Whitehead offers diverse cultural dimensions and views culture as a collective phenomenon partly because it is shared by individuals who might have lived or still share a similar social environment (83). A national culture refers to a set of customs, beliefs, and behaviors which are practiced by a certain segment of a population within a given jurisdiction. Of greatest importance to note in this paper is the national culture of the Mi’kmaq. It is a dominant Canadian Maritimes tribe. The level at which some of its practices are similar to those of native Arabs has also been discussed in this essay.
Various studies on cultural diversity and practices of different nations point out that at the national level, the daily life, oral tradition, and spirituality of diverse societies are to some extent more culturally homogeneous (Girard 84). One such study by Hornborg shows that even though national cultures differ on the level of values which a majority of a nation’s population holds albeit unconsciously, how they relate with each other and their daily lifestyle practices are similar (213).
The Mi’kmaq and ancient Arab national cultures show similarity in the way they carry out and value their practices such as respect for elders and warriors. It is vital to mention that and elders in society were given the utmost importance and dignity owing to the roles they played (Boosahda 107). This respect was also given to rocks, sun, rivers, and animals. They were believed to possess a spirit and therefore regarded as human beings.
Walls uses the cultural value theory to demonstrate how national values influence the style in which different members in a given society conduct their traditional practices at individual and group levels (214). Among the ancient Arabs and the Mi’kmaq societies, the explicitly or implicitly shared cultural values are represented by abstract ideas the societies had on what was considered desirable, right, and good (Boosahda 120).
Some of the values such as respect for elders, better relationships, security, and freedom usually form the bases of specific norms that guide society on the appropriate step to take in a particular situation were similar among Arabs and Mi’kmaq societies. Whitehead points out that the unconscious values form the basis of national cultures and as such, could be similar in response to circumstances that keep on changing. The said circumstances are influenced by rituals, heroes, and symbols among other national cultural practices (85).
While it may be difficult to directly observe the similarity in the culture of separate societies, Gu is of the view that a learner can easily refer to it from verbal exchanges and daily societal activities (93). Whitehead argues in his cultural model that cultures of different societies are based on different independent dimensions that include short-term or long-term orientation, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity or femininity, individualism or collectivism and power distance (85). The argument by Whitehead points towards how societies operate culturally.
Conclusion
In summing up, the cultures of the Arab and Mi’kmaq are a result of their assumptions, beliefs, and values. The artificial part of their culture is influenced by the perceptions that they have on their social environment. Similar cultural practice is often a factor that is brought about by the prescribed behavior of a particular society. These behaviors are shaped by perceptions that are similar across the board.
Works Cited
Boosahda, Elizabeth. Arab-American faces and voices: the origins of an immigrant community, Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2010. Print.
Girard, Philip. Lawyers and legal culture in British North America: Beamish Murdoch of Halifax, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2011. Print.
Gu, Sharron. A cultural History of the Arabic language, Jefferson, North Carolina: Mc Farlan and Company Inc., Publishers, 2013. Print.
Hornborg, Anne-Christine Mi’kmaq Landscapes: From Animism to Sacred Ecology, London: Ashgate Publishinhg Limited, 2008. Print.
Walls, Elizabeth No need of a chief for this band: The Maritime Mi’kmaq and Federal Electoral legislation, 1899-1951, Vancouver: UBC Press, 2010. Print.
Whitehead, Ruth Holmes. The Old Man Told Us: Excerpts from Míkmaq History 1500- 1950, New York: Nimbus Publishing, 2004. Print.