The meaning of culture and its Element

CULTURE

December 26, 2017 0


What is culture?

Culture is the total way of life in a given society.

Is a phenomenon that is practiced by all societies in the world. As a universal phenomenon it has bees held as a mankind asset which un-holds and perpetuates his time announced virtues. Culture links the past and present and synthesize man achievement and as nation.


Culture can be defined as a total way of life of particular society in a given time and environment as a total way of life it embraces all that has been created by man excluding all that has been given to him by nature. Therefore it includes thing like art and craft, language, education, politics, beliefs, technology, symbol, value, norms, customs, tradition and many others.

Culture is acquired or absorbed by man through living and participate in the cultural life of his group and changed by contact which outside cultures or inspiration from within.


IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE

The notable importance of culture include the following;

1. First, through culture a society passes on the knowledge, skill and wisdom from the elders to the young generation. Culture for that matter is used as a medium of bringing up the young to become respectable member of their society. Such knowledge and skill are passed on to the young generation through various cultural activities such as initiation ceremonies.

2. Another importance of culture is that teaches the youth about various social values such as language, taboos and beliefs of the societies. It can also inculcate political and economic values and beliefs of the societies. It can also inculcates political and economic values of the society

3. Third importance of culture is that, it serves as an identity of a particular society. Culture helps one society to be easily identified from other societies, or a nation from other nation. For example people from Tanzania can easily be identified from other people of East Africa simply because of the fluent speaking of Kiswahili language when compared with people from Kenya and Uganda. Maasai people can be identified from other people just because of their style of dressing known as "LUBEGA" and the way they plait or cut hairs which is quite different from other societies.

4. Fourthly, culture is importance because it helps to promote unity among the people. It binds people together as one society or nation. This becomes possible because of the same culture value that the member of the particular society share together such value includes things like language, taboos, customs etc.

5. The fifth importance of culture is that it exposes the younger to tasks similar those of their elders. This is achieved through such things initiation ceremonies where both the girl and the boys are given special training concerning with proper morals of their societies. Another place where the young ones learn various tasks similar to that of their elder is in the family. Family as the first institution of socialism play a significant role in educating the young ones about various task similar to those of their family member and their society in general.

6. Through work of art culture can serve as a means of providing people with enjoyment or entertainment. For examples various kinds of tradition dances, music, sport and games etc. are used for entertainment people after long period of work or passing through hard or difficulties such as war, hunger etc. Cultural traditional dances, music and game are also used to entertain people during various ceremonies such as wedding birthday and many others.

7. Lastly, culture equips the young people with insightful knowledge concerning with bad and good cultural practices. This help to refrain them from bad cultural that might have a bad impact to them.

ASPECT OF CULTURE

Culture consists of two main aspects;


1. · Material culture

2. · Intellectual culture/ non material culture

1. MATERIAL CULTURE

Material culture refers to tangible or physical artifacts (objects) made by human being. They include such things like spears, cooking pots, houses, coins, computer, stools, sofa sets and many others. These cultural objects reflect the nature of the society in which they were made. Material culture shows the extent to which man has achieved in mastering the nature. Such achievement include the level reached in the production of the instruments of labour, the technical skills developed, the scientific organization of labour, the availability of everyday needs of human and many others achievements.

2. INTELLECTUAL CULTURE/NON-MATERIAL CULTURE

Non - material culture: These are intangible or abstract creations of human society. They include such things like values, beliefs, symbols, norms, language and institutional arrangements.

ELEMENT OF CULTURE

The following are the element of culture;


· Cooperation

· Language

· Law

· Customs

· Tradition

· Ideology

· Recreation

· Art and creation

· Norms

· Fashion

There are ten element of culture

i) Cooperation

These elements manifest themselves in physical and social bond of the society in various activities. It gives chances for members to learn and do things together in community e.g. harvesting, initiation ceremonies

ii) Norms and laws

Law is a deliberately from adopted rules of behavior that are enforced by spend authority.

Are social rules that guide behavior. They specify the behavior that is appropriate or not in a given society. Norms give as guideline an hour we should act so that we can get with our daily activity. Norms have to categories Mores and Folkways.

· Mores- Are those norms which society considers them to be of great Moral significance. Those who violate them are defined as sinful, evil, wicked and offender. The punishment to them is various including death, imprisonment torture e.c.t. Such more that may lead to harsh punishment are also called taboos e.g. murder, treason, rape, theft e.c.t.

· Folkways- these are customary and habitual ways by which the members of a group do things. Folkways are considered as less important norms in which the violators of them get mild punishment. Example of the common folkways is time for appointment, greetings and washing clothes.

iii) Arts and crafts

As elements of culture arts are expression, which reflect feelings attitude and the level of development of a given society as struggling for existence and survival in a particular environment. These achievements could either be bound, political or economic ones.

· Craft- Refers to the objects fashioned or created and used by a particular society example of craft include furniture, clay pots, baskets, sculptures, graphics and many others. Crafts can also reflect the cultural values and technology of the concerned society.

iv) Recreation

Reaction means relaxing and amusing work makes the body and mind to get tired so that mean med a roast. E.g. To participates in sports and games or dance hand: of show ground where sports and games are formed.

v) Ideology

Is a systematized and interconnected set of ideas about the social- economic and political organization of society as a whole. It contains ideals, ends purposes that a society should pursue. Ideology lay down the principle and condition to be followed by given society.

vi) Tradition

Traditions resemble custom they are experienced of the past are inherited by a society and they are unchangeable. Examples Marriage, funeral ceremonies, family care and courtship, sport and game.

vii) Language

Is a socially structured system of sound patterns, written words or signs with specific and arbitrary meaning used by a society for communication. It has a major role of creating interaction between and among people in short it binds the separate human lives together. Language is the most distinctive and complex achievement of human beings it is used to express physical and spiritual wishes.

viii) Customs

Customs these are pattern of habit, transmitted from one generation to another generation such customs include foods, clothes, shelter, argument, education, worship, names, greeting, love another generation such customs include foods, clothes, shelter, argument, education, worship, names, greeting, love and beauty obedience.

ix) Values

Is abstract idea of what is described correct and good that most member of a society share. They are conceptions or standards by which members of a society evaluate people, objects and events as to the relative worth, merit, beauty or morality. Value is used by the member of society to distinguish the desirable from the undesirable, what is good and bad the beautiful from the ugly.

x) Fashion

Are highly passing pattern of behavior fashion allows many change in norms Example Arts dressing etc.


THE IMPORTANCE OF EACH ELEMENTS OF CULTURE

1) Language

Is an important in element of culture because it is used as a medium of communication in the society. It can also serve as an identify of a given society in particular or nation in general. For example Kiswahili language in Tanzania.

2) Traditions

Some tradition such as marriages and burial ceremonies play a key role of uniting people together when the meet to conduct or cerebrating the event.

3) Norms

Are social rule that guide behavior they specify the behavior that is appropriate or not in a given situation, norms a given as guideline on how we should act or not act not act on our daily activities.

4) Value

Help society to adopt acceptable behavior shape and individual personalities. A decent dressing for instance, can mark some one look smart and presentable in a certain occasion like wedding ceremony.

5) Ideology

Is important because it enables that society to explain, justify and order several existential condition which would otherwise prove impossible to explain .It also serves as mean for self identification for individual and group that adhere to it.

6) Art and creative

Are used by the people to express their feeling or attitude toward a certain events. The feeling can be expressed through such things like song, drama, picture e.t.c,. Other forms of arts such as painting and drawing are used for decorations.

7) Custom

Used by different societies are very important to the members of that particular society. Among other things are used to represent various object and events to the people.

8) Recreation

Provide household with necessary material such as furniture, pots, which are daily, also some of them can be sold to earn people income.