Sometimes you see something and you think, Wow. Im kinda glad that I was raised in a culture where they dont expect me to do something like that. Anthropologists have long found particular rituals such as rites of passage that mark important transitions in the life-course to be especially fascinating subjects for study. This isnt (at least not exclusively) such a ritual, but I could certainly see that something like this operates in many cultures to create a watershed event. As I understand it, land diving is intended to provide for a better yam harvest. Throughout the indigenous peoples of the South Pacific, yams play an important role--both practically and symbolically. I stumbled across the video here showing what is referred to as land diving as practiced every year from April to June on the Vanuatuan island of Pentecost. I remembered, upon seeing it now, that this was something I first heard about watching public television as a kid years ago. No doubt, such encounters, even though sensationalizing the apparent difference between us and the other, helped to give me an appreciation for the diversity of expressions of what it means to be human. And, thanks to bungee jumping, this behavior is by no means completely outlandish. https://youtube/watch?v=l0Mq6rCfYtU&feature=youtu.be
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 18:23:36 +0000
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