ANTH 0780 (CRN 35171)

Angela Lockard Reed

Fischer and Hendrickson Study Questions

Chapter 6

1.  Why are language and clothing relatively reliable markers of ethnicity?

2.  What does ethnicity imply?

3.  What is the role of the Maya Kaqchikel language in revitalization movements?

4.  Explain why the Kaqchikel language is erroneously seen as being inferior to Spanish.

5.  Although Kaqchikel is being spoken less frequently in households, there are efforts to bring it into the public sphere.  Describe them.

6.  How are traditional language and dress differentially associated with sex for the modern Maya in Tecpán?

7.  What information can a knowledgeable person learn from a person’s traje?

8.  How do older and younger men’s clothing styles differ?  Older and younger women’s?  Why do these differences exist?

9.  Why are fewer girls learning to weave?

10.  How have traditional traje designs changed?

11.  What are some results for Maya Tecpanecos of the 1995 Accord on the Identity and Rights of Indigenous Peoples?

12.  How is Maya traditional art changing for foreign consumption?  Does this benefit or exploit the Maya?

Chapter 7

1.  What indicates that cultural wealth is based on the land or agriculture, for the Tecpán Maya? 

2.  Describe a typical Maya milpa, how it is prepared for planting, what is planted in it, and how it is cultivated throughout the agricultural season.  Why has milpa agriculture been practiced for thousands of years?  Discuss both field and diet reasons.

3.  Discuss the example of Eduardo’s fields and what this tells us about the symbolic value of maize.

4.  How are rural vs urban areas viewed by the Tecpanecos?  Describe three seemingly contradictory views on rural areas.

5.  Describe why land is more than an investment or commodity for the Tecpán Maya.

6.  Why has the production of nontraditional agricultural products for export become more common?  What are the pros and cons?

7.  How does carnation production differ from other new, nontraditional agricultural projects?  Discuss two reasons.

Conclusion

1.  Describe how “roads” affect(ed) Maya lives.

2.  Why are “traditional” customs hard to define?

3.  How has change affected indígenas?  What do you think lies in their future?