Namibia Socialization Essay Samples

In Namibia, the Bushmen live several kilometers towards Windhoek’s north eastern region. To date, the Bushmen live in Tsumkwe, a green terrain in the country that is largely a desert. The Bushmen are also referred to as Khwe or Basarwa, and are argued to be the oldest occupants of the Southern Africa region where they have settled for more than 20,000 years. Originally, they lived in Kalahari Desert which has since been divided amongst several countries. Despite the introduction of technology, most of the Bushmen people still lead livelihoods similar to their ancestors. This means they have not embraced modern development such as clean water, electricity, telephone, computers and even modern roads. Like their ancestors, they still depend on the natural environment, practicing hunting and gathering. Al this is based on their culture.
Socialization is one key aspect that the Bushmen put much interest in. It is through this process that they are able to come up with necessary rule s and regulations to guide them, as well as creating dispute resolution systems that are effective. In most cases, the Bushmen live in tent-like structures and caves. These structures are often made from stick frames which are thatched with twigs and grass. Each family in the community is assigned a tent, with its own campfire. Despite this, the people keep a central fireplace where all families converge to bond and become socially intact. At all times, these fires are kept intact. It is in such meeting s that the people get to share stories and experiences on issues like gathering jaunts, hunting experiences, ancient legends, dance, past music and other daily goings-on. The community attaches importance to the birth and death of an individual. This trend has been practiced over time; hence define the socialization processes of the Bushmen.
The Bushmen have a number of important behaviors that they have internalized. These are often accompanied by various rituals and ceremonies. One aspect they have internalized is their clothing. The Bushmen often dress n hide slings so as to cover their essentials. They also use animal skins as their blankets. As already discussed, the Bushmen are predominantly hunters. To them, this is an undertaking hat is both spiritual and social. They tend to regard it as an affair that is cooperative, not competitive. The common practice is that they work together in the hunting process and bringing down the prey before sharing it equally. These practices are neatly intertwined in the culture, and it is common in many villages. The Bushmen have a number of rituals and ceremonies. The birth of a child marks the continuity of the clan; hence they attach more emphasis to it. Although this is the case, they also take death seriously. Marriage and circumcision are other ceremonies that the Bushmen attach more emphasis to.
As a matter of fact, the socialization of the Bushmen is very different from that of my culture. My culture puts more emphasis to modernization and globalization. Unlike the Bushmen, my culture does not promote togetherness and bonding. Every family works for its own without the collective approach. Although bonding is encouraged, collective responsibility is only attributed at the family level.
There are a number of rituals and ceremonies that I am likely to take part in. The circumcision ceremony is one of them. In most communities, circumcision is considered as a rite of passage. It is also considered as the stage at which one moves from boyhood to manhood. It would be essential to note that female genital mutilation is widely discouraged. This is not the case with men. Taking part in the circumcision ceremony would effectively mean I have move from being a boy to be a man. This ceremony symbolizes many things. For instance, after the ceremony, one has the liberty to marry. This is the essence of the ceremony and the major reason why it is practiced. Through it, one will also receive important lessons about the secrets of the community and how they will be expected to behave.
George Herbert Mead also addresses issues of role taking in the society. According to him, every member of the society has a role to play. These roles however depend on the sex of an individual and their age. This means that role-taking is a continuous process. Children, for instance, will be tasked with easy jobs such as cleaning the compound. Adults, on the other hand, will b tasked with more difficult roles such as hunting for food. As such, role taking takes place at many different stages.