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CULTURAL THREADS: INVESTIGATING THE INTERCONNECTIONS OF
TRADITIONS, RELIGIONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVES ACROSS
DIVERSE CULTURES
D . B. P iyadha ishini
Assis an P o esso , Depa men o English
Kongu Enginee ing College
p iyadha ishin[email p o ec ed].in
Ms. V. P iyanka
Assis an P o esso , Depa men o English
Kongu Enginee ing College
p [email protected]
h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17283441
Abs ac
In oday’s inc easingly in e connec ed wo ld, human di e si y mani es s as a ib an cul u al mosaic,
whe e adi ions, belie s, and sys ems coexis unde a global oo . An h opology, o en desc ibed as he “mos
humanis ic o sciences and he mos scien i ic o he humani ies,” p o ides a comp ehensi e lens h ough
which we explo e human o igin, iden i y, and cul u al exp ession. This pape del es in o he ield o cul u al
an h opology and i s ele ance in unde s anding and p ese ing indigenous knowledge sys ems and
eligious belie s. By examining he p ac ices o dis inc communi ies such as he Bishnois o Rajas han, he
ibal dwelle s o he Sunda bans, he Iban people o Malaysia, and he Ashan i o Ghana, he s udy highligh s
how deeply oo ed cul u al and eligious adi ions con ibu e o en i onmen al conse a ion. These
communi ies demons a e ha spi i uali y and ecological awa eness a e no mu ually exclusi e bu
in ica ely wo en. Th ough olklo e, i uals, aboos, and sac ed my hs, hey o e aluable insigh s in o
sus ainable li ing. Ul ima ely, he pape unde sco es he impo ance o espec ing cul u al he i age as a
means o os e empa hy and p omo e ecological balance in a apidly mode nizing wo ld.
In oduc ion
Explo ing human di e si y, uni y, and cul u al in e connec ions in a globalized wo ld. The
wo ld is a mass global illage in a uni ied se ing. In his cul u al mosaic, di e si y h i es as
people om all co ne s o he wo ld coexis unde a single oo . Though he people li e unde
one oo , hey ha e a ious belie s, sys ems, adi ions, cul u es, and beha io al pa e ns.
Despi e sha ing his uni ied se ing, indi iduals main ain a ich apes y o sys ems. This
di e si y is he co e o ou collec i e humani y, medi a ing on he coun less ways in which we
comp ehend and in e ac wi h he wo ld. While ou de ia ions may a imes seem as , hey
inally en ich ou global communi y, o e ing a mosaic o pe spec i es and expe iences. Mu ual
espec and unde s anding o he cul u e os e s empa hy, allowing us o unde s and he
complexi ies o in e connec ions.
The e m An h opology is de ined as he “mos humanis ic o sciences and he mos scien i ic
o he humani ies”. A s udy abou human beings can be easu ed as a powe ul gem o a
p ecious s one. The s udy o An h opology is an in e es ing as well as a as a ea. Many
con empo a y w i e s dwell on he opic, whe e i has eno mous scope as a discipline. In a
b oade sense, he s udy answe s many ques ions like wha we mean by being human, he
o igin, he commonali ies among humans, in how human beings s and di e en om o he s.
The e is no one single s o y a ailable o explain An h opology. The e olu ion o his ield has i s
oo s in he his o y o ideas, goes back o he ancien G eeks, which has lo s o in ellec ual
adi ions, and con inues wi h he e olu ion o man’s place in he uni e se. To simpli y his
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b oade a ea o s udy, i is di ided in o se e al specialized sub-disciplines. The majo di isions
o an h opology a e Cul u al an h opology, biological an h opology, linguis ic an h opology,
a chaeology, applied an h opology, and social an h opology. The an h opologis belie es in he
eali ies, e en s, and p ocesses ha shaped human
Cul u al An h opology Examines Human Socie y om P imi i e o Mode n Socie ies
Cul u al an h opology deals wi h he belie s, p ac ices, and cul u al sys ems o a g oup o
people se led in a egion. An h opological heo ies and me hods can be applied o s udy he
a ious cul u es. Cul u al an h opology includes a b oade s udy o a pa icula eligion’s
iden i y, eligion, kinship a is y, ace, sex, class, mig a ion, economic p ocess, e hnic g oups,
and many mo e.
B anches o An h opology
The adi ional ep esen a ion o cul u al an h opology pe ains o esea che s po ing o e
inaccessible communi ies in dis an lands, he ac uali y is mul i ace ed. Cul u al an h opologis s
in he ea ly 21s cen u y in es iga e all kinds o se ings, and can wo k anywhe e ha he human
ace li es. An h opologis s e en wo k online, ollowing e hnog aphic ai s o p esen -day
ealis ic domains. An h opologis s do ieldwo k all o e he wo ld; some o hem e en conduc
esea ch in hei home coun ies. To s udy he cul u e o he wo ld is he passion o many
cul u al an h opologis s. Lewis Hen y Mo gan and Edwa d Tylo , du ing he 1800s, did a
compa a i e s udy on cul u al sys ems. Thei s udy e eals ha all cul u es exis ing in he wo ld
e ol e a ound h ee s ages, which a e “Sa age y, ba ba ism, and ci iliza ion”. Howe e , F anz
Boas s ongly opposed hei ideas and s ongly belie ed ha e e y cul u e has i s e ms and
should no be mingled wi h he human e olu ion heo y. The ollowe s o F anz Boas we e
Al ed K oebe , Ma ga e Mead, Ru h Benedic , and Zo a Hu s on.
The cul u e o A ica can be iden i ied h ough he p ima y sou ces om he la e colonial
e a, because he s udy o Cul u al an h opology as a discipline o igina ed in A ica, in he la e
1920s wi h he a i al o he ained B i ish social an h opologis B onislaw Malinowski and A.
R. Radcli e-B own. They began hei ieldwo k a he end o he 1920s. la e , Gulli e as an
e hnog aphe , began his s udies in a a ie y o con ex s in cen al A ica. His ield wo k has long
las ed o mo e han wen y yea s. Du ing he i s six yea s he wo ked wi h he Ngoni and
Ndendeuli people o A ica. Gulli e in oduced a b and-new way o desc ibing social ela ions,
he concep o ‘ac ion-se ’.
India gi es an incompa able oppo uni y o an h opological su ey. The coun y shoo s a
line o ib an complexi y o languages, eligious belie s, cus oms, and adi ions ha ha e
de eloped and in eg a ed o e ime, boun i ul o a new cul u al p ophe . The Indian ci iliza ion
has i s deep oo s in he ancien ex s and sc ip u es. The Holy books like he Rig eda, he
Yaju eda, he Sama eda, and he A ha a eda we e he s anding p oo s o an h opological
insigh in India. i desc ibes he people, belie s, and hei way o li e om ances al India.
Howe e , he sys ema ic s udy began du ing he B i ish Colonial pe iod. G.S. Ghu ye,
M.N.S ini as, I awa i Ka e, Sen, and He be Risley we e he key igu es in he discipline o
Indian an h opology. The Indian an h opologis ha e hei key indings in he ollowing a eas:
Cas e Sys em and Social Mobili y, T ibal S udies, Religion and Ri uals, Language and Iden i y,
Gende and Sexuali y.
Unde s anding Cul u al An h opology
As he wo ld unde goes speedy u baniza ion and economic p og ess, conse ing i s ich
cul u al inhe i ance becomes ine i able. An h opologis s p ojec s an una oidable ole in
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eco ding and upg ading he p ese a ion o con en ional cus oms, p ac ices, and a is ic o ms
ha a e a dange o being los . Religion and cul u e goes hand in hand mo e o less i can be
iden i ied as wo sides o a coin. Religion which is an in eg al pa o cul u e can be explained as
a belie , a commi men o an unknown powe which can be ealized bu canno be p o ed. Ka l
Ma x iden i ied eligion as “ he opium o People”, F eud ad oca ed ha eligious belie s a e
ules o egula ion ha s ops he humans om he wo s an i-social eple e. Emile Du kheim a
F ench sociologis , de ines eligion as “a uni ied sys em o belie s”, Cli o d Gee z an Ame ican
an h opologis explains eligion as “a se o symbols”. Fo an h opologis s, bo h o hese
explana ion will be help ul because eligion eckon such a ied human concep and expe iences
as cul u al s uc u es, se s o cogni i e con en , a belie o awe, and a ligh o mys e y. While
a ious eligious g oup and p axis some imes un beyond wha can be d aped by a simple
ela ionship, we can gene ally de ine eligion as a common sys em o belie s and p ac ices
poin ing he undamen al in e ac ion o na u al and supe na u al phenomena. In a nu shell we
assign a meaning o eligion, we mus di e en ia e some inciden al concep s, such as spi i uali y
and wo ld iew. Religion emb aces imma e ial hings such as belie s, alues, no ions, hough s
and no ms. I can be adjunc o launch some sha ed signpos s.
Among he a ious eligions in he wo ld he e a e some common ai s p e ails, which
ecei es he a en ion o many an h opologis s. The s udy u he aces he commonali ies
among he di e se g oup o people unde he label cul u e and eligion.I is also amusing o
no ice when he eligious belie mee s wi h na u e and adi ion.
E olu ion o Cul u al An h opology
In he a id landscape o Jodhpu ( Rajas han), es s an unequaled and ecologically awaken
communi y named as he Bishnoi communi y. The people o he communi y a e bes -known o
hei deep-sea ed lo e o na u e and wildli e. They s and as he li ing examples o he conco d
be ween humans, animals and na u e. The people o Bishnoi communi y wo ships he Hindu
god Vishnu and hey ollow Gu u Jambheshwa , a enowned sain belongs o he 15 h cen u y.
Thei way o li ing is based on he wen y-nine p inciples o he sain . The people belie e ha i
is hei du y o p o ec he na u e and wild li e, hey ha e he peculia habi o eeding he baby
animals and hugging he ees. Because o he e o o his g oup o people he en i e a ea is
co e ed wi h g eene y among he a id landscape. Many na ional and in e na ional
o ganiza ions ecognized he communi y as Eco-wa io s. The Bishnois communi y people a e
known o hei b a e y and sac i ice in sa ing na u e om human ic imiza ion. Many
examples can be aken while e e ing back o hei his o y. In he yea 1730 mo e han h ee
hund ed Bishnois died o p o ec Kheji i ees om being cu down o buil a o , a woman
ma y named Ami a De i, hugged a ee and laid down he li e in o de o sa e a ee. When
he B i ish we e abou o cu he ees o ade pu pose he Chipko mo emen ga he ed
hund eds o i s deploys and p e en ed he ees be o e cu ing.
The Sunda bans,lies in he sou hwes e n pa o Bangladesh a la ges del a o es . In he
yea 1987 i has been selec ed as a wo ld He i age si e, and u he i was announced as a
ese ed a ea in 1989 by UNESCO. In he mang o e o es li es a di e se g oup o people, named
Munda, Maha o and lodha ibes.The peoples om di e en egions se led in he o es o he
pu pose o ade and shel e . The people li es in close p oximi y o he Sunda bans di e se
wildli e. Su i al in his locali y is ex emely challenging.The people encoun e s he Bengal
ige s which s ands as a majo h ea o he dwelle s.In his ime o eligious di isions, an
unusual a he same ime an amazing hing happens in his a ena, i is Bon-Bibi- a die y who is
e e ed by Hindus, Muslims and Ch is ians alike in he Sunda ban o es s. He ale indica e
some o wha makes his locali y so unique.I is a e y amous olklo e o he Sunda ban egion,
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‘Banbibi Jahu anama’. I o eg ounds he need o ha monious exis ence o humans and na u e
in he wild-in es ed land o he Sunda bans. ‘Banbibi Jahu anama’ ells abou a wise man in he
o es in e ed g eedy and amalgama ed o sha e any o he woods esou ces wi h human-
beings. Th ough his spi i ual po ency, he ook he o m o a ige called Dakshin Rai and killed
humans who encoun e ed he o es . He legi imized he human dea h as ax emi ance. Bonbibi,
a dei y is belie ed o p o ec he people o his egion om he dange ous c ea u es o he o es ,
especially he bengal- ige is in e pene a ed wi h he mys ic cha ac e , Dakkhin Ray, he king
o he sou he n egion o Sunda bans.
The unusual en i onmen o Sunda bans uni ies he woods and i s wild li e close o his
descendan s which is ha d o deal up wi h on one side and bene icial on he o he . The woods
s ands as he sac ed land, he place o he sa iou Bonbibi, and he dwelling o ‘Dakshin Ray’,
he p o ec o o i s easu e. He de ends he easu e o he o es in he p e ense o a e ocious
ige , a h ea o li e. He p esen himsel only be o e Bonbibi, he owne o ‘A ha oba i’. The
dei y, Bonbibi ep esen hope and li e. All hese belie s, goes along wi h he my h, eligious
i uals and supe na u al i es and he ha sh eali y o s uggle o su i al in e mingled in o he
ma ix o hei cul u e and o med a dis inc eco-cen ic su i al, holding ac oss he bounda y
o cas es and c eed.
The A ican O igins o Field An h opology
The con en ional li e-s yle o he Iban an eceden s no ably in luenced he shaping o hei
synch onic cul u e and he i age, e en ually h eading he dis inc iden i y ollowed wi hin he Iban
communi y oday. Roo ed p o oundly in na u e, Iban cul u e unde gone a complex p ocess o
de elopmen al lea ning, c oss-cul u al exchanges, and socializa ion. Tugang (2011) depic ed wo
ca dinal aspec s o Iban cul u e: angible a i ac s and in angible p ac ice. Bo h di ision in e wine
closely, wea ing a weal hy apes y o Iban beques . A i ac s, can be coun ed om day- o-day
objec s o ce emonial componen s, inca na e complex unc ions and hold di ine signi icance,
passed down h ough gene a ions as easu ed cus oms. D a ing inspi a ion and guidance om
he na u al wo ld, he people a ully c a ed hei cul u e s ongly oo ed in hei en i onmen ,
o ming an abiding bondage be ween cul u e and na u e. Th oughou he ages, hese cul u al
adi ions, me iculously candied by an eceden s, ha e been join ly emb aced o build he uni ed
iden i ica ion o he Iban people. Key o hei cul u al no ion is he belie ha hei li e-s yle is a
sac ed gi om Pe a a, a supe io dei y. As pe Iban’s o al adi ion, he kinship be wix he Iban
and Pe a a aces back o a my hological ime when hey co-occu ed in ha mony a Tembawai
Tampun Juah. A e he e en ual pa ing o mo al and di ine ealms due o con lic , he Iban
ollowed he eachings gi en by Pe a a, hus sus aining hei cul u al he i age. Th ough o al
ansmissions, he legacy o Pe a a and ances al wisdom pe sis s as he co ne s one o Iban
iden i y, esona ing h oughou hei communi y o his day Wi hin he Iban communi y, hose
adhe ing o adi ional belie s hold a s ead as con ic ion ha blessings emana e om he
bene olen na u e o he gods, obliging humani y o ecip oca e h ough i uals and o e ings
(Masing 1997:23). Consequen ly, in ea lie imes, he celeb a ion o adi ional es i als among he
Iban, ma ked by eligious song and o e ings, held supe icial signi icance as a pos -ha es i ual.
The pe eg ine li es yle p e alen among he Iban descendan p o oundly in luenced he
e olu ion o hei cul u e and he i age, de ining he essence o hei ecogni ion as obse ed
wi hin he mode n Iban socie y. Roo ed in he na u al en i onmen , Iban cul u e unde wen a
mul i a ious biological p ocess and c oss-cul u al in e ac ions.
In Ghana, be ween he ele en h and hi een h cen u ies se led an e hnic g oup named, The
Ashan i, in he deep ain o es s. The p ima y o m o go e nmen al and social g oup o his a ea
was he Ashan i ibe, which has ies o o he g oups o Ghana om he o igin. Na i e cul u al
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exe cise played a momen ous ole in he imp o emen o o es s wi hin a ionalis ic
communi ies in he Ashan i pa o Ghana. Taboos, my hs, belie s, p o e bs,and songs we e
essen ial adi ional me hods used by he Ashan is o e icaciously p ese e hei o es s.The
woods, such as he Numa oa, long-las ed ill da e owing o he s ic ega d o aboos, my hs,
and pedagogy’s in p o e bs handed down by ances o s.As pe hei sys em ce ain days in he
yea we e conside ed as di ine, ‘ aboo days’, du ing ha pe iod en y in o hei a ena was
o ally es ic ed. The people o ha communi y belie s ha i allows he en i e ecosys em unde
es om an h opological ac i i ies.The people inhe i ed he ain o es om hei o e- a he s
and conside s i o be an abode o espec i e dei ies, exal ing ene a ing ea and close
p o ec ion o he ain o es . The communi y us s ha he P o e bs and songs s esses he
impo ance o conse a ion and p o ec s human ac ion ha may lead o des uc he o es .
Some inciden s can be ecoun ed whe e some o he na i e o hei communi y iola ed he
aboo day ule and en e ed in o he ain o es on a o bidden day, ha pe son was no able o
en e he o es again o se e al yea s. I is belie ed he man was able o en e he o es as
soon as he elde s o e ed animal sac i ices o paci y he gods.
Conclusion
The espec o cul u al p ac ices, eligious belie s, and adi ions c ea es a se ene
a mosphe e o p o ec he ancien lands, which in u n inc eases he p oduc i i y essen ial o
human li e. To conclude, cul u al h eads ac oss di e en socie ies o en mee on a sha ed
ene a ion o he en i onmen . Th ough a ious belie s, my hs, songs, olklo e, and p o e bs,
communi ies ac oss con inen s demons a e a deep- oo ed ela ion o hei ecosys ems. These
cul u al commonali ies se e as a di ec ional o ce, uni ing a ious coun ies in he p o ec ion
and conse a ion o hei en i onmen . By upholding con en ional p ac ices and ega ding
sac ed spaces, communi ies play an impo an ole in p o ec ing he delica e scale o he
ecosys em. In an e a well-ma ked by en i onmen al dispu es, he lessons augh om hese
cul u al sys ems o e in aluable insigh in o sus ainable coexis ence wi h he wo ld a ound us.
As he human ace con inues o na iga e he complexi ies o ou con empo a y wo ld, holding
and obse ing hese cul u al beques s can pa e he way owa ds a mo e ha monized
ela ionship be ween human and na u e.
Wo ks Ci ed
In oduc o y Readings In An h opology: Edi o s: Simon Unde down, Hila y
Callan, B ian S ee , Philip Hugh Gulli e (1921-2018), Pos ed by E ic Hen y Ap il 30, 2018.
Social and Cul u al An h opology and he S udy o A ica, He be Lewis
In oduc ion o Cul u al An h opology: S udying people and cul u es a ound he wo ld.
Kakali Chak aba y: The Cul o Bonbibi: A Folk Pa adigm in Del aic Sunda bans 55 Jou nal o
His o y, A and A chaeology Vol. 1, No. 1, 2021, pp. 49-61 © ARF India
Mo ibundi y o Iban T adi ional Fes i als: Impac on T adi ions and Cul u e ROBERT MENUA
SALEH, Ph.D.
The Use o Indigenous Cul u al P ac ices by he Ashan is o he Conse a ion o Fo es s in
Ghana
Abayie-Boa eng A. (1998). T adi ional conse a ion p ac ices: Ghana’s example. Ins i u e o
A ican S udies Resea ch Re iew, 14, 42-51.
