Different Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Different Cultures - Essay Example Maya were never ambitious empire builders, but peaceful people who lived in harmony with nature. Roma are nomads originally lived in North West India, migrated to Persia, Middle East, and then to Constantinople to end in Western Europe and tiny population to US and Canada the last caused by World War II and Communism. Domari, Lomarvren and Romani like clans belong to this origin. This tribe was persecuted by Christians, Germans, were killed as witches, sometimes with legal and royal sanctions, were enslaved in Europe and if ever there was a population which was relentlessly hunted, tortured, systematically exterminated, they were the unfortunate Roma. Hitler went for 'getting rid of Gypsy plague' and Roma were part of holocaust and survivors did not get any support from Allies. They were the common targets of all, and should be appreciated for managing to survive, despite the murderous setbacks. They are still targeted by groups of insanity and governments have not done enough for them in any country. Maya's royalties cemented the kinship and the divine lineage by marrying ruling class members of other cities. Roma married young; courtships were allowed to some extent, but not more. Arranged, practical and sometimes love marriages were practiced, and marriages were a gala three day affair, after which, they lived with groom's parents, and only after they had children, they might be allowed to live a semi-detached life. Daughter in law is kept strictly under control and have to perform all her duties without anything in return. "The daughter-in-law must prove herself to her new family and is expected to perform services with little in return. She is expected to care for her in-laws and produce grandchildren. With the birth of her first child the daughter-in-law moves from the child or bori status to mother-of-the-child status" http://www3.baylor.edu/Charles_Kemp/gypsy_health.htm Maya did not have such rigidities, and marriages did not endanger women folk into slavery. Maya men were responsible for all outside work, earning and decision making. Women were home-bound, but not obsessively so, and took all decisions of home life and maintained a healthy economy. Aged people lived a good and sheltered life in family, because the elders were respected and cherished and here, they are close to Roma, where the house elders only could speak to outsiders and were never interrupted or advised or overruled. Both clans had gender regulated rules where women had to look after home and hearth and men, earning and external responsibilities. But Maya women definitely were more independent than Roma. Maya had rigid class system, but Roma did not have much of it, as all are equal and they were never ruled by kings, but only by a clan headman. Roma consider pregnancy and child birth unclean and keep the event out of familia home. Child is mainly mother's responsibility and mother should maintain state of wuzho and there are varied ceremonies for the father to accept the child as his own. Children are the