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Declaration: I hereby declare that this assignment is my own work and that all sources have been acknowledged by appropriate references.

Theme One Activity 1

Aspects that are crucial to my identity: 1. Christian 2. Female 3. Artist 4. English 5. White

Aspects of a friend belonging to the same group as me: 1. Mother 2. Wife 3. White 4. Female 5. Agnostic

Aspects of a friend belonging to a different group: 1. Zulu 2. Female 3. Black 4. Sister 5. Student

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The choice of putting Christian at the top of my list is because I am a believer and my faith is the most important thing to me. Neither my friend from the same group nor my other friend from a different one felt the necessity to state their religion categorically. The agnostic does not believe its a main factor in her day to day life, and the Zulu believes that her title as a Zulu covers all her beliefs. Each of us chose to list our genders, but the level of importance was different for each of us as the second listed shows that she is a mother and wife, which obviously prelude her gender whereas the last listed and myself are not married and have no children and thus have to put forth our gender higher on the list. While I believe that my profession as an artist is a very important part of my identity, my married friend shows that her position as a mother far surpasses that of a career, while my Zulu friend lists her student self as the least important thing on her list. We all have very different ideas of our identities, but all state gender as one of the most important things. Be it a wife, mother, sister or just stating that one is female; we needed to make that aspect apparent. Perhaps the reason is that gender is related to the roles and identity that are attached to a certain physical appearance and so in stating your gender, youre able to show those roles and appearance without calling them into question. However, when one brings in cultural factors, these aspects of identity can change in context. The greatest difference between my group listed and the group that is not the same, is the aspect of race. People seem to find their race a very important, if not the most important aspect of their identity, and in most cases, people identify more strongly with their own ethnic or race group. Only Study Guide for EWS2601 (2010)

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Activity 2
When is adornment used to meet the following purposes?

1.

To separate group members from non-members:

In the Cameroon, the Bafia people believe that they need to scar themselves in order to set themselves apart from beasts such as chimpanzees or pigs. The method is called scarification and there are specific marks one must have in order to be fully recognised in their culture.
Photographer unknown, courtesy of Allen F. Roberts and the Central Archives of the White Fathers (Missionaries of Our Lady of Africa), Rome.

2.

To place the individual in a gender category:

In The Oxford Encyclopaedia of Women in World History, Judith Butler tells genders. According to Mammas and Pappas Mag, Clothing is also an important medium of ocio-cultural expression; a form of communication. It sends all kinds of messages: who we are, who we want to be and where we come from. It also sends out messages about our age, gender, religious beliefs, cultural beliefs, social status, artistic tastes and political inclinations. (2013) In India, dress clearly distinguishes gender through a variety of means. These include major differences in garment form; the restriction of most of mens dress to sombre and neutral coloursespecially since contact with colonial dress norms; using rich color, texture, or surface design on every aspect of a womens clothing; and restriction of decorative jewelry to women.
http://traffictetris.com/wp-content/images/2011/02/t72/06.jpg

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3. To indicate high status or rank:

People have always marked their bodies with signs of individuality, social status, and cultural identity. Body art communicates a person's status in society; displays accomplishments; and encodes memories, desires, and life histories. In New Zealand, the Maori people have facial tattoos which are especially important for high-born men of chiefly rank.
http://www.tattoo-designs-tips.com/images/maori-tattoos-Maori-tattoo.jpg

4. To control sexual Activity:

In the Cameroon, in order to make them look less sexually appealing, young girls undergo a procedure called breast ironing. Breast Ironing is the act of pounding and massaging of a girls breast using hard or heated objects like stones, pistols and special seed fruits to flatten the breast for them to disappear.

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LCSYvNr6HdM/0.jpg

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5. To enhance role performance and give the individual a sense of identity.

The otaku subculture carries a certain aesthetic in their style and dress. In the attire worn by an otaku, the higher rank they gain from their peers. When an otaku appears more enthusiastic about anime and Japan, then more otaku accept the person and rank them as a leader. The role performance expresses their attitude when wearing otaku fashion. Most otaku are considered nerds in society, but when wearing more anime related clothing and Japanese items the more confident they become within their everyday lives.

http://www.mangaspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Otaku.jpg

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Activity 3
To restrict benefits from mining activities in the area of the Bafokeng chiefdom only to its members is not an equitable endeavour. Firstly, as mentioned in the extract, there is no formal definition as to who the Bafokeng are, and so the benefits could very well be distributed to undeserving persons. These benefits should be shared between the South African Mining industry in order to create more jobs as well as being put back into the environment as a restoration of lands mined. The Bafokeng chiefdom does not rely entirely on their land and the mining benefits arent their only source of income, as such their claim over the profit made from mining in the area they claim to be theirs is not entirely justified. Subnational culture is the identity mobilised to gain access to the rights and privileges mentioned in the extract. The Bafokeng have leveraged their cultural difference to distinguish themselves in the global market, Oomen, supports his viewpoint In order to successfully pursue its goal of being a major player in the global commodities market, the Bafokeng have adopted conventional corporate strategies and outlooks. As a community committed to perpetuating non democratic forms of governance, the Bafokeng Nation has also clung to its status as a chieftainship, communal land administrator, and patriarchal society There is a cultural patina to Royal Bafokeng Holdings that, despite Mokgatlhas comments about the drawbacks of being a communal investor, lends it an aura of uniqueness, potential, and vision. Bafokeng Inc., in fact, relies crucially on the simultaneous pursuit of tradition and modernity, the communal and the private,the local context and the global market place (p.157) Oomen quotes from Chanock, Cultures like brands must essentialise, and successful and sustainable cultures are those, which brand best Oomen, 2005, p.106.

We should look at Sharps 5 main points in his analysis of the so-called retraditionalisation process in South Africa and how they relate to the Bafokeng Chiefdom.

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Firstly, people are often captivated, if only briefly by a characterisation of themselves in terms of a cultural identity, especially when it is associated with apparent rights. The Bafokeng people are caught up in the benefits being offered to their chiefdom from the mining resources on their land. Secondly, a representation of cultural identity and rights in such a way not only imposes limitations, but also offers benefits. The government has already brought up the issue of equitable division of the profits among the Bafokeng people. The elite Bafokeng people use the notion of a traditional past in order for the benefits to fall exclusively to a limited number of people in the chiefdom. Thirdly, people are often locked into a single identity whereas, particularly under challenging conditions, the need the freedom to be flexible. At the time that the extract was printed, there was no formal definition as to who the Bafokeng people really are, or what qualifies one to become part of their chiefdom. If the elites were to draw a boundary, who would qualify and who would not? What would this do to their other resources? Fourthly the notion that clearly demarcated cultural identities have persisted unchanged though to the present is generated not only by the people concerned, but also by their helpers and advisors. The South African Government is contesting that being a Mofokeng first and foremost is part of the chiefdom and have advised the sharing of profits amongst a wider group of people. Fifthly, in a dimension where people do, under certain circumstances, see themselves as part of one or another culture that is clearly demarcated, self-contained and harmonious, but do not see themselves in this way only. The chief, not only styles himself as leader and king to the traditional tribe, but takes on the persona of a CEO, leading a multi-faceted business corporation.

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Activity 4
Williams (2008:1-2) comments that in the past, South African Authorities had been aware of hostility towards foreigners. This was confirmed by Sichone (2003) who noted that some of the immigrants who participated in his study did not live in harmony with the South Africans around them and that many local people resented the presence of foreigners mainly because they regarded them as competing for various resources. There is a constant struggle to find work in South Africa, and the local people believe that if a foreigner is placed in a position, that foreigner has robbed employment from a South African. Foreigners should not be sent back to their countries of origin by our government. Foreigners in our midst are entitled to the support and defence of our law and constitution, Williams (2008: 2-3). Furthermore, some foreigners have gained citizenship to our country because their specialised skill fills a certain need that local South Africans are not supplying. I cannot define any specific limit on immigration, beyond that of employment being offered first to South Africans, before filling positions with foreign people. In my opinion, if an opportunity of employment should arise in a situation where a South African cannot fill it, it should only then be offered to immigrants. I dont believe that South Africas resources are being exhausted by the immigrants mentioned in the extract, as they have come to South Africa to work on, and live off our land. Its a mutual relationship of give-and-take and they are ensuring the smooth running of certain resources in the country.

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Bibliography
Cook, S. (2011), The Business of Being Bafokeng: the Corporatization of a Tribal Authority in South Africa, Current Anthropology, 52(3),(pp.151 159). Demello, M Encyclopedia of body adornment ABC-CLIO, 2007 Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East Facts On File, Incorporated Infobase Publishing, 2009 Engaging With Society: Meeting the challenges of a changing world. Only Study Guide for EWS2601University of South Africa, 2010 Oomen, B (2005), MCtradition in the new South Africa: Commodified Custom and Rights Talk with the Bafokeng and the Bapedi. In Beckman, (Eds), Mobile people, Mobile Law: Expanding Legal Relations in a Contracting World,(pp. 91107) Ashgate Publishers Pitt Rivers Museum Body Arts | Homepage http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/bodyarts/index.php/permanent-bodyarts/scarification.html 2011 - The Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, England Smith, BG. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History: Oxford University Press, 23 Jan 2008

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