Choose two rituals that have some aspect of gift-giving, whether material or symbolic, or
between humans or supernatural beings.
• The rituals should have something in common and be at the same scale (a 2-minute ritual should
not be compared to a month-long celebration, etc.). A typical paper would compare the same
type of ritual, for instance a puberty rite of passage or a harvest festival, in two different cultures.
• Do not include the full description of any ritual, just discuss or compare a few elements of the
ritual action.
The Paper:
Title: Ritual Gifts: [culture 1 and culture 2]. Example: Ritual Gifts (Maori and Samoan). You may
also add your own subtitle.
Body: each bullet should be at least a paragraph
o Introduction: Introduce and identify 2 rituals
o Comparison: Compare 3 similarities in the rituals.
o Interpretation: Discuss gift exchange involved in the rituals, whether material or non-material. How does exchange reflect the social relationships among people, and how they relate
to The supernatural or divine?
o Analysis: How would you classify your two rituals, using one of these categories?: technological, therapy, ideological, salvation, or revitalization. See Table 4.1 in
the textbook (and the pages following) and the Types of Ritual document on Titanium.
o Ritual today: can you relate a personal gift exchange experience that highlights what you have
written about ritual? Be brief.
o Conclusion: what did you learn?
