More Fieldwork

Please view the Pioneer. They are a devoted and kind people!

http://we-pioneers.blogspot.com/

Ritual Classification

When considering what sort of rituals the Takanir are engaging in, it is important to classify them as there are different kinds of rituals. The Takanir marriage ritual that was described in the previous blog appears to be an ideological ritual; a rite of intensification. The entire village participates in the production of food, all common spaces as well as homes are decorated, and very special accommodations are made for the bride and groom through the making of their marriage cart (for their ride around the village) as well as for their community-built home. These are example of group cohesion through shared values. The consumption of the usually-taboo meat, lighting of the religious dignitary fires, and the meshing together of the flags as a sign of past to present continuity are all intensifiers that make this ritual an ideological ritual as well as a rite of intensification.

The ritual the Takanir participate in annually to celebrate their government is most certainly a revitalization ritual. All villagers celebrate what it means to be Takanir for a three-day period, and all villagers collectively and joyfully dress up in jewelry, wear paint in honor of their dignitaries, and participate in Kiwqud (a special Takanir dance that has been known for thousands of years). There is chanting and singing of old Takanir songs in Yarewiq and the community preparation of food and beer. The incorporation of Takanir religion is evident socially because the Takanir flag is hung next to a flag of the Zebra god. This ritual creates unification and replenishes and revitalizes the community on what it means to be Takanir and the patriotic pride therein. It provides group cohesion and deep feelings of communitas.

The religious ritual held once a month for the Zebra god appears to be an exchange ritual. While this ritual does provide the Takanir with communitas and it does display a collective representation of Takanir culture and thought, this ritual is done to maintain connection with the Zebra god. The Takanir religious ritual is so significant that a specific time and place is designated; it is socially unacceptable (as well as offensive to the Zebra god) to participate in something else. If deaths occur, they are not revered separately, but incorporated, displaying ultimate necessity. The seemingly unorganized style of this religious ceremony is to allow Takanir to make known through individual Means their glorification and love for the Zebra god. The lack of a leader or shaman is necessary not to taint this individual Process of worship. In exchange for this individual worship and glorification, it is assumed that the Zebra god will Shed love and favor on his children. To not make these offerings could result in a breach in such favor, and the Zebra God may remove Himself from the Takanir because of their lack of appreciate and reverence towards him.

The Takanir birthing ritual would classify itself as a protective ritual. Unlike the other rituals listed in the present post, the Takanir birthing ritual is very structured. It is necessary That certain procedures are carried out to maintain the health of the child. The quiet public anticipation of news of the child’s safe birth outside the expecting house, the waiting of seven days for the child’s public presentation, the creating and presenting of toys, and the passing around of the child for prayers are all indicative of a protective ritual because they are all done to make sure the child properly comes into the world. To not give a gift to the child and to not participate in the prayer circle could result in illness for the child, or worse, the child may not accept Takanir faith. This protective birthing ritual is necessary for the child’s physical and cosmological introduction into the world.

Ritual Process

Marriage ritual in Takanir culture is extremely precious because of their extraordinary emphasis on relationship.  Marriage means taking on the animal dignitary of your husband as a wife, or as a husband extending your personal dignitary to your wife.  Believing that the Zebra god has graced his people with the possibility of unity, the entire village (and often surrounding Takanir villages) joins in the marriage ritual. Marriage is not arranged and individuals are free to choose or decline, man or woman. Anyone, so long as they are sixteen years of age can initiate the desire for a marriage by asking the individual with their entire family present. The age sixteen is considered the age of a truly adult man or woman in Takanir culture. An individual does not need familial approval to partake in a marriage, but it is considered respectful to asked in the presence of your loved ones. The ritual for a marriage celebration lasts seven days. Its purpose is to create a social understanding of marriage in combination of a religious understanding of marriage. The first day, the entire village partakes in acquiring food for the celebrations that will ensue in the following days. Beer is prepared as well, for later use within the week. The second day is when the decorating occurs as well as the continuation of the gathering of food and the beer production. The entire village is filled with flowers, and the common space (often used for meetings and social activities and the like) is decorated. All of the wooden benches in the common space are adorned with flowers and greenery, and every door of every hut is expected to follow suit. Meat is taboo in Takanir society, but it is eaten at births, deaths, and marriages. A group of a few men (including the groom) are sent out to kill a zebra to bring back for the marriage meal. It is eaten to show that the Zebra, physically by being eaten, becomes a part of the marriage. The rest of the village eats the meat as an act of consensus; proof of the sacred marriage. The evening of the second day, a cart is prepared and decorated with flowers and greenery, as well as silk blankets for the couple to ride around in. The couples stay in their respective family’s homes until the next morning (the third day), when the entire village meets at sunset. Carrying food and water, the couple is chauffeured around the village in a cart, with all of the townspeople singing and chanting Takanir songs of joy in Yarewiq.  Upon the ending of the travel (re-arriving back at the village), a ceremony takes place in which the meat is eaten. The bride and groom exchange the bracelets they made for one another (as seen as the cultural symbol of a marriage in blog one) and they paint themselves in their respective dignitaries colors to symbolize their new kinship. The entire village is also freshly painted as their dignitaries, so as to add to the switching of kinship.  Fires are lit representing each dignitary, the zebra, and the to-be-married couple with flags beside the fire painted to represent each group. Those of each affiliation stand by each designated fire. Thus, the zebra fire would have no individual by it; it is made specifically to honor the Zebra god. People would stand by their flag and fire. The marriage flag is painted dually as each individual’s previous dignitary, so as to represent the crossing over of the woman’s after the ceremony is complete. The entire village prays over the couple to the Zebra god. There is no religious “shaman” of any sort, so much of the ceremony is not lead by a specific person. However, many of the older Takanir direct the ceremony as it goes, as the as it goes, as they are often in control of the process of the food and beer production. The bride sings a song to the Zebra god, a Takanir bridal chant, in which she thanks the Zebra for allowing her to be protected by her husband’s dignitary and how she will raise in her children in the way of the Zebra. The groom sings a chant to the Zebra god, a strictly male Takanir song, promising to look over his family and avoid violence at all cost. Then, the village sings in celebration and beer and zebra meat is respectively drunk and eaten all evening. On the fourth day, the newlyweds go to a hut for the following three days, which is especially designed for those just married. It is far off from the village, at a mile’s distance, and they are sent off with a myriad of food and gifts from the villagers. The remaining four days, the villagers drink and eat and build a hut for the newlyweds. Upon their return, on the seventh day, one last celebration is had. This celebration is performed without meat, and is mostly based upon the consumption of beer and nuts. The end of the seven days accomplishes the acceptance of the couple back into the village in a respectable, community-built Takanir home.

At the first of every month all Takanir participate in a sacred ritual in reverence to the Zebra god. Assuming a twelve month, 365 day calendar, it is imperative that the ritual occurs on the first day of every month. Weddings never occur on this day, and births and deaths are simply incorporated into this ritual. It is thought to be a very special, beautiful occurrence if one dies or is born on the first of the month --- one is assumed to be in communion with the Zebra god. The ritual is mandatory, and everyone meets in the middle of the village at sunset. Everyone paints themselves the color of their animal dignitary, as well as with white and black stripes to assume union with their god. Everyone goes out into the forest during the day to gather wood and rocks, and a huge bonfire is built in the middle of the village. Chanting occurs for the first few hours after the fire has been attended to.  Then, chanting ceases and songs and prayers written for the Zebra god ensue until the following day’s sunrise. It is not uncommon for someone to begin a song or a prayer, and for many of the people to join in unison. There is no leader of this ritual, nor is there any specific course of events. This seemingly simple ritual of painting oneself, lighting a bonfire, chanting, singing, and praying is very precious to the Takanir because they so firmly believe in an individual relationship with their Zebra god. To have a shaman or leader would ruin and possibly taint this direct interaction. The purpose of this ritual is to glorify the Zebra god and it accomplishes such worship as well as deep unity and sense of communitas amongst the Takanir.  

The Takanir, as has been previously mentioned, are a people of peace. War is atrocious and disgusting to the Zebra god, and Takanir are taught to believe all people are created equally. However, this does not take away from their intrinsic, deep-rooted feelings of patriotism.  Celebrating their institution of government on the first of the new year, the Takanir engage in a patriotic ritual lasting three days.  Much preparation for food and beer occurs in the days leading up to the first of the new year, and by sunset everyone is painted (as always) in their dignitaries colors. Women bead and make beautiful jewelry for this patriotic occasion, and everyone in the village is seen sporting some sort of beaded or weaved jewelry. A large Takanir flag is hoisted up through a structure made of bamboo trees, and the flag has the symbols shown in the first post of this blog. The religious symbol of the Zebra is painted on a flag hoisted up next to the Takanir flag. Everyone is given a torch that has been previously collected and the young men play drums. The women, men, and children engage in a dance called Kiwqud (pronounced KEE-QWA).  Performed in two lines, one of men and one of women, the two parties face each other for this dance, never touching but always twirling and tapping to the drums. The older men and women smile and laugh and often prepared the food as this dance occurs, sometimes joining for a few moments.  This dance is special to the Takanir, because it is a dance their ancestors danced upon first coming to land the Takanir have been on for thousands of years. Singing occurs to the Zebra god after the Kiwqud, and people dance in jubilee and praise around both hoisted flags with their torches. Often masks are put on meant to look like each dignitary, and sometimes children act out little plays with adult encouragement. Then food and beer is eaten, and the dancing ensues until sunrise. This occurs three nights in a row.  The simple act of dancing and singing is important to the Takanir because it is a purposeful celebration of being Takanir.  Hardly ethnocentric, this may appear impromptu; that is quite the purpose of this annual patriot ritual. The Takanir look to accomplish pride in their communities without cultivating ideas of individuality or superiority. To be Takanir is to be joyful, to be peaceful, and to celebrate the precious animal dignitaries as well as the Zebra god. This ritual accomplishes patriot pride without arrogance.

All of the rituals thus far have been exciting, filled with dancing and beer, and they are seemingly unspecific and broadly celebrated.  The kinship ritual done for birth, however, is extraordinarily structured. When a couple is expecting, they are treated with the utmost dignity and respect.  Many of the women will visit the pregnant wife and help her with her chores and her other children if they are present. Men often bring the expecting husband food or simply visit to amiably discuss his soon-to-arrive child. Upon going into labor, many of the older women and men who are most deeply respected help the expecting mother and father by coming immediately to their hut. This is precisely when the ritual begins.  The village does not immediately or loudly celebrate; in fact, they fall silent. The entire village waits outside the home of the to-be-parents quietly, and from a distance. It is considered extraordinarily rude and insulting to be loud or to talk while a woman is trying to birth a child. They all continuously kneel and pray to the Zebra god for a safe and healthy birth. This occurs until the baby is born; quietly one of the older Takanir will come out and say the gender of the baby and verify the safe birth that has occurred. There is not any clapping or smiling amongst the faithfully praying Takanir, nor is there between the messenger and the recipients. Life is too beautiful and too sacred. Everyone immediately and careful gets up to make a gift for the child. Flowers, greenery, and hand-crafted toys are placed in front of the new child’s home for days to come. It is imperative that the child, according to Takanir folklore, not see anyone other than its parents and siblings for a week. Once that week has expired, the child is brought out for a ceremony. The night before this seventh day (the day the child will be brought out), a few men go out to hunt a zebra. As aforementioned, meat is eaten during marriage, births, and deaths only. The entire village gathers outside the home of the parents, waiting for the emergence of the couple and their child. Before arriving, everyone washes themselves and unusually, they are not painted with their kinship colors. The baby is carefully and delicately passed around. Each villager says a prayer for the child while holding it. These ceremonies can last hours, but it is absolutely necessary for the Takanir. Then, pieces of meat are passed around to assume communion with the Zebra god and his favor and protection for the child. The purpose of this ritual of praying, gift-giving, aholding the child, and meat-eating is important because birth is considered sacred and numinous. The entire village must welcome the baby because if the baby does not receive this all-encompassing, drastically large prayer circle ceremony, the baby could come down with an illness because it has not been touched by all of the community, or worse, the child could not accept the Takanir faith. It accomplishes the solidifying of the child in their community as well as in their faith in the Zebra god.

Considering a life-cycle ritual, or perhaps a rite of passage, the Takanir consider children as “coming of age” once they have experienced their dream, given to them by the Zebra god. Before the dream, children are protected by the Zebra god himself, but they are not protected by their family’s dignitary as are the rest of their family. This dream always occurs before the age of ten. Van Gennep’s ideas of separation, liminality, and re-incorporation are quite present in this ritual. Separation occurs when the dream occurs; the child is no longer protected by the Zebra god specifically, nor is he fully protected by his revealed animal dignitary. There is a process that must occur before this protection is fully incorporated. The completion of this process occurs in the liminality stage. The child, once having this dream and understanding his new protector, must go out into the forest for one evening alone. He is not allowed any food, water, or weapon; he must have full faith that his new dignitary will protect him and show him the way until the following morning. Quite terrifying, the child cannot rely directly on the Zebra god, and must trust the Zebra god and his decision to give the child his revealed dignitary. However, this process takes faith – the child will never be protected by the new dignitary without this overnight stay in the woods. Thus, to be reincorporated, this child must go through this overnight liminality with the absolute presence of faith – he is betwixt and between. If and when the child returns, he is considered reincorporated, and fully protected by his dignitary.

Fieldwork

I just recently did some ethnography on a beautiful people named the Balena! Please view their culture on the link below;

http://1alphanumerical.blogspot.com/

Symbol Theory

            The symbol of the flag, which identifies the Takanir institution of government, can most certainly be classified as a condensed symbol in terms of Victor Turner’s dominant symbol theory. The reason the Takanir flag can be viewed as condensed is because it represents a variety of vocations and meanings across Takanir culture. Not only does the flag represent unity and continuity of Takanir culture, but it also represents the five animal dignitaries, as well as the precious Zebra God. Takanir see their flag and feel that it represents them as a people-group; it distinguishes them from other cultures. But much more than that, the Takanir are able to distinguish their own personal place within their culture by viewing the five colors and understanding which of the colors is indicative of their personal dignitary. The outline of the flag is black as are the dividing lines between each dignitary’s colors. This purposeful coloring depicts their religious belief in the Zebra god and His encompassing ability to protect the Takanir as well as interconnect the Takanir people with their dignitaries. The variety of vocations the flag takes on to each member of Takanir culture is what qualifies it as a condensed symbol.

            When considering the symbolic leg paint of the Takanir, which displays the Takanir institution of family and kinship, the leg paint expresses a second qualification of Turner’s dominant symbol theory - unification of disparate significata. The leg painting (though kinship paint is certainly not only limited to one’s legs in Takanir culture) signifies kinship by tying together family relation, a specific familial dignitary, social acceptance, unity, as well as the ingesting of power from the dignitary.  The colors painted on each family member are the colors of their specific animal dignitary; the symbol on the blog post below is that of two kin painted as their dignitary, the giraffe. While first and foremost, these colors represent one’s kin’s personal guardian, the paint is also indicative of social status. To be painted is to be kin, but also to be a part of Takanir society; to not be painted is to deny kin, and worse, to deny one’s animal guardian.  The painting not only instills ideas of kinship and unity, but also social order and status. In addition, however, the Takanir often paint crimson paint in addition to the other paint previously discussed so as to encourage the positive powers of the dignitary to seep into Takanir blood.  Thus, unification occurs in the Takanir kinship symbol to bring together the separate ideas of family relation, one’s family dignitary, unity, social status, as well as the absorption of dignitary power.

            The religious symbol for the Takanir is that of their Zebra god’s stripes. This symbol may appear extraordinarily simplistic, but the Zebra god’s stripes as a religious symbol are actually quite polarized; polarization, of course, is the last qualification of a dominant symbol theory. When considering the sensory pole, the colors of black and white give way to deep emotionally physiological reactions from the Takanir. As mentioned in the blog before, just seeing these two colors co-exist will result in immediate prayer and worship. However, the colors of the Zebra god have deeper, ideological meanings. The stripes and colors display the reasonable, judicial, impeccably fair nature of the Zebra god and the lack of any other colors imply that the Zebra god is not capable of making the emotional mistakes of many human Takanir. The Zebra god represents the continuation of peace, justice, and protection in Takanir society as well as the perpetual intervention of chosen animal dignitaries.  The contrasting difference between the sensory pole and the ideological pole is clearly depicted in the Takanir’s religious symbol.

May the reason and judgment of the Zebra be with you all your lfe.

            The Takanir are a large, peaceful tribe living in various parts of the country Zadakir. Usually small in stature, the Takanir are agile and nimble, constantly moving throughout the rainforest, savannahs, montane forests, and sometimes even the lowland forests of Zadakir country to forage and search for sustenance. There is a wide variety within the population in regards to age as well as physical appearance. Takanir men and women have a myriad of tones of skin colour, eye colour, and hair colour, more diverse than any other tribe in the world. Because of the robust differences, ideas of ethnicity or race are foreign and unheard of in Takanir culture. They do not find contact with the outside particularly surprising or shocking because of this interesting biological staple.     

             Linguistically, the Takanir speak a language called Yarewiq. Appearing rudimentary to the untrained ear, Yarewiq is a mixture between Spanish and French with occasional tongue inflections similar to that of Swahili. While it is very difficult to learn, the non-verbal mastery of communication the Takanir have makes contact much more accessible. The mean age of the Takanir is just as diverse as their appearance and linguistic independence. Any given tribe will have newborn babies as well as men and women well into their eighties. The collective Takanir population ranges anywhere from three hundred to four hundred, however the tribes vary in their location throughout the different regions they inhabit. The climate is usually very hot and humid due to Zadakir’s location near the equator; however, there is a consistent amount of rain received in the rainforests. While there are a wide variety of animals to hunt, the Takanir never consume meat except for very specific rituals involving birth, marriage, and death because of their mythological beliefs.  They forage for nuts and fruits and often produce corn and rice near rivers. They also eat a wide variety of non-poisonous insects.

            The Takanir have a very distinctive mythological origin, affecting their belief on what is appropriate to use as nourishment. Believing that animals are sacred and wise creatures, the Takanir believe that the Zebra is superior to all living things. The Zebra is worshiped because he is assumed to be a wise, rational creature who compassionately and reasonably dictates nature. Because Zebra’s are black and white, black and white markings are considered sacred and beautiful and are consistently used and cherished in almost all rituals. The Takanir find color deeply symbolic, and assume the distinctive, colorless stripes of the Zebra to be indicative of his judicial nature not easily led by emotion. Older Takanir often tell the story of how all animals in Zadakir shared the forests and lands and lived harmoniously and tranquilly amongst one another because of this impartial direction of the Zebra. Assuming the Zebra to be the god of all other animals, the Takanir firmly believe the Zebra directs animal guardians to individuals. However, the Takanir’s chosen guardian is dictated directly by kinship. By puberty, all Takanir adolescents have dreams in which the Zebra enlightens them and personally indicates to them that they are also under care from their family’s designated animal. It is considered greatly disrespectful to appropriate a guardian for oneself that is a symbol for another family; this sort of disrespect is considered deeply offensive to the Zebra and the individual is often cast out of the tribe for months at a time until the tribes believe the individual has truly reconciled with the Zebra. However, the Zebra does not direct just any guardian as the Zebra does not trust every animal in the forests and mountains. The Zebra has five specific dignitaries in which he assumes trust and preservation of his people; the lion, the cheetah, the giraffe, the parrot, and the elephant.  Each family has had one of these guardians since the beginning of time, and will continue to do so. The reason it is so sacred to keep one’s familial animal guardian is because part of Takanir cosmology is the deep-rooted belief that death results in the “becoming” of one’s family’s animal guardian. 

          When considering institutions, the Takanir, as I have previously made clear, are deeply religious in regards to the esteem they hold for the Zebra god. Meat is rarely eaten as respect for the Zebra and his dignitaries, and he is consistently prayed to for wisdom and favor. The Zebra’s colors appear in many other institutions of Takanir culture, and it is not uncommon to see people paint the colors of the Zebra on themselves while summoning His wisdom. Meat is eaten only during birth, marriage, and upon death, and such meat is never from a creature that appears to be mirroring the dignitaries or the Zebra. (Takanir believe that any form of the Zebra or his dignitaries, even if numerous, is the god or dignitary himself). Highly ritualized, meat from an okapi or perhaps an ant-eater is often used because the blood from meat is thought to symbolize finality. Below is the simply symbol of stripes drawn by a young Takanir child before praying.

 Color symbols are so important to the Takanir, because there are so many indefinite expressions of culture within colour. Here, black and white represent a distinct separation of emotion resulting in reasonable, judiciary capability.

            Marriage is considered deeply powerful, and below are bracelets worn on the ankles of marriage partners. The black and white cords are symbolic of the Zebra’s wisdom, and the colors are symbolic of the man’s guardian which the wife will take on after marriage. This picture represents marriage partners who are protected by the giraffe dignitary. The black and white is indicative of the Zebra god's wisdom and approval, while the yellow and brown represent features of the giraffe. Braid patterns are made to symbolize the Zebra joining together the man and the woman, and men always have twice as many cords (in this case six) to indicate their necessary strength and leadership in such a lifelong commitment.

Family and kinship is expressed through the perpetual painting of the body. One’s family is recognizable immediately because of the colors of paint all over individual people. The paint colors vary by the animal the family assumes to be the guardian. Seen here is the kinship paint of two Takanir adults, both painted like their dignitary, the giraffe. The deep, crimson color seen here is often added as the Takanir believe the circular bands around the leg mixed with a blood-red color band will encourage the ingesting of the animal's strengths into the bloodstream.

           The Takanir equate religion and government quite synonymously. While they do not have any specific structure, all the tribes in the Takanir are firmly aware of their personal animal guardian, and assume the strengths and weaknesses of the animal they are protected by. Pictured below is a rudimentary flag all Takanir tribes claim. Quite forward and direct, this symbol has a color representative of each animal dignitary. The red is for the parrot, the brown for the lion, the yellow for the giraffe, the orange tinge for the cheetah, and the gray for the elephant. The black lines display the reason of the Zebra sending forth these protectors to His people.