We viewed 2 different cultures and answered some questions about these cultures.

1. FYS Madison Parsons
1. Overall impressions of both cultures.
Movie #1- I thought it was a good documentary about a woman who wanted to
travel back to her tribe. Some parts of the documentary were rather creepy
because things are not done like that in the United States.
Movie #2- I thought the movie about the man with 3 different personalities was
extremely strange. I did not realize that some people still live like that in West
Virginia. Jesco was violent, an alcoholic, and addicted to drugs. He treated his
wife in a terrible manner.
2. Implications (legal, religious, social, political, economics)
Movie #1- The Venezuelan tribe had some very strange rituals that I had never
seen before. To communicate with their gods, they would snort hallucinogens to
get high and connect with the spirit world. The men beat their wives and men
are by far the most dominant figure in the tribe. Once someone is dead, that
person’s name is not spoken ever again. They burn a dead person’s body and
then drink their ashes because they feel as if that is respectful to the deceased.
They do not know how to count past 2 and many of the people in the tribe have
never seen anyone outside of their village. They are nomadic and travel around
due to availability of resources. Ken is a 35 year old man that went to this tribe
and married an 11 year old girl. He then brought her to the United States and
they had 3 children together.
Movie #2- Jesco has 3 different personalities. He also has a crazy obsession with
Elvis and that is one of his multiple personalities. Jesco beats his wife and is a
folk tap dancer. He is from a poverty filled area with a lot of crime and violence.
Jesco and his family abuse drugs and alcohol.
3. How do they compare to yours?
Both of these cultures are very different from mine. In Venezuelan documentary,
many of those people have never seen a city, actual clothes, simple kitchen
utilities, or anything really. These people are some of the closest people left on
earth that can be considered “cavemen.” Their life and way of living is beyond
simple. In the folk dancer documentary, this man and his family know nothing
else besides their small town in West Virginia. They are perfectly content with
living their way and they do not want to change.
4. Similarities between both cultures
Both of these cultures are similar in the fact that they both live a simple way of
life. Obviously one if simpler than the other, but they are still both simple. In

2. FYS Madison Parsons
both of the videos, both of the males shown complete dominance by hitting and
abusing their wives and abuse illegal drugs. Both of these cultures have probably
been around for centuries.
5. How do you think these cultures were created?
Movie #1- This tribe has probably been around for centuries and nothing has
changed. They like the way they live and do not want to change it. It is the
simplest way of living.
Movie #2- Jesco and his family have probably lived in the mountains of West
Virginia their entire life. The land may have been passed down for generations
and the way of living has primarily stayed the same throughout those years.
6. What would it take to integrate these cultures to ours, should we?
The Venezuelan tribe would never be able to adapt to our culture. Their lives are
so much simpler and completely different from ours.
Jesco and his family would probably not be able to integrate into our culture
either because of the violence, alcohol, and drugs. Since they live in the
mountains of West Virginia, most police do not both with them.
I do not believe we should integrate either these cultures into ours.