Anthropology Gurung Society, Term Paper Example

The Gurung are a group of people who make up a tribe in the country of Nepal in East Asia.Traditional studies have shown that they have developed a multifaceted culture loosely based upon the caste system that can be found throughout the region.  This culture, though, has been quickly changing due to the encroachment of the larger world.  It can be seen that their traditional way of life, though it has been preserved within their culture, has also been fundamentally altered.  Giving way for greater importance of individuality, the caste system has begun to become something of a memory to them.While caste still plays a major role in Gurung society, changes brought about by globalization and the involvement of state institutions means that it role in society may be declining.

In order to understand the system that their society has created, an understanding of how to approach is necessary.  “Two approaches in anthropology to understanding personhood illuminate complementary issues. One involves the social category of the person, which delineates a set of possible social roles and statuses and the rights and obligations that accompany these. Another investigates the cultural model of the person, the beliefs about what constitutes a human being, in terms of such notions as the body, soul, mind, and emotion”.  The first refers to a person’s roles and responsibilities as well as their rights within a society.  The other refers to a person’s role as a human being in a more cosmological sense.  Understanding Gerund in these two ways is important in seeing why their society has grown in the way that it has.  The antagonistic relationship between the two is what has given rise to their unique organization of societal order.

Studies done on the Gurung people show how the traditional structure of their society was set up.  According to Ragsdale, “The distinctive structural feature of Gurung society is its dual organization into two hierarchical and endogamous strata or sub-tribes called the Char Jat (Nep: four clans) and the Sora Jat (Nep: sixteen clans).” (2)  Although this organizational structure seems to be relative to the area, it can be seen that there are various fundamental idioms that express a tradition that is somewhat different.It can be seen that this caste structureis slightly different than that of their neighbors.  While surrounding areas put more importance on the society as a whole, the Gurung place an equal importance upon the individual.

McHugh writes that “Gurung concepts about the constituent parts that make up a person reflect a larger set of cultural ideas.” (2)  Furthermore, they have very practical applications for their ideas. “The Gurungs are a people for whom integration in a social network is ofparamountimportance, yet they conceive of the person as a discrete entity with distinct needsand impulses that may run counter to demands for social cohesion.” (2)In this way it becomes evident that many of the preconceptions that western thinkers have had about the role a person has in relation to their society in the eastern world might be somewhat misled.  There is an essential tension between the needs of the many and the needs of the few that is accepted and even revered within their society. “Concepts of both individuality and relatedness exist, and the ways in which they are articulated and reconciled express tensions inherent in South Asian social life.”(4)

The Gurung have what has been called “a mild variant of the caste system, far more open and tolerant than in India, yet ever-present.” (MacFarlane 5)  There is social stratification in their society, but nowhere near as domineering as it was in other nearby regions.  While these small traditions are set aside while within the larger community, within the homes of the Gurung it is still widely held that there is a set social order.  The coming of modernity has caused the need for flexibility in social roles, as there is a larger public order that they have to maintain their tribe from within.This slight difference has been what has allowed to them to integrate better into the encroaching world.  While the caste system is still relevant to them, seeing the importance of individuality has allowed them to make the transition towards integration while still maintaining their way of life.

The question is essentially about personhood, or what it means to be a person within the larger picture of a culture of society.  While in the western world, autonomy is given to the individual person, who is considered a whole, in this region, the idea of autonomy is attributed to society, which is the whole, and the person is a unit within this society, but not separate or independent from it.There is a regard for the greater good in Southeast Asian societies that puts the individual in service of the larger part of society.  This does not mean, though, that the idea of individuality should be completely regarded as unnecessary to their society.  While it is easy to make judgments form the standpoint of a western thinker, it must be taken into account that this judgment will be flawed and biased towards the western way of thought.  So while the role of the individual is played down, the role of the individuals towards one another seems to be escalated compared to how they feel responsibility towards some abstract notion of a state or government. “The Gurung assumption that human relationships are fragile underlies a style of interpersonal interaction in which one is constantly assured and reassured of the responsiveness of others through greetings, gifts, and offers of food.” (McHugh 5)  Again, McHugh stresses that the society has an understanding of the balance between the needs of the individuals and their society as a whole.

Despite the imposition of a caste system in their history, from, it seems, the surrounding area, the Gurung have integrated into the global world easily.  This has been due to their ability to allow for a somewhat less strict caste system, in favor of individuality.  Gurungs are employed in many sectors of society including the military. “Gurungs are not only restricted to military occupations, many live in urban areas and are employed in all types of labor, business and professional services.”  In this way, the people of the Gurung have learned to allow individuals to get jobs outside of strict social stratifications.  In fact, they have a growing need to work outside of these traditional boundaries in order to make it in the emerging world market.  “As in the past, Gurungs need to invest in opportunities that build on their well-known attributes as people who are hard-working, trustworthy, adaptable, and quick-learners in meeting the challenges of modern life in Nepal and beyond its boundaries” (Moisala 15)

While it might seem as though they have a simple class based society that has no comprehension of individuality, it is evident through closer examination that they have one that is much more complex and open than previous thought.  This is due to their ability to use the tension between society and the individual to create a caste structure fundamentally different than that of their neighbors.  While the caste system still exists within their society, in the modern world ideas of individuality have begun to prevail due to the increasing need for multifaceted labor as well as a more open social order.

Works Cited

MacFarlane, Alan. A Guide to the Gurungs. RatnaPustakBhandar, Kathmandu. 1990. 2nd ed.1992. April 2014.

McHugh, Ernestine L. Concepts of the Person among the Gurungs of Nepal. American Ethnologist, Vol. 16, No. 1. (Feb., 1989), pp. 75-86.. April 2014.

Moisala, Pirkko. Gurung Music and Cultural Identity. Finland’s Academy. Kailash. April 2014.

Ragsdale, Tod A. Gurungs, Goorkhalis, Gurkahs: Speculations On A Nepalese Ethno-History. Nepalese Studies CNAS, Tribhuvan University. Vol. 17, No. 1. Jan. 1990.  April 2014.