Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 5.11. Oi'o ceremony, during the corn season, when Xavante boys from alternating
age-sets confront each other marking the entrance of a new group of young men into the hö
or bachelor's hut. After about 5 years of seclusion the youth have their ears pierced and are
initiated into adulthood. Drawing by Mario Tseredzaré, 1979.
The Reciprocal System of Gift-Giving
Arithmetic problems created in the classroom by Xavante students are also structured
by a fundamental principle of dialectical societies: the reciprocal notion of gift-giving
(see Chapter 1). It is also known as an economy of gift-exchange. Let us examine
the problems formulated in the classroom by 8-year-old Leandro Dzaiwa'ono, and
9-year-old Nancy Re'dzatse:
Leandro: “My father will go deer hunting. He has a whole box of ammunition.
How many deer will he kill?”
Nancy: “There is a lot of corn at my father's garden. My mother will make corn
cakes. How many cakes will she make?”
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