Chapter 3 - Sierra Armstrong

The ideal relationship between an anthropologist and an informant would be the informant teaching the basics of the culture being studied to the anthropologist. I think the basics should be the language and the basic roles of the different people. I think that would help the anthropologist communicate with the other people in the culture so that the anthropologist can come up with their own ideas and observations of that culture. Also it allows the anthropologist to get information from more than one person. A problem with this is that the anthropologist and the informant might get along very well. The anthropologist might continually go back to the informant instead of the other people to understand why someone said this instead of asking that person. Like when Greg Simon was working in Bukittingi the people were mean and cold towards him. So if Simon had an informant that he was friends with he might have gone to the informant to ask why he said that or acted that way. Instead of the informant trying to explain why his culture acts that way he may and try to comfort Simon and tell him not to worry about that guy. Also if an informant and the anthropologist were not friends the informant could tell the anthroplogist only what he wanted him to know about his culture. Then that culture would not be accurately portrayed. Friendships between informants and anthroplogist will cause problems. If the two become very good friends the anthropologist may keep certain details or important about that culture out of their writings to protect that culure and his friend. Then that goes againist their code of ethics because an anthropologist is supposed to report his information to the general public, but the anthropologist is also not supposed to do anything that can hurt the people. That is a controversy all in itself. I think to try and help this the anthropologist should do as much research on that culture that he can find so that he will not be totally in culture shock. This will allow him to maybe communicate with more people in the culture instead of just one person. I think no matter what there are still going to be problems because all cultures are different. Even though this way works for this culture and doesn't bother them it may bother another culture.