SCRIPT FOR EDUC 213

Alright, a pleasant morning once again, I am Florencito Rivas and I will

be discussing the Elements and Essential Functions of Culture as a continuation
of identification of the Culture’s meaning.

Now, let’s go first with the Elements of Culture. There are 3 major
classifications of the Culture’s elements and these are the Culture on our Heads,
Communicating Culture, and the Reproducing Culture where these major
classifications have its own distinct inclusivity. To further understand these
classifications, Let’s dive in first through the first major.

1. Culture on our Heads – These elements that refers to the people’s orientation
on how people think, behave, and view the world and this includes our
values, beliefs, knowledge, norms, folkways, and mores. This major class
means to say that our perspectivity, the way we conceptualize concepts and
ideas with our brain or mind itself and putted into an application or action
are the basis for Culture to exist and nourished. Where this major class
presenting OUR MIND to be the strongest weapon for acknowledgement and
acceptance or neglection and refusals of one’s culture’s existence.

It has 6 inclusion that envelopes this major class. We have values, beliefs,
knowledge, norms, folkways, and mores.

1. Values – it refers to as the collective ideas about what is right or wrong, good
or bad, and desirable or undesirable. In all, values are the individual’s
beliefs that motivate people to act one way or another where it serve as a
guide for human behavior. For example, We Filipinos are known to be family-
oriented because we respect and valued our parents anywhere and wherever
we go, also being a God-center people or a religious one who always pray
and goes to church every Sunday, and also known as internationally for our
hospitality in towards our fellow Filipinos and most especially the tourists.
 Some further examples of values being used are Integrity, respect,
responsibility, sportsmanship, servant leadership, and many more.

2. Beliefs – this term refers to the opinions that accept as true. Means to say
that we actually accepting these ideas and superstitions even we actually
didn’t observed it on spot but because of the evidences and scripts that were
created by the ancestors of one’s culture, group of religion and the country
where it appears oftentimes way back centuries, influenced us to accept it
and follow it until now because we believe that it is fundamental in our lives
and we avoid being punished by it as there were existing laws in those
beliefs. For example, As a Christian, we believe that God exists and Jesus
Christ is our savior, while in Muslim, they believe that God also exist in
similar but in another name called Allah, however there were also religion
that believes on the idea that there is no God at all. Though despite of
indifferences to the beliefs we have, the important thing is we respect each
other’s beliefs and no superiority.

3. Knowledge – it refers to the range of information, awareness, and

understanding that helps us navigate the world. It is apparent for us people
nowadays that knowledge in all forms put us to the survival state of this
cruel reality. That is why we go to school to study and acquire learnings and
knowledge that are systematic that we may use in the near future, but some
of those who did not make it to study because of financial problems or lack
of opportunities are still able to acquire learnings by the means of their day
to day interaction with the environment. Example of this are the basic
understanding of computer, information how to install cables in our
vehicles, using tools and equipment based on their respective application
and so many more.

4. Norms – A culture expectations for appropriate behavior. This term derived

for the word Normality and generally refers to something that is usual,
typical, standard, or expected. In all, it is the unwritten rules of behavior
shared by members of a given group or society called in Filipino as
“Pamantayan”. Example, it is a norms for us Filipinos to be conservative
 rather than being liberated when swimming in the beach especially here in
Malita. You have to wear swimming attire that is fully covered with cloth in
order for you to avoid being harassed by pervert. Though it is acceptable and
exception for tourists since it is a norms for them especially in America that
you have to wear two piece or on piece for girls and swimming trunks for
boys when swimming because that is the appropriacy in their place. You
cannot do that here in the local regions especially if your native here
because that is the action of disrespect and loose of dignity for girls. Good
thing some places here in the Philippines accepted that ideas because of the
strong influence of foreign people.

5. Folkways – these are customs or morality which is the shared common

practices And traditions of a group of people in a particular place. For
example, A person who spits on the side walk, street and elsewhere might
not be seen as immoral because we sometimes used to it and we accept it as
practices as long as it doesn’t affect us personally but for other people who
is not particular in the place, they will seen it as little rude, no values, and
respect to the environment.

6. Mores – A strict norms that control moral and ethical behavior. It is similar
to the norms but in a complex and strict way. For example, Securing health
permit before working in a fast food chain, On the year where pandemic rule
the world, it is a mores for us to enter a facility or any establishment with
a securement of vaccination card, wearing facemask in all part of the place
and you must be 5 feet apart with each other. Here in school, it is a mores
that No ID no entry.

2. Community Culture – This major classification empowers speech deliverance

and passages in oral and written form after formulating concept and ideas
of culture to one another person. This includes language and Symbols for
passages to relay.
 1. Language – the ability to communicate the concepts and ideas of culture
to another person. Example, discussing a relevant topic to a B’laan group.
This language will be the guide and way for the information to be relayed
as by means of communication, we shared equal and different relevancy
and that will lead us to understanding, peace, harmony, or perhaps, chaos
for the misconception of words being used.
2. Symbols – Includes gestures, words, sounds, objects, images that form the
basis of human behavior. Example of this is the cuneiform script, scroll of
our group stating there all important information from the existence to
the laws of the group in such words and shapes that are difficult to
decipher if you are not part of them, and also some tribe uses a weird
sound indicating a particular message that they only know.

3. Reproducing Culture – These elements manifest the product of culture and

how it is being transmitted, utilized and shown from one generation to
another generation. It includes behavior and cultural objects.

1. Behavior – refers to the actions associated with group that help

reproduce a distinct way of life. For example, we respect for elders by
saying “po” and “opo”, pagmamano kapag tayo ay aalis or kadarating
lang mula sa ating pinuntahan, at marami pang iba.
2. Cultural Objects – a basic element of material culture, that are created
by and associated with people who share a culture. This term solely
pertains to the objects or things being created that installs meaningful
information as a clue that culture exist when generations will come.
Example: Mononggul Jar, paintings, clay arts, relics, artifacts, and etc.

In all these major’s classification and its inclusivity helps in relaying and
passing one’s culture from one people to another and generations to generations
because of the data being installed whether in oral, written, performance, and
object forms.