Introduction
Cultural diversity is an important foundation in human advancement and offers an array of beliefs, practices, and traditions observed by different people worldwide. The Forest People by Collin Turnbull is a fascinating ethnography report which focuses mainly on the Mbuti, a pygmy community living in the Ituri forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The beauty of cultural diversity is explored by analyzing the similarities and differences between the Mbuti pygmies and the people living in the USA.
The book delves into the culture and lifestyle of the Mbuti and how they survive in the forest. Some key lifestyle events that elaborate their culture include hunting and gathering, spiritual beliefs, and dances which explain their connection with their natural environments. Although cultures differ, they are all customized to meet the needs of the people in their natural habitats.
Similarities Between Mbuti and the American Culture
Mbuti’s way of life may not be the same as that of the people in the modern USA, but they share numerous similarities. The diverse cultures aim to live in harmony and security among the people. One common similarity is the economy and how the community fends for themselves. For example, modern people in the USA work and get their salaries, after which they get food in the supermarkets and groceries (Boyette et al. 211). On the other hand, the Mbutis in the forest have to work, such as preparing bows and arrows for hunting, and after the hard work, they have food. Analyzing the similarities can be understood in three main ways, community life, worship and rituals, and well-being.
Community Life
Cultures of unity are present in both cultures as the people live in groups and connect. Although the two communities may express their cultures differently, their motive is similar. For example, the Mbuti people live in camps as an extended family with traditional gender roles where the eldest directs the other people. They maintain their community work through communication and the basic rules and regulations guiding their interactions.
In the modern-day USA, community life is also encouraged as people live in families and communicate with each other to pass the basic instructions (Turnbull 10). The nuclear family resembles the community living in the camp. The people in the USA have improvised more advanced technologies to strengthen relationships. For example, telephones and social media platforms play the role of uniting the community.
Worship and Rituals
The Mbuti and the modern American culture believe in religion and that a supreme being takes charge of the people. In the USA, religion exists in the community, such as Christians who pray to their God in case of their different needs and perform different rituals. For example, people undergo baptism to practice their faith.
On the other hand, the Mbutis in the forest also pray to their gods and perform rituals to help them overcome some of the challenges (Turnbull 17). For example, they pray to their gods to give them strength to succeed in the hunting spree before hunting. Although the people live in different and diverse environments, the culture of spirituality and belief in a supreme being is practiced in both regions.
Well-Being
Health and well-being are important parts of life; every culture has people who help others attain health and well-being. Both communities have set out frameworks to help people achieve their well-being. In the forest, the people in every family have herbalists who combine herbs to ensure well-being among the people. A designated person treats the illness whenever a Mbuti person falls ill (Boyette et al. 241). In the USA, there is an advanced culture of medication where people are admitted to hospitals whenever they are sick to help them recover. Although the two communities live in two different geographical regions, the cultures are similar in how they attend to the people whose well-being has not been affected.
Three Events in the Book That Are Similar to Real-Life Experience
From the observation by Turnbull, it became clear that there are some events and cultures that resonate with the human experience both in the USA and the people of the forest. One example of the events that marked transition was the initiation ceremonies among the pygmies, where the people transitioned from one period of life to the other (Turnbull 31). After initiations among the Mbuti people, boys were expected to become responsible human beings.
One of the most important responsibilities was to start searching for food and places with favorable conditions so that the people would move to them once the place they were living had depleted all the food available (Turnbull 41). In the US culture, different events mark the transition from one period of life to the other. For example, during a graduation ceremony in a university, students are expected to transition from one period of life to another with different responsibilities added.
Christians in the American context conduct different forms of worship and prayers to fulfill their needs. For example, a person may pray and fast to achieve a particular aim in life. People pray before going to interviews and other special events. On the other hand, people in the forest also have activities such as praying to the lord of thunder or the rainbow before heading to their hunting escapades (Turnbull 8). Both events show that the cultures believe in a supreme being who controls life, and people are devoted. Both religious practices accept death as an act of God and mourn after the loss, followed by rituals as the people are laid to rest.
A significant event was the death of Balekimito, who died an old age. There were numerous feelings of sadness and grief, and the people buried him as they learned from his teachings (Turnbull 61). Similarly, people in the USA accept death as an act of God, but close relatives and friends mourn their dead before the burial is conducted.
Mbuti people believed in dance and music to express their spirituality and appease their gods. While the people in the forest value singing and dancing as worship, the same events are practiced in modern American culture. For example, churches and other places of worship are marred with singing rituals (Turnbull 15). Singing is, therefore, an event that is present in both cultures regardless of geographical location.
Despite the USA being geographically far from the Ituri forest in the DRC, songs are instrumental in the ways of life of the people in the region. Further, songs and dances are an integral part of daily lives in the forest as women sing and dance as they move to collect nuts and mushrooms (Turnbull 21). In modern USA society, people also listen to music as they proceed with their normal duties.
Cultural Differences Between Mbuti and People in the USA
Despite the sharp similarities between the people’s way of life, numerous differences keep the two cultures apart. The economic development and way of life differ despite the motive being feeding their families. While the Mbuti people are largely hunters and gathers, which are semi-nomadic, modern American society is largely industrialized, and people rely on both formal and informal employment (Turnbull 24). While the USA economy is largely capitalist, the Mbuti are socialists as they hunt together, and the food they get belongs to the family.
However, the socialist form of life is most appropriate for the people in the forest because if they are to adopt capitalism, some of the people who are not strong may not survive in the forest. On the other hand, capitalism is also appropriate for Americans because capitalism increases competition and makes people work harder to improve their lives. Despite the difference in cultural and economic status, the motive is to make life bearable for the people.
Equality is an important societal factor, and people are treated according to class. In the Mbuti culture, the egalitarian social structure is practiced, and all the people are considered equal and have the same access to opportunities and food in the region (Turnbull 29). On the contrary, Americans use the hierarchical system where people are treated based on their social status in the community (Boyette et al. 248). For example, when a job opportunity is advertised in the USA, people can work based on their qualifications. The hierarchical system makes the USA life different from life in the forest.
Learning is an important parameter in the life of a society. The Mbuti people do not have formal educational institutions and depend on the elders to teach the young ones using word of mouth. The knowledge is passed from one generation to another. Learning is majorly through observation and experience gained in doing the same work over and over (Turnbull 34).
On the other hand, the American people rely on formal education to acquire knowledge and skills to learn the professions and other experiences to assist in their daily activities in life. Although the cultures differ, they serve a similar purpose of enlightening the people in the regions. The cultures are well suited in the regions because of the terrain and the source of livelihood. Since no schools exist in the forest, the young learn through observation. Their learning suits their way of life as they can hunt and gather. The culture in the USA is also appropriate for the people because they have to learn to access employment opportunities.
Reasons for Cultural Diversity
Cultural diversity is a set of different beliefs, languages, traditions, and customs within societies. Cultural diversity encompasses different human experiences observed across environmental, geographical, and social factors that affect people. It acknowledges that people come from different backgrounds, may experience diverse cultures, and must be treated differently (Siregar 37). Diversity is manifested through various ways of life, such as language, music, dance, social norms, and beliefs. Embracing diversity means that a person may view the world from different perspectives.
Benefits of Cultural Diversity
Cultural diversity enriches the human experience and enables people to be more creative and solve problems by viewing the world differently. Diversity helps in preserving heritage and helps preserve the history of people. For example, holding cultural fairs in the USA where people from around the world showcase their cultures helps maintain their heritage. Cultural diversity has socio-economic benefits such as tourism which is experienced when people travel from one region to another to experience (Siregar 39). Cultural variations are valuable because they help people improve social cohesion by understanding differences between people in society and therefore help people coexist in harmony.
The Implication of All People Having Similar Culture
It would have positive and negative implications if everyone had a single culture. The positive implication is that the people would be able to communicate effectively, experience unity and harmony, and have an easy travel system as all people exercise similar cultures. Global citizenship will be enhanced as there will be no cultural shock. People with similar cultures experience similar customs and expectations (Siregar 38). Further, the legal system would be simplified if everyone shared a particular culture because the conflict resolution mechanism is similar. Therefore, there would be ease in the solution of the conflicts.
However, the negative implication of having similar cultures worldwide includes losing cultural heritage as people would abandon their traditional beliefs to embrace global citizenship. Further, personal identity would be jeopardized, leading to resistance and alienation as those willing to preserve their indigenous culture will rebel. Since diversity enhances innovation and helps people view life from different perspectives, having a singular culture practiced worldwide would hinder creativity and limit people to one perspective on the world’s affairs. (Siregar 39). The world must embrace cultural diversity for development and prosperity.
Conclusion
Cultural diversity is a spectacular concept that shows the uniqueness of cultures and how people view life from different viewpoints. The ethnography of the forest people shows the importance and beauty of cultural differences. Despite the Mbuti experiencing life in the forest, their unique cultures make them survive. Their way of life may differ from the modern people in the USA. However, their culture suits their environment as their unity enables them to hunt and gather effectively for their livelihood. No difference between the USA and the Mbuti culture can be considered superior because the cultures are customized to meet people’s needs.
Works Cited
Boyette, Adam H., et al. “Social Ties in the Congo Basin: Insights into Tropical Forest Adaptation from Bayaka and Their Neighbors.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society vol. 377, no.1849, 2022, pp. 202–251. Web.
Siregar, Iskandarsyah. “The Existence of Culture in its Relevance to the Dynamics of Globalization: Bahasa Indonesia Case Study.” International Journal of Cultural and Religious Studies vol.1, no.1, 2021, pp. 33-38. Web.
Turnbull, Colin. The Forest People. Random House, 2015.
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