11-02-2010

This zan, according to Tooker, was maintained through the action of carrying: that is, "carrying tradition" in a manner similar to the carrying of rice in a basket on their backs. When asked by Tooker about their 'beliefs,' individual Akha people gave a confusing and seemingly inconsistent variety of statements, but there was a strong element of conformity when it came to deciding what was right practice, or zan."

Nye, Malory. "Religion: The Basics." New York: Routledge. 2008.

In this passage, Nye discusses how "belief" can be viewed in many ways, and in particular to this way, can focus not on actual belief (as in: is there a God?) but on how one carries out that belief. Thus, in the Akha, there is a focus on uniformity in action rather than belief. I must wonder if this doesn't seem to recall the totem of Durkheim: that there is more of a focus on external unity through act than internal through personal views of the world.