(Toro Huaco dancers in Diriamba, Carazo via http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Dance_in_Nicaragua)

10/20/16

Ethnography is a unique field. It promises to offer a systematic recording of human cultures, yet it is much more complex than yet. With many cultures being dramatically different than each other, it is difficult to imagine creating definitions and explanations to explain traditions over a broad range of different cultures. Still, ethnography does provide some way to understand people and their culture, to some degree, in many regions of the world. After taking an anthropology course my freshman year and being reading the materials regarding oral history, I am very excited to potentially conduct ethnography in Nicaragua.

During Week 2, we read “Costeño voices: Oral history on Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast” by Broomfield and Davies. I really enjoyed this piece for a variety of reasons. One of them being how important interviews and oral history are in regards to keeping track of previous cultures.

The oral history practice project was a great way to gain exposure to the field. For instance, the article discusses the autonomous region of the atlantic and caribbean coast of Nicaragua. Broomfield mentions, “Written documentation about the region is mostly by outsiders (missionaries, travelers, colonial administrators and anthropologists). URACCAN identified the need for more historical research by the region’s own people as an important means with which to strengthen the ethnic and cultural identity within each group and to encourage mutual understanding between them.” This quote made me think about how if someone did not decide to conduct oral history projects with people of the region, everything we would know about many regions of world would all have been from outsider perspectives. Oral history provides a way to gain a (relatively) genuine understanding of a people’s culture. However, this is not an easy process. Additionally, as an interviewer, mastering body language and being a great listener things that seem rudimentary but can go a long way. They can also be harm if not done correctly. For instance, maintaining eye contact in America is considered normal. On the other hand, in other cultures, this may seem disrespectful or flirtatious.

Never have conducting a simple interview before, it a great experience to interview Yvette earlier. At times, we are use to being the person that leads discussions or presenting our thoughts constantly, but being an interviewer focuses on the complete opposite. The interview is like a sponge that get’s to absorb a variety of different ideas and has the opportunity to learn more about viewpoints one may have never even considered. In Nicaragua, I look forward to interviewing people and hearing thoughts from a wide range of people. By the end of it, I hope to integrate multiple perspectives on topics of Nicaraguan traditions and every-day life.