ASB 300: Food and Culture
Assignment 2-Food Ethnography
Name: Christine Reinheimer
2015-02-14
Instructions: Download, fill-in, and submit this form. You must maintain this document’s 1-inch margins, single-spacing, and 12pt font. Take note of the expected length given for each section. Please read the instructions given through the course website and other documents and make sure you complete Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.
Field Notes Write-Up
1) Take the “jottings” you made during 1.5 hours of observation and type them into an expanded narrative of what you observed (This means that you should write descriptive text of what you observed. You must write in complete sentences). The minimum length for this part of the assignment is 2 single-spaced pages of text. You may include photographs at the end of the document, but these are optional and do not count toward the page requirement.
I conducted my observation by watching the video of The Feast-Day of Tamar and Lashari by Hugo Zemp, as approved by Katelyn Bolhofner and Dr. BurnSilver. The Feast-Day of Tamar and Lashari is a ritual that is observed every year. A sacrificing priest leads the group. It is to ask for the protection of the people of Georgia and to bless those who died for Georgia. The people are polytheistic, mixing elements of Christianity with other gods and heroes. There are prayers and blessings to Tamar and Lashari and the different gods and heroes. There is widespread use of paraffin candles that the priest liked to make himself from bees, some almost like a small torch and some almost like the sparklers used for New Year’s celebrations in the West. They make use of the sign of the cross found in Christianity extensively. Candles were lit all over the fence surrounding the shrine, people making the sign of the cross as they ask for blessings.
It is conducted outdoors and people come in from different regions to participate. They set up numerous tents. They sit on grass, stand on grass, have chairs on the grass. Both men and women, children and elders participate. The weather was cool and sunny. There is alcohol or wine, animal sacrifices such as sheep. The men handle the sacrificing of the sheep at the shrine one by one. Women sing while passing on plates of food to bring to the shrine along with alcohol. It’s as if they give a part of their plate and take back the rest. The women do not go into the shrine, they stay behind. There was an old lady that was singing but was not regarded as a soothsayer and was deranged. But they do believe that the gods speak through her.
The clothing was casual, women especially the older generation wore head covers. Men handle the ritual while other men and women look on. The ritual itself seems casual, informal but still follows a formal routine. The songs are made up as they go, they believe they are chosen by angels. Cooking is informal, some men are seen smoking a cigarette. They continue singing even when not part of ritual. Men play instruments and the women dance. Men dance informally too.
They danced in front of a glass of wine, almost like around a campfire then drinks the wine. The wine is considered sacred. The priest takes part in drinking as well.
The ritual starts out in the Sanctuary of Tamar. The men only then take the banner and start walking to the Sanctuary of Lashari. They are followed by singing women and the other animals and people. Women tend to stand together and men tend to stand together. The women especially the older generation tend to wear skirts or dresses and the men in pants, although there were some women who wore pants as well. They cross a stream on the way and wondered why nobody has built a bridge there. I didn’t really see too much interaction but there were probably informal interactions between people. They were mostly focused on the ritual and speaking to helpers, singing as a group.
It is forbidden for the women to enter the sanctuaries, but no explanation was given even when asked as to why this was. They light more candles at the Sanctuary of Lashari and continue with the sign of the cross. There is food all the time but nobody seems to be eating while there are rituals taking place. The ritual is ended by the dance of the sacrificing priest and is dedicated to Lashari. They believe they are chosen by divinity in a dream. They believe that serving their gods protect them and heal them from illness.
Sacrifices continue and there is use of the accordion and other musical instruments. I saw one woman actually playing an instrument. Food is found on ground and men and women dine and drink together. The women are mostly preparing the food and men handle the cooking. The men toast together. Some groups are only men and some groups are mixed with men and women. It seems like they eat throughout the day. There are groups singing songs that are traditional Georgian, there are also more urban songs and young and old, and American styles too. It was mostly men singing and playing instruments. Some women sing but the lead was always a man. They stress victory through their rituals.
They put up tents throughout the area of the rituals The sacrificing priest is also called the shrine priest. In this specific time, the shrine priest is Shota Rigishvili. There was picnicking on the side, aside from the ritual with food and music. The sanctuaries are also called shrines. It seems like there is not just one group and not just one formal priest. There were also other pilgrim travelers with their own priests.
The women who are chosen to lead ritual songs are called kadag, or oracles/soothsayers. The ritual songs or lullabies are sung only by the women with the exception of one of the men who hold the banners. They spoke the Georgian language. Dances and songs that are not pure Georgian mountain rituals tend to be looked down upon like oriental, urban styles, or Armenian or Turkish origins. They placed a strong emphasis on their Georgian identity to separate themselves from the Soviet Union. They make the walk from the shrine of Tamar to the shrine of Lashari every year. In the ritual itself, only the priest dances and not other men.
Analysis
2) Perform a preliminary analysis by reading through your narrative and identifying 4 observations of behaviors and/or activities that you can connect to themes of food and culture that we have gone over in the course modules (at least 3 from course readings and 1 from videos, not lectures). Discuss each theme in a separate paragraph (4-5 sentences). Include your references in APA format below your observations.
Observation 1:
Men were the only ones who actively participated in the ritual itself and the women were not allowed in the sanctuaries or shrines. The only thing women did as part of the ritual was singing. But it did not seem to bother anyone, both men and women, and they accepted this as just the normal thing to do. This is much like what DeVault (2008) explains about men and women having their own traditional roles and it is just accepted.
Observation 2:
The religious ritual they observed is actually a mash up of Christianity and polytheism. Their strong sense of identity stems from their need to differentiate themselves against foreigners like the Soviet Union much like how Wilk (2008) describes the Belizeans creating their own culture following the desire to differentiate themselves from others. The result is a mix of other elements to make their own.
Observation 3:
Much like what Siskind (2002) describes about Thanksgiving, they do this ritual to give blessings and ensure their health and survival. They also believe that they are a chosen people who are “divinely ordained.” It is also similar to the beginnings of Thanksgiving in how informal but still formal it is and it also strengthens the sense of their nationality and commitment to Georgia.
Observation 4:
The movement from the Sanctuary of Tamar to the Sanctuary of Lashari as a group suggest to me a pastoralist system in their past. Pelto, Dufour, and Goodman (2012) explain that pastoralists move their herd animals from one place to another in a given territory. The ritual follows this and they also use animals that can be herded for sacrifice. They also maintain the rituals outdoors.
2a) List the References you cited above in APA format here (not at the end of the assignment). For information on how to use APA style, visit ASU’s library guides: In-text Citations ; Reference List ; Sample References
DeVault, M. (2008). Conflict and deference. In C. Counihan & P. Van Esterik (Eds.), Food and culture: A reader, 2, 240-258, Routledge.
Pelto, G.H., Dufour, D.L., Goodman, A.H. (2012). The biocultural perspective in nutritional anthropology. In Dufour, D. L., Goodman, A. H., & Pelto, G. H. (Eds.), Nutritional anthropology: Biocultural perspectives on food and nutrition, (2012), 218-230. Oxford University Press.
Siskind, J. (2002). The Invention of Thanksgiving: A ritual of American nationality. In C. Counihan (Ed.), Food in the USA: a reader, 41-58. Psychology Press.
Wilk, RR. (2008). Real belizean food. In C. Counihan & P. Van Esterik (Eds.), Food and culture: A reader, 2, 308-325, Routledge.
Zemp, H. (1998). The feast-day of tamar and lashari. Watertown, MA: Documentary Educational Resources (DER).
Reflection
3) Write one paragraph (4-5 sentences) minimum reflecting on your position as a researcher. How does your own cultural identity and background affect how you ‘see’ and understand environments and activities? What are some possible biases that you bring to this research?
I see myself as a Filipino-American. I like to think that because of my exposure to a lot of different cultures, I can appreciate other cultures more. There are some things that I do understand because of my background in Catholicism but there are also European aspects that are new to me and cannot fully comprehend. There may be some things that I overlooked thinking that it is just normal and not worth noting, and there may be things that are exaggerated. It can be a generational difference or culture difference.
Follow Up Questions
4) Imagine that you have been awarded funding to launch a 5-year research study at your restaurant/market/festival. Based on what you observed in your short time at your site, what would you want to know more about and why? In the space below, pose 2 research questions you would follow up on in further research at your site and explain your reasoning.
1. What is the significance of the food they prepare and sacrifice?
There wasn’t much emphasis on the kinds of food they have and how they prepared it. I would like to know how they see the food and its significance to their culture.
2. Are there any changes with the rituals over the years?
It seemed as if the rituals are not set in stone, that there is no “script”. There were also other groups with a different priest. I would like to know the difference between groups and the difference over the years on how they conduct their rituals.
