Anthropology

The delectable Cornish pasty has a long history. Did you know that there are rules which must be obeyed to ensure that a pasty bearing the description of Cornish is worthy of the name?

Many Hindus go to the city of Varanasi in the belief that dying there will release them from rebirth and death so they can achieve salvation.

Lebanese people like to celebrate everything, small or big, but weddings hold a special importance. Some Lebanese weddings are so extravagant that people spend weeks, sometimes months, talking about them.

Described in "The Silva Gadelicia", there is an obscure musical instrument, favoured by the Aos Sí and master musicians of Ireland past. With various descriptions, what actually was it? In this article, I attempt to find out.

A lost tribe was discovered in 1971 living deep in a Philippine rainforest and the story became an international sensation.

The Guna are native people who live in Panama and Colombia. They are at risk of loosing their land to rising sea levels. Directly related to the Caribs, from which the name Caribbean derives, they are one of the few matriarchal society in existence today. This article is about them.

Called les sapeurs, African men dress in extravagant outfits while living in poverty.

Life in rural Honduras is hard. The people are poor by monetary standards, but they accept their lot stoically as the traditional way of life handed down to them from many past generations.

Is it possible to give an accurate reading of someone’s personality by studying their handwriting?

This interview was done in 2015, when I visited Felix Padel, famous anthropologist and the great-great grandson of Charles Darwin, in Odisha

Death can be a celebration of life, or a means to help the soul pass. Everyone has their own way to deal with grief. This article explores how cultures around the world handle death.

The art of traditional tattooing nearly died out among the Hawaiians. But it has been reborn. Join me on a journey through the history of tattooing and my quest to receive a tattoo from Keli'i Makua.

One day after my wife and I purchased a new SUV in Thailand, we decided to get it blessed by a Buddhist monk. In this article, I explain why the vehicle was blessed and then describe the interesting ritual involved.

Japan's association with the land and its peasant classes has been an element which has defined Japanese identity, but was constructed rather than organic to Japan.

In August 2014, our home in Thailand was blessed by nine Buddhist monks. After examining why homes are blessed, this article describes the ceremony conducted in the presence of family and friends.

I recently visited the Paths of Life exhibit at the Arizona State Museum, and was dismayed at their simplistic representation of identity and history of the Tohono O'odham (a local tribe in the US Southwest). Here, I take short a research-style approach to analyzing the exhibit.

Though U.S. citizens may consider Hawaii a typical state, Native Hawaiians consider their land to be an occupied territory, with tourism and colonization acting to degrade their peoplehood. #epic research paper on cultural prostitution

Though gender roles are clearly defined, in Zuni culture gender is not tightly bound to biological sex. Zuni sacred history promotes a cultural role for people of a third 'middle' gender.

The largest Ancient Mayan site ever discovered, using modern technology to see beneath the green jungle canopy of northern Guatemala.

Arguably, both intellectually and physiologically our species, Homo Sapiens, may be fast reaching the limits of its potential. What may come next?

Anglo-Indians are a community that is fast dying out. They were never a large community, but they made an impact on recent popular culture that is massively disproportionate to their small number.

Race plays an important role in society, whether we want to admit it or not, but is there any biological validity to the concept of distinct racial categories?

Krampus has risen dramatically in popularity in the United States over recent years. But why has this happened now?

Who wants high-tech instruments, algorithms, and forecast models when all you need to know is that a plentiful crop of pine cones means a harsh winter is coming? Or not.

For a fee, some people agreed to assume the transgressions of the dead in the belief this would ease their passage into heaven.

The magical and wondrous folktales of Scottish castles.

Within Norse history, no figure is more elusive and secretive than the Völva. Little is known about the practices of these figures. Were they witches?

A Filipino burial is very unique. It consists of many religious and non-religious practices and some superstitious beliefs. Following is how we buried my father and arranged his funeral.

Where did the British people come from? Several hints to their origin originate from medieval documents, and yet other clues come from the genetic record. Could Anatolia be the home of the Brits?

Handfasting is common practice in Neopagan circles. Many believe this practice dates back to the pagan Celts, but does it really?

The British Celts have given us the Mabinogion and Arthurian Legends. Is it possible that constellation lore is imbedded within them?

References to a deity that resembles Cronos can be found in Irish texts. Is it possible that this Greek being may have taken up residence in Ireland in the distant past?

The severed head is routinely found throughout the literature and archaeology in Celtic and Norse territories. Is it possible that the severed head served as more than simply a war trophy?

The Celts were renown for their military prowess and fearlessness in battle. This has been attributed to their belief in reincarnation. Do myths and legends preserve this belief?

The legends of this underworld testify to its otherness and yet also impart a distinctive British flair.

Norse and Celtic Europe is plentiful with myths and folklore that mention nine maidens. Where do these legends originate? Might there be a spiritual legacy to these maidens?

Ancient lore told of a mysterious inhabited island that existed far to the north. This land was named Thule. Might there be any truth to this legend or is it simply fiction?

There is scholarly debate on whether or not shamanism was present in many European cultures. Prehistoric shamanism lingered on in the European folk tradition, it is simply often overlooked.

You may have heard of Big Foot or Chupacabras. But El Duende, the "elf-like creature" in the forest is gaining notoriety. So who is this mysterious being and is it good or evil?

Not much is known about the mythical Hazzi, but what exists about the mountain god, may serve as a key to understanding early civilizations and the migration between continents.

Our mothers always told us that breakfast was the most important meal of the day; our mothers, as usual, were right.

Types and preparation of food is central to nearly every society; etiquette sometimes creates confusion in cross-cultural dealings

Many people know of the Jersey Devil, but not many people know of the man the legend likely originated from.

Sapiens, written by Yuval Noah Harari is a fascinating and easy to understand history of humankind.

The lore, folk tales, and myths of ale and beer for the Germanic peoples: Germans, Norse, Anglo-Saxons, and the English.

Lore and tales of mead, honey, and wassailing in the Germanic cultures of the Germans, Norse, Anglo-Saxons, and English.

The lore of mead, honey, and bees in the ancient insular Celtic lands.

What comes to mind when you think of the word “relationship?” It the social sciences it implies a connection between people or groups. Many relationships are beneficial, while some bring hardships.

In a rapidly changing global society where traditional cultures under pressure, we must respect our many diverse ways of life without giving up the ethical demand for universal human rights.