An Analysis of the Semai People of the Malay Peninsula Research Paper

An Analysis of the Semai People of the Malay Peninsula - Research Paper Example In the case of the Semai too, this is true. Their unique model of a society is based mostly on the needs of their mode of subsistence. The unique manner in which modern society has permeated the society of the Semai having left untouched certain features of their value systems is astonishing. The Semai people have not become a part of the Malay society; there are however, intermarriages that lead to the descendants leaving the community sooner or later. The importance of the Semai for most anthropologists lie in the position that they occupy within the debate as to whether humans are innately violent or not. People on either side of the barrier, especially during the time of the Vietnam War, appropriated the customs and beliefs of the Semai people to argue their beliefs. With an increasing emphasis on Freudian analyses in the twentieth century, the peaceful Semai’s ways began to be scrutinized more closely. The peaceful modes of their living were seen as an instance of repress ion. The violent tendencies that were supposedly repressed over centuries through a cultural system could apparently burst forth any minute according to certain commentators. The instances where they have indulged in violence have been sporadic and exceptional. Even though both sides of the spectrum are not free of tendencies to exoticize the Semai, the fact remains that they are a peace-loving tribe that lives a life that is unique and in many ways, unaffected by the ways of modern societies and economies (Robarchek and Dentan, 1987). Many ways of saying the same story have led, according to certain commentators, to distortions in the way that the Semai have been perceived. This is mostly done for the purposes of the people in power at any given point of time (Rawski and Ngah, 1998). Since the Semai do not enter into the process of representation and its politics, the representations of the west are the ones that dominate. The reason for this peaceful organization of society can be traced to the commitment that the Semai demonstrate towards their mode of subsistence-horticulture. They mostly employ the methods of slash and burn agriculture. This refers to a mode of agriculture where a particular space in the forest is cleared by cutting down the trees in that area. The place is then burnt. This results in the production of a great amount of ash that can assume the function of the fertilizer. Following this preliminary preparation of the field, sowing of the grain is done. Both women and men are a part of the process of cultivation. This also reveals the gender relations in the society of the Semai. Both men and women are considered to be equal in this society and they are both a part of the decision-making processes of the society. Since women are a part of the process of the production of food, they are also entitled to a say in other matters as much as men are. Women also perform domestic chores such as cooking and fetching water. The important thing to not e in this regard is that women are not forced to do these activities and they can also be done by the men of the society. No work is considered to be the exclusive field of members of a particular sex. This is a refreshing change from patriarchal societies that exist in most parts of the world. Food is also acquired through the process of hunting, trapping and fishing, with most of these activities

No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

No topic - Essay Example Initially, the Colosseum was an entertainment, which later ceased to be earlier in the medieval era. It was reused as housing, workshops and Christian shrines. Due to the uniqueness and stability of the building, the Colosseum has influence the modern architecture in almost all aspects. Modern stadiums are using the Colosseum architectural design to ensure that the stadiums are strong enough to accommodate the maximum number of spectators. The structure of the Colosseum was unlike other Greek theatres built into the hillsides, as it was wholly a freestanding structure (Croci 1996). The outer wall is assumed to have used a thousand cubic meters of travertine set without mortar. For this reason, they were held together by three hundred tons of iron clamps. The influence the material and technology in the design of Colosseum Romes technological superiority was constituted in the Roman civil and military engineering in which the Colosseum monument remains a testament and icon in the mode rn architecture. Colosseum was unlike other Greek theatres built into the hillsides, as it was wholly a freestanding structure. It gets its structure from the two Roman theatres. The outer wall is assumed to have used a thousand cubic meters of travertine set without mortar. For this reason, they were held together by three hundred tons of iron clamps. The outer wall has got a height of forty-eight meters (Croci 1996). The central arena oval shaped is 87m long and 55m wide. The arcades in the second and third floors framed statutes may be to honor the divinities. There were a two hundred and forty corbels positioned at the top attic .they support the Velariuz that kept the spectator – from and rain. They had canvas-covered and net –like structures made of rope and had a whole at center. These structures covered a range of two-thirds and went down to the center to capture the wind and give a breeze to the spectators (Massazza and Pezzuoli 1982).