Australian Aborigines Essay

Anthropology is the study of humanity. In Chapters 3 and 4 of the text we are learning about kinship system. In these selections I will focus on the Australian Aborigines culture. I will also concentrate on the Australian Aborigines and the three specific examples of how the kinship system of the chosen culture impacts the way the culture evolves. This paper will also show how the cultures compare to each other. ? Voluntary controls on fertility for Aborigines were controlled in the form of infanticide. Based on the text infanticide is the killing or the abandonment of new born babies. This practice is usually used when a baby has problem or deformities, which make it hard for the offspring to be taken care of (3. 4 Settlement Patterns). In the United States infanticide would be consider a homicide. In our culture we do have abortions. Some women use abortions for various reason for example health problems, raped, or just plan not ready to be parent. ? ? In Australian Aborigines culture they believe in cross cousin marriage. As described in the text Cross cousins are the children of opposite sex siblings, such as the father’s sister or the mother’s brother. The man in this culture has the right to marry his father sister’s daughter or his mother’s brother’s daughter (3. 7 Social Organizations). In this culture and day and time, we look at marrying cousins as wrong. It is old folk tale that the third cousins are removed but that was some of the older cultures. So now we believe in my family at least that mixing blood so to speak can cause baby deformities. So in our culture cross cousin marriage is prohibited. We also have family reunions to help family members know who there family is. According to Australian Aboriginal culture, all living things were created by ancient spirit ancestors. These stories of creation are known as the Dream-time, or Dreaming. Dream time according to the Aborigines, describes the creation of the earth and how all living things were created and how that affects life and morality (3. 8 Rituals and Religion). We have all different religions in America that’s what makes us as unique as a culture. I am a Christian. I believe Jesus Christ came and save the world from sin. I believe that God came to Moses and that only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. Some atheists would compare us to the Australian Aborigine’s folk tale, but everybody has and opinion. ? In-closing Australian Aborigines culture and all other cultures have examples of kinship systems. What I learned from the text is that through anthropology that all men as an allocated law or system to follow as there way of life, Today society has come a long ways, but still shares the some of the same values. To know where you going, you have to know where you came from. Nowak B. , & Laird, P. (2010). Cultural Anthropology. Ashford University, Discovery Series. Bridgepoint Education, Inc.