Grief And A Headhunter's Rage Analysis

In Renato Rosaldo’s “Grief and a Headhunter’s Rage” Rosaldo writes about ritual and the connection, it has with emotion which I found that interesting to read. I found very shocking that he associated the emotions with death. Throughout the reading, I questioned myself, why ritual in general and llongot headhunting in particular form the intersection of multiple coexisting social processes. It should also be recognized that those in the center of the ritual will have more feelings aroused from the ritual than those on the outer edges. Also, Rosaldo mentions how he just did not understand how the grief and rage were connected, but says he now knows, after a tragic loss of his own, that to an Ilongot they went together in the most visible manner. However, I think it becomes evident that those in the center are in focus and the ones

Rosaldo goes on to the criticize the way that the anthropologists tried to understand cultural aspects objectively, as many aspects of culture require one to be a part of the culture to understand it. I feel like Rosaldo was bald even to criticize anthropologists understandings. This idea of understanding a culture to be futile, as cultures are subjective, and only those within it will understand my perspective. Rosaldo writes: “My inability to conceive the force of anger in grief led me to seek out another level of analysis that could provide a deeper explanation for older Men’s desire to headhunt” (Rosaldo). This shows that there was just a complete inability to understand, and opens up a real idea of personal thoughts. I believe that ritual is a personal experience and to those within the purpose is apparent, those outside are subject to cultural barriers such as the one described by Rosaldo. I also question the fact that denying rage within grief; one cannot understand these actions, like not knowing love in the matter we as members of a culture that includes non-arranged marriage do could cause those that support arranged