Questions:
Read the study and essay published by Marvin Harris years ago and learn about the Cultural Materialist approach to anthropological enquiry.
Answer the questions at the end of the the handout and submit your responses to each here in list format.
Q1. Outline Harris's Cultural Materialist analysis of why Cows are Sacred in India.
Include his environmental, economic, historical etc... data that supports his argument.
Q.2 Harris states that worshipping cows is a rational cultural adaptation. and it is our job to understand the rationality, explain what he means.
Q.3Native Americans of the great plains never worshiped the buffalo. Based on what Harris has said, can you think of reasons why that might be so.
Q.4 One implication of Harris's article is that other deeply held religious beliefs or customs throughout the world might also have very important economic, health and social functions or uses. In fact, this might be an important reason that such beliefs persist. Can you think of any examples?