Discuss reciprocity and its role in tribal-scale cultures

Anthropology

1. Reciprocity involve learning and understanding the existing values, beliefs, and practices in our culture so that we can explain them to people from diverse backgrounds, who we do not share these values. The role of reciprocity in tribal-scale cultures include it gives people the opportunity to reflect on their unique and cultural practices and respect differences and diversity. For instance, in some tribes, circumcision is a rite of passage while in another; it is a form of abuse.
2. Co-wives among the Masai are dependent of the husband who is the family head. The co-wives gives birth and are required to complete household roles like fetching water, laundering clothes. Comparatively, the marriage practices in pastoralist cultures is pre-defined where and women marry as teenagers and families lack permanent settlements. In Native Amazonian horticultural societies, the couple have permanent settlement near or with the wife’s parents.
3. The culture and religion assisted the Australian Aboriginals to adapt to the environment by appreciating nature, using natural resources and naming their gods according to the features of the surrounding. For instance, Aztecs worshipped the god of war who resembled the sun. They believed that through offering sacrifices, they pleased their gods who provided them with crops and rain. Dkalkiri was a belief among the Aboriginals where they teach dreamtime stories, which emphasized caring, sharing, and nurturing the community.