniques of clothes and embellishment. Certain symbols of ethnic identification forward with characteristic styles of cuisine, dance, and music remain to be necessary. In their culture, Hindus caste is the national caste.

Principal Occupations: Essentially, people of Nepal are connected in their cultural occupation which is farming. Almost all the people who are residing outside of the city go their subdivision farmland where they breed various cash crops and main vegetables seasonally. Approximately 76 % of Nepal's total population still refers to the cultural farming practice as their primary root of the economy and remaining of performing different works as hospitality tourism, government officials, goods trading, general manufactures, cottage industries, and others. Altogether, however, approximately 33 % of the total population is dependent on farming.

Food culture at Ceremonial Events: At marriages and different major life-cycle celebrations, festivals are usually entertained by the parents immediately connected, and various visitors are welcomed. At such occasions, it is customary to seat visitors on sewn grass rugs on the floor outside person's house, frequently in series distributing classes and acknowledging personalities of high class. The menu is sub served on leaf plates that can be efficiently placed off and I loved this leaf culture. These cultures are similar to many others, change by class -ethnic groups and are developing fast to satisfy new flavors.

Basic Economy: The vast population of Nepal is sustenance farmers who produce vegetable, wheat, barley, millet, maize, and rice. At moderate heights, farming is the primary source of income, while at greater heights agro pastoralism controls. Numerous homes keep and goats and hens. Nevertheless, some households own infinite than a little amount of water buffalo, yaks, or cows because the mountain topography doesn't give grazing property for healthy animals (Ueno, 1995).

Gender Roles and Situations: In the division of labor by gender, only men push, when carrying water is usually thought work of women. Women collect fodder and firewood, wash clothes, care for children, and cook. The man works the more massive farming businesses and regularly involved in pottering, sales, and other jobs outside the community. Both women and men work materially requiring labor, although the woman manages to serve more lasting hours, hold limited free time, and depart younger. In metropolitan regions, men are considerably more inclined to operate outside the house. Frequently, cultural possibilities are accessible to both women and men, and there are ladies in professional situations (Maslak, 2001). Women likewise continually serve in household businesses as dressmakers and shopkeepers. Kids and older individuals are an important expert on family labor. In farm groups, young kids gather firewood, protect younger kids, and mind animals. Older personalities may work on community assemblies. In metropolitan regions and more substantial cities, kids attend school; rural kids not surely, depending on the concurrence of schools, the performance demanded of them at hometown, and the availability of tutors (Maslak, 2001).

The Comparative Status of Men and Women: Women frequently define themselves as the weaker caste concerning guys and frequently involve a lower social status. Nevertheless, the opportunities and independence possible to ladies range extensively by ethnic community and class. Ladies of the most powerful classes hold their public movement, it’s important to parents and class character. Women of weaker classes and groups frequently perform a more significant pay-earning part, have higher versatility, and are also blunt about men. Roles of gender are gradually changing in metropolitan cities, where more substantial amounts of women are getting an education and seeking the workforce.

Kinship, Family, and Marriage: If we talk about marriage, Nepal is patrilocal, the couple would move the husband’s community and patrilineal, through the male line. Planned weddings are the standard in mainstream society because matches shape meaningful social relationships among classes when a kid attains grown-up age, the elders of a family are accountable for determining a fitting partner of the relevant class, social stratum, and education level.

Property and Land Ownership: Historically, some of the landowners continued various farming land. Public servants frequently were spent in property privileges, ruling their area on absentee support and raising taxes from resident -farming workers. Since the years of the 1950s, resolutions have moved to create and preserve the powers of occupants, though without the land redistribution.

Dress: There is a very special dressing fashion in Nepalese as a nation is moving homely of multicultural and lingual collections personalities. Most Nepalese ethnic groups have their different technique of clothing according to culture and county. Nepalese costume for men is dress pants, a dress shirt, the Daura Suruwal and Dhaka Topi. The women of Nepalese wear sari-like clothing called Kurta Suruwal consisting of a blouse, the Kurta Salwar, and loose pants. More specifically in the towns mainly, young people, both women and men frequently costume in western-style clothes while older women frequently use Kurta Salwar and the Saries blouse.

Belief about Religion: Nepal is a multi-religious nation in the society such diverse ethnic communities exist with their style of spiritual exercise, culture, tradition, language and lifestyle, besides every union of peace in the community. Hindu religion followers are approximately 80 % of the entire population who lives in the east to west of Nepal. Following the north to Maha Bharat range, Buddhist religion is approximately 10 % of the entire population who lives near the Himalayan range to mid-hill. In cities and valleys united, Muslim religious people are 4 % of the entire population and the remaining of people are from other religions who live in various parts of Nepal (Dali, 1970). In the Hindu population, each ritual celebration managed through the reverend (scholar), in Buddhism society there is Lama (priest), and in the Muslim community, there is Mullah.

Socialization: Some family ceremonies identify critical steps in a child's developing, including the first haircut and the original flavor of rice. While a daughter arrives youth, she passes by a phase of seclusion in which girls are banned from staring at male members of the family. Although she gets unique food and is not required to work, the practice is an affirmation of the deterioration associated with girl reproductivity and sexuality (Kawatoko, 1995).

Did we talk about cultural relativism with Bhatt and his culture, yes! I did experience ethnocentrism mostly when I was eating food and comparing each dish with my cultural food. I was judging many things while also enjoying the discovery of his culture. I experienced linguistic relativism because of the people’s language and accent. According to my observation Bhatt and his people’s culture contributed a lot to this world. Our world would be so boring if all the people followed only one culture, each culture has its importance, and Nepalese culture gives us awesome art, food variety, traditional dances, music, and we can enjoy the essence of the Himalayans.

Work Cited

Dali, D. (1970). Traditional Beliefs from Nepalese culture in Relation to Obstetrics. Journal of Nepal Medical Association, 23(4). doi: 10.31729/jnma.1501

Maslak, M. (2001). A community of education: Nepalese children living and learning religious ritual. Culture and Religion, 2(1), 61-79. doi: 10.1080/01438300108567163

Ueno, N. (1995). The social construction of reality in the artifacts of numeracy for distribution and exchange in a Nepalese Bazaar. Mind, Culture, And Activity, 2(4), 240-257. doi: 10.1080/10749039509524704

Kawatoko, Y. (1995). Social rules in practice: “Legal” literacy practice in Nepalese agricultural village communities. Mind, Culture, And Activity, 2(4), 258-276. doi: 10.1080/10749039509524705

Gopal, L., & Verma, T. (1977). Studies in the history and culture of Nepal. Varanasi: Bharati Prakashan.

Mikoš, M., Vilímek, V., Yin, Y., & Sassa, K. Advancing culture of living with landslides.