ANT 101 Week 5 Final Paper
Running head: HEALTH CARE 1
Health Care and Religion: A Comparison of Haiti and Tonga 's Practices
Jennifer Vest
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ANT 101
Instructor: Lise Byars George
January 26, 2015
HEALTH CARE 2
Haiti and Tonga are on the other side of the world from each other, 7,480 miles from each other to be exact. Both of these island countries have different ways of approaching medical care and unique health care practices. Combining religious and supernatural rituals with medical care is the norm in both cultures, though the differences being that Haitians will rely on their home remedies and only seek medical care if health gets worse and the Tongans will combine both home remedies and modern medicine in numerous ways till they find a treatment that works. Haitians cling to more of the old ways and tend to distrust new health practices. Tongans while still using some of their ancient practices embrace new health practices. How they tie their religious beliefs to health practices effect not only their health but the way they live as well. Through all the supernatural beliefs one can see the importance they hold to their traditions and it shows even in their health care. Both Haiti and Tonga have merged medical and religious practices which are evident to this day but what is intriguing is the way in how each culture has applied these practices in such different ways that its shaped unique health care practices for each culture. Haiti is a very religious place. The primary western religion practiced is Catholicism and the minority (15-20%) are Protestant (Colin, 2006). Their first choice when ill is trying home remedies and prayer. They have a strong belief that their prayers have the power to heal what inflicts them. Voodoo is still very revered in Haitian culture and since Catholicism is so closely related to the Voodoo religion, a majority of Haitians still
Health Care and Religion: A Comparison of Haiti and Tonga 's Practices
Jennifer Vest
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ANT 101
Instructor: Lise Byars George
January 26, 2015
HEALTH CARE 2
Haiti and Tonga are on the other side of the world from each other, 7,480 miles from each other to be exact. Both of these island countries have different ways of approaching medical care and unique health care practices. Combining religious and supernatural rituals with medical care is the norm in both cultures, though the differences being that Haitians will rely on their home remedies and only seek medical care if health gets worse and the Tongans will combine both home remedies and modern medicine in numerous ways till they find a treatment that works. Haitians cling to more of the old ways and tend to distrust new health practices. Tongans while still using some of their ancient practices embrace new health practices. How they tie their religious beliefs to health practices effect not only their health but the way they live as well. Through all the supernatural beliefs one can see the importance they hold to their traditions and it shows even in their health care. Both Haiti and Tonga have merged medical and religious practices which are evident to this day but what is intriguing is the way in how each culture has applied these practices in such different ways that its shaped unique health care practices for each culture. Haiti is a very religious place. The primary western religion practiced is Catholicism and the minority (15-20%) are Protestant (Colin, 2006). Their first choice when ill is trying home remedies and prayer. They have a strong belief that their prayers have the power to heal what inflicts them. Voodoo is still very revered in Haitian culture and since Catholicism is so closely related to the Voodoo religion, a majority of Haitians still
References: Colin, J. (2006) Cultural and Clinical Care for Haitians (n.d.): n. pag.Http://www.in.gov/isdh/files/Haiti_Cultural_and_Clinical_Care_Presentation_Read-Only.pdf. Web. “A presentation from Dr Crapo, R. H. (2013). Cultural anthropology. Chapter 7, Section 7.2 Building Blocks of Religion. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. McGrath, B. B. (1999). Swimming from Island to Island: Healing Practice in Tonga. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, (4). 483. doi:10.1525/maq.1999.13.4.483. “This article examines healing practice in Tonga from two perspectives HEALTH CARE 10 WHO (2010). Culture and Mental Health in Haiti: A Literature Review