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Anthropology
"The body travels more easily than the mind, and until we have limbered
up our imaginations we continue to think as though we had stayed
home. We have not really budged a step until we take up residence in
someone else's point of view."
John Erskine
Anthropology — the effort to "take up residence in [another's] point of
view," to comprehend how others see the world and act together — lies at the
heart of all that SIL does. Translation is concerned with the accurate
communication of understanding, which means being able to see the world from the
perspective of both the original speaker and the listener. Thus, SIL's linguists
and translators make it a priority to understand the worldview of those
they serve. Literacy efforts likewise demand a knowledge of how the people we
serve work together, so that programs are conducted according to how they work rather than according to outside expectations. SIL therefore has an
interest in the social organization of the communities where we live and
work. As we understand the perspectives and social organization of those we
serve, we are also better equipped to work with them as partners toward the
realization of community goals.
In order to better understand those we work with, SIL emphasizes field
research, in-service workshops, and orientation of new members. One result of
this research has been the production, in partnership with the cultural
communities, of volumes recording the traditional practices and literature of
several language groups. Notable examples are:
- A Voice from the Hills — Francisco Col-om Polenda; translated
and edited by Richard Elkins
- The Sky Maiden of Many Nations — edited by Hazel Wrigglesworth
- Voices from Many Rivers — Edgar Aleo and others; translated
and annotated by Felicia Brichoux
Also significant are several dictionaries of Philippine languages that help
to elucidate the worldview of their speakers.
Research into social organization has paved the way for improvements in
community development efforts. Doug and Meg Fraiser have worked with the
Cotabato Manobo people (also known as Dulangan Manobo) since 1984. Over time,
they realized that while kin and neighbors are important to the Manobo,
group-owned development projects often failed. Investigation into the Manobo's
social organization showed why. The Manobo frequently help each other with
farming tasks, but crops are owned and managed by individual households. Thus,
while they have aspects of being a group-oriented culture, in day-to-day matters
they function as independent nuclear households. Modeling subsequent development
efforts after this individualistic pattern has enabled new agricultural
techniques such as freshwater fishponds and irrigated rice to spread without
dependence on a structured training program. Details of their research and its
applications are available in:
- Fraiser, Douglas. 1997. Literacy and the economic context: the cultural
dimension of development. INNOTECH Journal 21(2):1-11.
- Fraiser, Douglas. 1999. The cultural dimension of development. Notes on
Anthropology 3(1):39-52.
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In-service workshops have helped to sharpen our members' skills. Worldview Workshops, conducted by Jo Shetler and Amy West
and with Philippine counterparts Leilani Leaño and James and Josephine Daguman are an example.
The workshops produce lively discussions on many topics, including values,
rituals, death practices, leadership, classification, and causality. Other examples are Cultural Awareness Seminars and an orientation program for new members, which help to provide an
initial understanding of Philippine culture and a good foundation for residence
in the linguistic communities we serve. SIL's seminars are typically open to the
outside community as well.
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