Written for Anthro 305
October 23 1998
Ruth Benedict believed that societies could choose their culture from the entire range of possible variations. Once the society had chosen its theme or emphasis, such as the exaggerated focus on wealth of the Kwakiutl, the individual did not have the unlimited freedom of expression that a society had before it narrowed itself down. There is no longer a choice about it, since the choice has been made by the society, that is, the choice to focus on that range of options for the individual. The individual is then driven by the culture’s emphasis. For example, among the Kwakiutl it is unthinkable to allow oneself to be shamed by a rival. The culture has chosen to express itself in the emotions that range from triumph to shame, and so a person in that society must be driven by avoidance of shame and pursuit of triumph, which is accomplished by gaining wealth and prestige, which are usually the same thing. The Pueblo Indians of the southwest are a more moderate culture. They distrust excess, and minimize challenging or dangerous experiences. Rituals are formalized, not allowed to become out of control. While among the Kwakiutl the idea is to get completely beyond normal conventions of behavior, the Pueblos “remain as they are”. The Kwakiutl are firm believers in excess of every kind, religious to pecuniary, while the Pueblos believe moderation is the path to wisdom, and so the two societies are at different ends of the spectrum of cultural variations referred to earlier.
Benedict uses the general divisions of types of society that Nietzche originally described, Apollonian and Dyonysian, which are opposite views of the ‘values of existence’. Dyonysian is characterized by excess: the desire to go beyond the normal bounds of existence, the five senses, and break into another realm of existence (ecstasy). Appollonian is just the opposite: he follows the median path, maintains control, and never goes beyond what he is. He distrusts the Dyonysian philosophy and if he somehow learns of it he will choose to outlaw it from his conscious life.
Among the Pueblo Indians, the society has chosen to restrict spontaneous individual actions. For example, there should never be a question of why someone is at prayer, because all prayer times are prescribed and quite set in stone. There are certain times and days when one prays, and an abberant must therefore be out for personal gain, wherein comes charges of witchcraft. Individual actions go against the society’s focus on the group instead of the self, and so are considered uncongenial. There is complete reinterpretation in the Pueblos of common rituals among North American Indians, such as the vision quest. Most Indian cultures regard the vision quest as a means to reaching ecstasy, an excess of the spirit, to gain a personal guide. The Pueblo use it only as a means of finding omens, whether good or bad, with which they can prepare themselves for a difficult undertaking.
Among the Kwakiutl, however, the focus is on the opposite. All things are done as a means of self-aggrandizement, from marriage and children to religious rituals. All things lead to an enhancement of one’s own image, wealth, and reputation. Excess is encouraged in Kwakiutl society where it is discouraged in that of the Pueblo. Kwakiutl chiefs try their best, with some limits which seem extremely lax based on other cultural standards, to out-do their rivals by destroying their own personal goods. When one Kwakiutl chief invites a rival to a feast, most of the night is focused on the host burning his possessions to demonstrate that he is richer than his guest, who will of course then toss his own valuables on the bonfire so as not to be outclassed. To lose is the ultimate shame and a just cause for suicide. Gaining wealth and prestige is all-important, and anything is a means to this end: treachery, murder, war, marriage, and heirs. In this culture the only reason to have is to gain more.