Nayar of India Outline
Niela Kappes
ANT 101
Instructor Jonathan Brooks
11FEB2013
Nayar of India There are different cultures in many places all over the world. The Nayar of India culture stood out to me from many others. The way they unite in marriage, heal sickness, their beliefs and values, and kinship took me by a great surprise. Their way of life is very unique. Growing up and living in a place such as America, where the cultures are similar in many ways makes me very interested in cultures such as theirs. In this research paper I plan to identify their primary mode of subsistence, the aspects of the culture, and compare and contrast the culture to my own. The Nayar of India villages are primarily compromised of family farms. They are considered to be emerging agriculturalists. Their economy is based on the cultivation of cocoanuts and rice. The traditional Nayar compound is typically a garden home. The families grew everything they needed to supply their own families. Their diet consisted of mostly rice, cocoanuts, pork, and fish, cooked in a variety of different ways for each meal (Panikkar, 1918). The Nayar of Indians is Christians and Muslims. Over thousands of years of considerable influence by mainstream religious faith denominations such as Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism, the Nayar have been substantially un-phased in adopting one of the recognized religions. While the Nayar do use Hindu temples for worship and ceremonies, the nature of these particular practices are not recognized under any Hindu creed or other religion for that matter. The Nayar belief in magic and spirit worship continues although they are recognized leaders in literature and music within their culture and subsequently would not be considered uncivilized. Another characteristic of the Nayar people is where they fit within a caste society. "A caste is an endogamous social grouping into which a person is born and within which a person remains throughout his or her lifetime. It is an
ANT 101
Instructor Jonathan Brooks
11FEB2013
Nayar of India There are different cultures in many places all over the world. The Nayar of India culture stood out to me from many others. The way they unite in marriage, heal sickness, their beliefs and values, and kinship took me by a great surprise. Their way of life is very unique. Growing up and living in a place such as America, where the cultures are similar in many ways makes me very interested in cultures such as theirs. In this research paper I plan to identify their primary mode of subsistence, the aspects of the culture, and compare and contrast the culture to my own. The Nayar of India villages are primarily compromised of family farms. They are considered to be emerging agriculturalists. Their economy is based on the cultivation of cocoanuts and rice. The traditional Nayar compound is typically a garden home. The families grew everything they needed to supply their own families. Their diet consisted of mostly rice, cocoanuts, pork, and fish, cooked in a variety of different ways for each meal (Panikkar, 1918). The Nayar of Indians is Christians and Muslims. Over thousands of years of considerable influence by mainstream religious faith denominations such as Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism, the Nayar have been substantially un-phased in adopting one of the recognized religions. While the Nayar do use Hindu temples for worship and ceremonies, the nature of these particular practices are not recognized under any Hindu creed or other religion for that matter. The Nayar belief in magic and spirit worship continues although they are recognized leaders in literature and music within their culture and subsequently would not be considered uncivilized. Another characteristic of the Nayar people is where they fit within a caste society. "A caste is an endogamous social grouping into which a person is born and within which a person remains throughout his or her lifetime. It is an