An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

619 Pages·2007·30.62 MB·English

by  Robert Harry Lowie

AN INTRODUCTION TO
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
AN INTRODUCTION
TO
CULTURAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
A NEW AND ENLARGED EDITION
BY ROBERT H. LOWIE, PH.D.
PROFESSOR OF ANTHROPOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
RINEHART & COMPANY, INC.
PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
First Printing April, 1940
SecondPrinting February,19)1
ThirdPrinting Junc,19J,'f
FourthPrinting March,19^6
FifthPrinting October,19't6
SixthPrinting June,1947
COPYRIGHT,1934,1940,BYBOBERTH.LOWIB
PRINTEDINTHEUNITEDSTATESOFAMERICA
BYJ.J.LITTLEANDIVE8COMPANY,NEWYORK
ALLBIGHTSRESERVED
TO MY WIFE

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
The original purpose of this book was to provide a
topical survey of culture, with the emphasis on elemen-
tary facts. For lack of such preparatory orientation, I
believed and I continue to believe, advanced students of
the social sciences, including anthropology, and even
young scholars launched on a professional career, remain
pitiably at sea. They are sometimes found working with
the subtlest problems when they have not the faintest
idea how these fit into the general framework of civil-
ization. Apparently the book has fulfilled its humble
mission in the English-speaking world; and the French
translation, Maniiel d'anthropologie culturelle (Paris:
Payot, 1936), is said to have proved useful in Franceand
in South America.
However, teachers of anthropology in this country
have urged amplification, requesting chapters on Lan-
guage and Theory, as well as descriptions of typical cul-
tures in their totality. The present edition is meant to
satisfy these demands without undue enlargement.
The tribal sketches, which occupy a large portion of
the supplementary space, have received .special care.
First, I have tried to demonstrate the range of cultural
possibilities by bringing out qualitative differences as
well as varying degrees of complexity. Hence, chapters
on^ Albania and Western civilization no less than on
Fuegia and Australia; on incipient and on intensive
farmers; on cultivators of rice and of maize; on hunters
and on herders. But pedagogically little is gained by a
multiplicity of names; for that reason the number of
these sketches is limited and, so far as possible, tribes
already rather fully considered in the topical survey are
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
viii
reintroduced in Part II so that cross-referencing may
economize space.
Second, even at best descriptive completeness is not
possible and should not be aimed at even in outline.
Indeed, the effort to treat all peoples according to one
scheme distorts the pictures. The proper procedure is to
view any one group according to its distinctive empha-
ses: government cannot be ignored in the merest sketch
of the Shilluk, but requires no explicit discussion in a
chapter on Fuegians. On the other hand, cultural indi-
viduality is best depicted by contrast, and accordingly
comparisons have been freely used.
Finally, thepeoples dealt with are not merely so many
specimens of social patterns, but also exemplify broad
principles of cultural process. Accordingly, these have
been stressed at the close of the several chapters.
Careful perusal of what is now Part I did not suggest
the need for radical revision, but some supplementary
information is offered under the head of Addenda. In
compliance with special requests I have also added an
Annotated Reading List over and above the Bibli-
ographical Notes.
To the several firms and institutions that authorized
reproduction of copyrighted illustrations I once more
express my obligation above all to The American Mu-
seum of Natural History, which provided the half-tones
for the chapter on Art; to Field Museum (Chicago);
the Baessler-Archiv (Berlin) Anthropos (formerly St.
;
Gabriel-Modling bei Wien, now in Fribourg, Switzer-
land); Institut d'Ethnologie (Paris); F. A. Brockhaus
(Leipzig) Albert Bonnier (Stockholm) and the Uni-
; ;
versity of Minnesota (Minneapolis).
ROBERT H. LOWTE
Berkeley, California
April, 1940
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
Considerable teaching experience indicates that most
students of cultural anthropology and other social sci-
encesareveiyslow in acquiring an elementaryknowledge
of culture history, and that many fail to acquire the rele-
vant facts and concepts even years after they have
launched on aprofessional careeras anthropologists. The
result is prolonged and needless floundering. This book
is an attempt to forestall such wasteful confusion. De-
liberately avoiding theoretical discussion, it endeavors to
present the essential facts topically. Naturally there can
be differences of opinion as to what is essential for an
introductory treatment. According to my own feeling in
thematter, itisindispensabletostressthesimplesttribea
such as the Fuegians and Australians, and, on the other
hand, to link the culture of illiterate peoples with the
higher civilizations, past and present. Both these objec-
tives have been rather consistently kept in view.
This definition of aim throws open a great mass of
good descriptive material for possible use, and selection
has to be made. Tribes have been chosen mainly for
two reasons: because they illustrate significant points
and because they have been thoroughly described. For
example, the Shilluk illustrate contiguity toahighercivi-
lization and selective borrowing, as well as a sharply
definable conception ofroyalty. Further, theyhavebeen
described by a veteran British anthropologist, a German
< : , *""_ .v and a German missionary who re-
sided in the country for years.
I have further attempted to feature groups that have
not been made to do constant work by general writers
in the past. The atfe&sing of the Murngin, Ona, Mari-
x PREFACE
copa, andShilluk and thevirtual exclusion of the Arunta
will possibly be appreciated as a relief.
In a work of this sort footnotes and an excessive bib-
liography would be pedantry. Citation of literature has
accordingly been relegated to an Appendix, works con-
stantly utilized preceding more specific references for
each chapter.
To my wife I am indebted for keen criticism of the
manuscript and for invaluable help in the selection, ar-
rangement, and execution of the illustrations.
To the several firms and institutions that have au-
thorizedreproduction ofcopyrighted illustrations I desire
to express my profound sense of obligation. I am spe-
ciallyindebted to Field Museum (Chicago), the Baessler-
Archiv (Berlin), "Anthropos" (St. Gabriel-Modling bei
Wien), Institut d'Ethnologie (Paris), F. A. Brockhaus
(Leipzig), Albert Bonnier (Stockholm), and the Univer-
sity of Minnesota (Minneapolis).
ROBERT H. LOWIB
Berkeley, California
August, 1934
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACETOTHE SECOND EDITION vii
PREFACETOTHEFIRST EDITION ix
PARTONE: CULTURE: ITSNATURE AND ITSPHASES
CHAPTER
I: INTRODUCTION: CULTURE, RACEJAND PROGRESS 3
^
YC -'RAp.ial Differences
rading~6TRaces-^RsrcesTifid Mental Traits-
Culture and Race Perspective of Culture History
IJVHUNTING, FISHING, GATHERING 13
Economic Life and Population Hunting and Nomadism
Resourcefulness Planned Hunting Fishing Survival of
Hunting and Fishing Gathering
III: FARMING 24
Women andFarming Effects of Farming Origins Imple-
ments FarmingandStock-Breeding FoodPlants Nature
ofPrimitiveFarming PlantingforNon-DietaryUses Dif-
fusion ofPlants MultipleSourcesofFarming
IY: DOMESTIC ANIMALS 37
TheDomesticationoftheDog Pigsand theCattleFamily
Goats and Sheep Transport Animals: the CameV, the
Horse,andtheDonkey TheReindeer IndependentInven-
tion versus Borrowing Motives for Domestication His-
torical Effects of Domestication
V: FIRE, COOKING, AND MEALS 54
Fire: Uses of Fire Early Methods of Fire-Making
Modern Matches
s
Cooking: Cooking without Vesselsy-Stone-Boiling and
True Boiling Preliminaries and Relishes Storage Tim-
ing of Meals Utensils Etiquette
VI: DRESS AND ORNAMENT 68
Modesty Protection Materials and4 Style Decoration
Mutilations Status Marks Temporary Decoration Gen-
eral Remarks
3d