The Ifugao

Week 1: 

Ifugao

Week 2:

Environment

Geographical location: Ifugao is a province located in the Philippines. This province covers about 262,820 hectares of land. Located in Luzon it borders Isabela on the east, Benguet on the west, Nueva Vizcaya on the south, and Mountain Province on the north.  The area the Ifugao occupies is characterized by forests, rugged terrain, and river valleys.

Climatic description: Because of the geographic location , the highlands, Ifugao offers both a dry and wet season. The area experiences temperate cool climate with a dry season that lasts from January to May and a wet season from May to December. It sees an average of about 100 to 125 inches of rainfall yearly and has an average of 20 degrees celsius.

Population Setting: The Ifugao live in both a rural and urban setting. The Ifugao in its surroundings have other multiple provinces near it so they are not completely isolated but even so they do not experience high levels of competition for resources with the other provinces.

Flora and Fauna: For food the Ifugao go hunting for wild pigs, deers, and fruit bats which are local in the region. But the Ifugao are famous for their rice terraces and these make up their main agricultural product. 

Environmental Stresses: Considering that the area is mountainous and sees heavy rainfall, erosion and landslides are a problem for the Ifugao. These can become serious problems when either of the above mentioned causes transportation and access roads to be blocked and when the rice terrace walls collapses. They also experience the extremes of both dry and wet weather. To adjust they have fixed their planting calendar to better coincide with the changing weather conditions, planted more plants, created wells, and eat fruits to fight colds.

Adaptations

Physical: 

1. The color of their skin is a sign of adaptation to the extreme heat the region experiences during the summer drought months.

Cultural:

1. The Ifugao eat a lot of fruits that contain high levels of vitamin C so that it can help them fight cough and cold which is a risk for them because of the extreme weather conditions they have.
2. The Ifugao plant a lot of trees in their backyards to help reduce the impact of hot temperatures.
3. They avoid the use of spring water and instead use deep wells for water to better avoid possible water contamination which is an effect of the climate change.
4. They have shifted to less riskier forms of agriculture due to the weather. 

Week 3

Language: The Language of the Ifugao change from village to village but they are all from a form of Malayo-Polynesian, Austronesian. They have an alphabet similar to what is used in the U.S. with a few letters missing. Theirs include: A, B, D, E, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, Ng, O, P, T, U, W, and Y.

Gender Roles: There are only two gender roles among the Ifugao. Women and men both work together in farming and livestock. The roles aren’t entirely strict as the women do help the men with the work. Although, men are the ones that hunt while women are the ones that weave. The division of labor is divided among the men and women and this balance creates of division of labor without repercussions. So in affect, they compliment each other. Gender roles are passed on as the children get older. For example, boys start to hunt with their fathers while the girls stay at home to learn how to cook and clean. Recently though, the young are receiving more formal training so more and more are leaving the regions to find work elsewhere. 

From reading “The Blessed Curse” I think the protagonist might be excepted because the Ifugao don’t have a very strict system when it comes to their gender roles. Both women and men work together and the only difference is in their practice of hunting and weaving.

Week 4

Subsistence: Rice is their main agriculture and thus it is also their main subsistence. Aside from that, they hunt wild pigs and other animals local to the region. Vegetables are also a part of their diet. They eat a lot of fruits that are high in vitamin C to help fight coughs and colds. 

There is a division of labor among genders but not entirely a huge one since women also help out their husband with agriculture.

The Ifugaos are relatively healthy with their balanced diet of agriculture and hunting but they do experience problems in the throat and gums due to smoking and tobacco chewing.

Economic: The Ifugaos produce surplus during good harvest season but that doesn’t alway occur. During times when it isn’t surviving is difficult from some and so they use a system that redistributes goods to others. Wealth, on the other hand, is passed down from family to family, inherited. And that too can be redistributed. They do not have a form of their own currency and instead engage in direct trade or use the country’s currency for trade.

Week 5

Marriage: Marriage is a form of alliance done between families. Monogamy and polygamy is both practiced among the Ifugaos, although polygamy done by the rich. Also, marriage between cousins are not allowed and punishable with a fine but marriage to a second cousin is allowed. Before marriage it is tradition that a man and wife undergo a sort of trail where both live together for a period of time first. The goal of marriage is to have babies. So if the woman does not get pregnant then the man has the option to leave the woman but if the woman does get pregnant then the marriage goes through. Dowries are also used in this culture and are given to the bride’s family. 

Marriage can be done for the reason of economic exchange but usually done by the wealthy and isn’t widely practiced by everyone. Marriages are also preferred within the same tribe to avoid conflicts but recently, more are marrying outside. Homosexuality, also, is not looked upon highly. A conservative culture, the Ifugaos see men as men and women as women and their desires to be of the other sex.

Kinship: 

The Ifugaos keep close family ties and to this day those ties are still observed and is very important for them. With that said, the elders are the one that hold the most authority in the family. Inheritance goes through families and match with the descent patterns. Wealth comes from what was passed down to them.

Week 6

Social Organization: They have a stratified culture. Rank is dependent upon how much a person has. The more wealthy a person then the more power. Being wealthy includes having land, livestock, and slaves. The wealthy are the highest ranks while the slaves are the lowest. Slaves are sold from owner to owner like property but it is not hereditary. Wealth, mentioned earlier, is inherited.

Political Structure: The Ifugao do not have a much of a formal political system. Before they were leaded by rice chiefs but even they did not have a lot of authority. So, instead, kinship was the main way to unite people. Today, Ifugao is divided to municipalities so that it has a better control.

The Role of Violence: Conflicts among tribes still exist but wars are less so than it was in the past. The Ifugao had their own laws aside from that of the country’s laws. Murder was dealt according to the Ifugaos laws and punishable under that instead of the Philippines laws. Feuds often existed between kinships, intermarriage, or from outside sources. Because of their violence they were often feared by outsiders.

Week 7

Religion: The Ifugao practice animism and to them the panyeon and diwata are the spirits of nature. They give offerings in respect to the spirits and to their ancestors. They strongly believe that their offerings will affect their lives. And as such, disrespect can also cause karma for them. It can affect their harvest, health, and family. Ifugao practice polytheism which include Monlolot, Alog, Yogyog, and and Lumadab to name a few. Religion to them is very important. It is a part of their everyday life in the way of their gods, offerings, and prayers. 

Art: The Ifugao women are known for their pottery and weaving. They also make sculptures of their dieties. They make it out of wood from narra because it stands for wealth and good life. Typically, the make sculptures of Bulul who is the god of rice. They also make rattan baskets, chairs, and tables. 

Music: For music they traditionally use a nose flute called tongali. This instruments are used in part of their rituals and express their lives on song.

Performance: They do ritual dance during weddings and deaths. Aside from these events, dancing is used in their culture for rituals and to continue their traditions.

Week 8

Conclusion

The Ifugao has been affected by other cultures and in doing so the culture has seen both positive and negative impacts. A positive impact is that more and more indigenous people have received formal education so they do not have to mainly depend on agriculture for survival. They can choose to leave their ancestral land because of the new education they receive. Unfortunately this means that tribes like Ifugaos have a smaller population and more importantly they have a smaller population of young adults who will continue their traditions. Another positive affect is that they are more politically organized. Tribal wars have been put to stop because of outsider like the Philippines government and US occupation based in Philippines. Personally, I would consider the Ifugao culture not in any near danger of loosing their cultural identity. Although, I might not consider them to be thriving I am still willing to call them healthy. I say this because, recently Philippines has seen an upward trend of tourism and cultural education regarding places and cultures like these. With this said, though, I can not say that this culture is particularly strong in influencing the modern world.

Bibliography

Britannica Encyclopedia. Ifugao

Climate Change http://www.seanafe.org/files/2ndconf/parallel%20session%202B_IFSU%20Philippines.pdf

Essortment. http://www.essortment.com/ifugao---native-people-30360.html

Ethnologue. Languages of the World.

"Ifugao." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Deluxe Edition. 

Sianghio. http://litera1no4.tripod.com/ifugao_frame.html

The Ifugao Language. www.iloko.tripod.com

TribalSite. http://www.tribalsite.com/articles/ifugao.htm

art

1a) I think the art was meant to be a form of instruction or records or story that could be passed down. It showcased the life they lived and in doing so recorded their day to day activities and showed instruction for it and other things, like rituals.

1. There were more paintings of animals than people because it could have recorded the killings of animals. Or it could have been a form of showing off for them, like a trophy for their victory.
2. The cave paintings tell us that Paleolithic people then also had other things in mind than simply survival. It shows a people of more than just people who hunted, ate and slept. They had forms of recreation, of story telling, and art.
3. Challenges they could have faced in their cave paintings was the height problem and the light problem. The art was done inside caves so light would have been ver important for them and although fire could have solved the problem it still would have it’s limitations. Most of the art was done on ceilings so reaching would have been difficult. Another difficulty would have been that the would have needed to first find material they can use to paint. All in all, this tells me that painting was not an easy task, like it is now. They had to overcome various things to paint.
4. The three things that come to mind for the reasons behind the cave paintings is it could have been used as a form of instruction/record keeping, a hobby, as trophies.

1. A similarity I find in between the Lascaux Caves and modern art is that both are a form a communication. Both are trying to broadcast a message, whether it be instructions of day to day life or about emotion.

1. a) My favorite form of art is music and more specifically hip hop. Many use this style of music to depict their harsh truths of life and how they see it. It serves as a tool to express their thoughts and ideas through quick lyrical prose. 

1. Their is a culture surrounding hip hop and most that do belong to this dress, act, and live a certain way. Although before this group could have been said to wear baggy clothes, like flashy and over the top jewelry, and curse a lot this group is now changing. Hip hop has turned into something more than the poor ghetto man’s music. It has sophistication now, I think. And the usual baggy clothes don’t encompass the entirety of the hip hop culture. Now hip hop lovers wear all sorts of things. Although, one thing that has remained in the hip hop culture is flashy jewelry.

1. I think this art form helps people because it gets kids off the streets and out of gangs. Many rap artists say music was their outlet and was the reason they stayed out of trouble. It helps young kids express emotion and develop creativity. Some detrimental effects is that hip hop does tend to focus on over the top living and sometimes glamorizes drugs, violence, and gangs.

Yanomamo

In Western culture killing is wrong and although deaths resulting from defense is sometimes accepted revenge killings are not. But for the Yanomamo revenge killings are acceptable and encouraged. A man and their family can be killed if certain crimes are committed including those that have to do with infidelity, appropriation of women, and other crimes having to do with disputes over women. Although, there are other crimes that result in revenge killings most do have to do with women. Revenge killings are common among their culture and the killings are done by the family’s themselves. Unlike, in the Western cultures any sort of acceptable killing is done by the government but never is it for a woman. Responses to killings are revenge raids. Once a family or community has someone that dies they are allowed to retaliate with their own raid against another family or community. This is done in steps that include shouting matches, chest pounding, slapping, clubbing, and fighting with axes, machetes and bows and arrows. When someone is killed then the raids start, and the other group retaliates, then the previous group can retaliate again. The faster the retaliation the better though because it shows strength of the group. Showing how strong they are instead of showing their weakness in the end can keep them safe because it can deter other groups from going after them and their families.

Unokais are those that have killed someone among the Yanomamo. They are considered to be the strong ones in a tribe because the have killed and lived through it. Aside from being known as the strong one of the group, a benefit for being known as an Unokais is that the reputation of one can keep him and his family safe. In fact, it is a good thing for a tribe to have one because the others will fear the tribes with Unokais.

On the other side os this is the non-Unokais. They are considered weak and cowards. Their reputation makes them easy targets because others know that non-Unokais will not retaliate if their women are taken from the. So although they might be safe from being pulled into a raid they also leave their own tribes vulnerable to those who think they are stronger.

The type of political system that exists among the Yanomamo is that of kinship. This is why revenge killings are frequent. Most tribes are all somehow related to the leader of the group because they tend to be the ones with the biggest family. So, hurt one then it means you’ve hurt them all. Retaliation in this way is almost inevitable because they are related to the leader.

The relationship between revenge killing and The social structure among the Yanomamo is one that considers the Unokais as the top tier. This is so because being a Unokais is highly favorable because of the attached reputation and so marriages are a plenty for them. Next, the relationship between revenge killings and kinship exist because the reason for revenge killings is because someone’s kin of another tribe was wronged and they feel it their need to retaliate. Of course, the killings can’t take place without enough people agreeing to it but because they are related they will have enough people for the raid.

Marriage and reproduction is also related to revenge killings. Women are taken during raids by those that participated, the Unokais. Unokais, on the other hand, are also able to appropriate them from other because maybe by their mere reputation or by strength. In any case, they have a better chance of marriage and reproduction than non-Unokais because of either their brute strength or because it is more favorable for women to join Unokais.

Laws are in place so that multiple unnecessary killings don’t take place. Laws protect those against revenge. Victims of any crime are not permetable by law to take revenge on others like what the Yanomamo did. Revenge only serves to perpetuate the cycle which is seen again by the Yanomamo. Instead, the Law is set up so that the government is the one to take action against those that commit crimes. It is therefore, the government’s place to punish them not individuals or family members of victims. Laws like these also serve to protect the wrong doers family. The entire family wouldn’t need to be punished but instead just the individuals who do a crime. If the Yanomamo had a system like this then revenge raids wouldn’t be as important to their survival as it is now.

Subsistance and Economy

Part 1

The lifestyles of a hunter-gatherer and of agriculture subsistence patterns are different. First, Hunter-gatherers have the advantage of having a close nit group and avoid diseases more effectively. Hunter-gatherers move constantly and because of the nature of their lifestyle of highly depending on each other for food, team building within groups are created. Also, because they move around a lot they eat food that are fresh and so, in that way, it helps avoid disease.

They don’t need to worry about spoiled food or contaminated food. On the other hand, their subsistence pattern while keeping them healthy and close to one another also has its risks. One of them being that because they do move around a lot food is never a guarantee. They are always on the move because they need to find new sources of food once they exhaust an areas resources. In effect, this group although close does not leave room for other improvements such as technological ones or complex forms of permanent institutions.

An agriculture subsistence pattern on the other hand provides a more reliable and sustainable food source. They have more of a guarantee of food and as food worries go away the group can focus and thrive on what the hunter-gatherer could not. They can establish cities because they don’t need to always be constantly on the move. Different areas of study can be further developed.Their population would grow in size as food supply grows to accommodate them while hunter gatherers need to stay as small groups to survive. Their disadvantage though is that as the population grows they are also more susceptible to disease. They need more food so storage for it is used and this can cause food to spoil when not done properly. Also, if the population grows at a rate faster then their advancements then they can eventually have problems with food and waste.

I would have to think that the hunter-gatherer had a healthier diet because they moved around a lot so they had a more well rounded diet of available foods while the agriculture people stuck to what they already had. The hunter-gatherer would have had more nutrient.

The move from hunter-gatherer to agriculture could have come because agriculture provided a security hunting and gathering couldn’t. They can plant for food and expect it while the other alternative didn’t always guarantee food. 

Part 2

There is a direct relationship between the availability of surplus and the ability to trade. Because people had surplus of things they could afford to let it go and trade it for something else with others. Whereas if they did not have a lot of something or had just enough of it then they would not be willing to trade what little they had. But because they had a surplus then trading was made possible. They could barter for other things they needed or were in low supply of.

A social benefit of trading is that groups become open to one another. Peace can be attained when open trade is established and in effect trust is obtained. Another is that as trade prospers so does sharing. They can learn and develop tools from each other. They can make advancements  due to another groups openness to share what they know.

A negative aspect of trading between groups is that hostilities between groups can arise  when a group wants more than another or have what another has. In this case, people will cheat or fight to have what they want. A second disadvantage is that people can go from sharing for the benefit of everyone to taking for the benefit of self. So you have people taking advantage and exploiting others for their benefit even if it means another’s worst nightmare.

Without the development of agriculture the development of trade wouldn’t be possible. The hunter-gatherer had just enough for survival so trade for them wouldn’t be as huge as it is as it was with the agriculture group. What the hunter-gatherer had they would have kept and surplus for them would have been a rarity or not as consistent as it would have been for agriculture. Agriculture made it possible to have surplus and with surplus people were able to trade what they didn’t need for what they did or wanted.

Language Experiment

Part 1

Not talking is difficult. The first 5 minutes of the full 15 were the hardest though because my partner and I tried to carry a full two person conversation. But it was very difficult because I couldn’t hold up my side of the conversation so I became frustrated. Eventually we both adjusted and my partner took over the talking part and I simply responded with movements. It was funny because as I started using more hand movements my partner did also. I also found exaggerated movements were better to use while I couldn’t talk because they could express more than the basic answers. 

For this experiment my partner definitely had the advantage because he was able to express precisely what he meant without m having to guess the meaning. He had to always follow up questions to fully understand my responses to him. Talking definitely helps in communicating ideas faster. Speaking cultures might think those that can’t have a problem or something is wrong. I could sense this when my partner tried to accommodate me but failed to hide his impatience at times.

Part 2

No I was not able to last the full 15 minutes because physical embellishments come so natural that it’s hard to stop. The conversation was difficult to follow for my partner because he couldn’t interpret what I was really saying with my words. He was mostly confused with my jokes and phrases that had double meanings because he couldn’t read my face, tone of voice, and body language. This experiment tells me that communication is an art of both speech and body. To fully understand what another is saying listeners take cues from body language to interpret words and how to take it. People who understand body language can better understand situations and people’s moods if they heed body language. A benefit to not reading body language is that we are able to keep thoughts to ourselves better. We can lie or pretend but because of body language these things can be found out. For instance they say arched eyebrows and dilated pupils means that a person was surprised and this can come in handy when you are trying to find a lie in a person’s story.

Part 3

The written language would have been easier in part 1 because I could get specific and complex ideas out but doing so would have delayed response time and taken away my focus on the speaker. The written language though it could cost me time in real time conversation, it does have its advantages in preserving conversations and history. People don’t have perfect memory so the use of written language helps to remember the past and even to promote it by spreading it around. Now that the written language is more easily accessible communication and sharing is made easier.

The Zulu & The Andean Peoples

The Zulu

The Zulu are an African ethnic group located in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. The area experiences two seasons, summer and winter. During the summer season which runs from October to April the average temperature is 24 degrees in celsius. This area sees lots of sunshine, about 320 days of it, and therefore tends to be hot and dry with a few quick showers here and there. The winter months from June to August establishes a respite from the heat by providing cold nights. Although, since it is still South Africa, it still sees lots of sunshine, humidity, and dry weather during the day with an average temperature of 20 degrees in Celsius. 

Consequently, with the sun out throughout most of the year physical adaptations have taken place along thousands of years so that the people of the area can be better suited for survival. For instance, they adapted to produce larger amounts of pigment melanin so that the sun cannot cause them stress. WIth darker skin produced with an increased production of pigment melanin they can largely avoid harmful affects of the suns constant damaging rays.

Another way in which the Zulu have adapted is with the use of their houses or umuzi. They have culturally adapted to the sunny environment by creating houses that provide them relief from the often times oppressive heat. These structures are generally round made out of mud, grass, cow dung, and soil. They are able to avoid the sun this way and the soil and cow dung placed on the floor helps to also provide a cooler area. In the center of these structures are the kitchens. The kitchen is basically a hearth to have a fire. Fires in these structures would become useful during the cold winter nights. Thus, these umuzis help alleviate the environmental stress of heat and cold nights for them.

I would describe them as African/Black because they follow the same physical patterns like very similar skin color, body proportions and type of hair.  would describe them as this race because they simply fit the popularized definition of the African race. Although in this way calling them this inhibits us from knowing their culture because the population and cultural background of Zulu is very distinct and rich in its own history, just like the other different cultures in Africa. 

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Zulu.aspx

http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Zulu.html#b

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/82e12/fb4/

http://www.zulu-culture.co.za/zulu_crafts.php

http://www.southafrica.info/travel/advice/climate.htm

http://www.southafrica.com/kwazulu-natal/climate/

The Andean Indians

The Andean Indians live on a different environment than the Zulu. The Andean Indians reside on the Andes Mountain where they insist in living at about 10,000 feet or more above sea level. This can be dangerous in that breathing can be difficult as this level. The Andes Mountain is one of the largest and highest peaks there is. The temperatures vary on the location but these areas can typically reach freezing temperatures. Climates can range from wet and warm to dry and warm with average temperatures of 64 to 68 degrees in fahrenheit depending on location and altitude.

The environmental stress Andean Indians face is altitude. At 10,000 feet or more breathing can be difficult but because this group has lived there for thousands of years they have physically adapted to it. Because their location is so high the oxygen intake should be difficultt due to lower pressurized air but because, again, they’ve lived their for thousands of years they have physically adapted to it by increasing the sizes of lungs and the production of more hemoglobin. Both help to increase the flow of oxygen through their system. 

Another way in which the Andean Indian adapted is through their cultural use of coca leaves. Coca leaves are used for cocaine in parts of the world and the Andean Indians use of the leaf has created some controversy over it. Other nations are calling those who use it to put a stop on it but because of the high altitude they live in coca leaves are an essential part of their lives. Chewing coca leaves, as the Andean people do, helps to settle the stomach of aches and hunger and as medicine from altitude sickness. 

To choose a race I would describe them as Mexicans because they, again, share physical similarities in the face.

Adaptation v Race

Categorizing the Zulu and the Andean people to a race because of their appearance wouldn’t explain anything about their individual cultures. Looking at the different adaptations of each would be more helpful for the anthropologist because a group of people can end up looking like another group but they can still end up being different and separate from each other. Good research is needed to understand any group of peoples so I don’t think categorizing through similar appearances is very helpful because it wouldn’t mean much culturally.

http://en.mercopress.com/2008/03/07/andean-indians-coca-leaves-chewing-habit-in-un-controversy

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/23548/Andean-peoples

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/23548/Andean-peoples

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/andes_climate.htm

Nacerima : ways of life

(part A)

FIXATED
The people of Nacerima seem to fixate at their physical appearance and their ties to other people. These two categories interlink with not only with the routine activities they engage in but also to each other as well. Their ties to people are garnered directly from their physcial appearance and to safegaurd these social relationships they endure not only time consuming routines but also painful ones. For instance, they go to holy-mouth-men and have mouth-rites all because they want friends. They built shrines to which they can complete rituals that they believe would help them with their appearance and get them friends.


MATERIALISTIC
Nacerima were also materialistic. For instance powerful individuals had more than one shrines when their counterparts could do with one. Another example is the medicine man's demands of gifts, substantial ones too. If though people aren't able to give them gifts then the medicine man will not lend his assistance, even if the need was dire. This shows how materialistic the are because they value materials over a person's life.


SUPERSTITIOUS
The Nacerima were also a people of superstition. They believed in a whole array of magics, rituals and potions and how they could benefit from them. Even when said potions and procedures could not fully give them what they need they went ahead with the process anyway because they "believed" in it. They were superstitious that going to the holy-mouth-men and mouth rites would draw friends to them. They had shrines where they kept their magical potions and chests.


MASOCHISTIC
They were also masochistic. Their rituals were littered with acts that, in varying degrees, were painful. Their rituals to the holy-mouth-men consisted of having teeth pulled and holes put in them. The men cut there faces daily with sharp objects and women would put their heads in ovens. They would willingly walk into Latipso's and commit themselves for torture and discomfort.


DISCONTENT
The Nacerima were also discontented with themselves. They were not happy with how they looked and so they would physically alter their appearance. Their fundamental belief that the human body was ugly was definitely a driving factor for being discontented. They had practices that made the fat thin and vice versa. They also engaged in activities that either enlarged or lowered it in size.


(part B)

1. (5 pts) As an American, how do you feel about your choice of descriptive words in Part A? 

I agree with the words I chose for the most part. They do describe a large number of people in America although maybe I used too soft a word because I didn't want to sound rude or too judgmental so I chose words that were "nicer" But, now that I'm seeing it is America I'm talking about I feel a little different towards it, like I want to justify these actions.

2. (5 pts) Do any of your choices exhibit ethnocentrism on your part? In other words, do any of your descriptive words reveal a judgment of the Nacerima rooted in your own cultural bias? Are any of your words free of bias? Identify the words you feel are biased and unbiased and explain your reasoning. 

I think my words are bias because I used "nicer" words to describe them because I saw similarities with America. All of them are bias really because I had the thought that America was similar as I read so I chose words that wouldn't be too bad. 

3. (5 pts) For any of the words that are biased, can you provide alternate words that are free of bias but communicate the same explanatory information and intent of your original word? 

Maybe obsessed, overly insecure, shallow and vain.

4. (5 pts) From this experience, reflect on the importance of avoiding ethnocentric judgments when describing other cultures. Why is it important to describe another culture in a manner as free from personal cultural bias as possible? Do you think it is possible to completely avoid personal cultural bias as a Cultural Anthropologist? 

I don't think it's possible to completely avoid cultural bias simply because sometimes it comes so natural as it hard to see how where when it starts. It's ingrained in us too much so it's become our immediate response. It's important, though, to leave cultural bias out to fully understand another person and their culture beyond simple words and actions. The reasons to the whys are answered and better understood when we have no bias.