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Essay on Anth Final

Decent Essays

Veronica Kim
Final Exam –Anth101
Kohistani Violence

Thull, is an area where the violence of Kohistani was studied by R. Lincoln Keiser. In this region, the Kohistani, initially did not believe in bloodshed in order to solve conflicts. As elements in their traditional lives changed, Kohistani violence became more and more prevalent in their culture. Three specific changes were the main reasons for the growth in violence. One change led to another change, which then led to a third change. These changes to the traditional culture of the Kohistani were the reason for increased violence among the Kohistani in Thull. The Kohistani were originally pastoralists. Their subsistence methods consisted of a balance of farming and …show more content…

However, when the Kohistani entered the market economy through the development of roads, they were able to purchase firearms. In the past, they protected themselves against enemies with other weapons such as knives and spears. As a result, when conflicts surfaced, the men of Thull were required to come into close proximity to their enemies. This was not a reasonable form of conflict resolution for the people of Thull. Therefore, violence was not the primary means of resolving disagreements. Once firearms were introduced, there was a new form of protection for the Kohistani. There was no longer a reason for the Kohistani to resolve issues through negotiations. Instead, there was an increase in violence and blood feuding because they were able to fight and easily murder their enemies from afar. The construction of roads not only exposed the people of Thull to firearms and the market economy, but also to different influences and religions from other regions. One specific religion that influenced the Kohistani of Thull was fundamentalist Islam. The major beliefs of fundamentalist Islam were the protection of women’s purity and one’s honor. A man’s honor was directly related to a woman’s purity. For this reason, men of a family needed to protect the women in the family. A male member of the woman’s family avenged any type of insult or action that was believed to be a

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