Ethnology and

Ethnography

Aliza C. Morallos
M.A.T. SocSci
What is Ethnography?

Ethnography entails the study and analysis of

clans, tribes, societies and nations. By analyzing
and studying social/traditional ceremonies and
procedures, the ethnographer can understand the
underlying values of the various social groups and
his ultimate goal is finding common ground among
different tribes and societies.
 Some of the ceremonies and
rituals analyzed by the
ethnographer include:

1 2

Burial Procedure Circumcision Ceremonies

 Some of the ceremonies and
rituals analyzed by the
ethnographer include:

3 4

Marriages Cremation Ceremonies

Torajan family with their
deceased relative.

In Tana Toraja in eastern Indonesia, funerals are raucous

affairs involving the whole village. They can last anywhere
from days to weeks. Families save up for long periods of
time to raise the resources for a lavish funeral, where
sacrificial water buffalo will carry the deceased’s soul to
the afterlife. Until that moment — which can take place
years after physical death — the dead relative is referred
to simply as a “person who is sick,” or even one “who is
asleep.” They are laid down special rooms in the family
home, where they are symbolically fed, cared for and
taken out — very much still a part of their relative’s lives.
The New Orleans jazz funeral

In Tana Toraja in eastern Indonesia, funerals are raucous

affairs involving the whole village. They can last anywhere
from days to weeks. Families save up for long periods of
time to raise the resources for a lavish funeral, where
sacrificial water buffalo will carry the deceased’s soul to
the afterlife. Until that moment — which can take place
years after physical death — the dead relative is referred
to simply as a “person who is sick,” or even one “who is
asleep.” They are laid down special rooms in the family
home, where they are symbolically fed, cared for and
taken out — very much still a part of their relative’s lives.
 Balinese Cremation

“Strange as it seems, it is in their cremation ceremonies that

the Balinese have their greatest fun,” Miguel Covarrubias
wrote in the 1937 book, Island of Bali. In 2008, the island
saw one of its most lavish cremations ever as Agung Suyasa,
head of the royal family, was burned along with 68
commoners. Thousands of volunteers gathered to carry a
giant bamboo platform, an enormous wooden bull and
wooden dragon. After a long procession, Suyasa’s body was
eventually placed inside the bull and burned as the dragon
stood witness. In the Balinese tradition, cremation releases
the soul so it is free to inhabit a new body — and doing this
is considered a sacred duty..
 Aboriginal mortuary rites in
Australia

“When a loved one dies in Aboriginal society in

Australia’s Northern Territory, elaborate rituals
begin. First, a smoking ceremony is held in the loved
one’s living area to drive away their spirit. Next a
feast is held, with mourners painted ochre as they
partake in food and dance. The body is traditionally
placed atop a platform and covered in leaves as it is
left to decompose. It has been reported that in some
traditions, fluids from the platform can help identify
the deceased’s killer.
 Ghana fantasy coffins

 In Ghana, people aspire to be buried in coffins

that represent their work or something they
loved in life. These so-called “fantasy coffins”
were recently popularized by Buzzfeed, which
showed images of 29 outrageous ones, from a
coffin shaped like a Mercedes-Benz for a
businessman to an oversized fish for a
fisherman to a really big Bible for someone
who loved going to church. .
 What is ethnology?
While the ethnographer works on the ground to understand rituals and ceremonies, the
ethnologist tends to compare various ethnographies with each other in order to infer theories.
Ethnology focuses on the demographics of societies and focus on the theoretical aspect of human
and social behaviors. By analyzing myths and superstitions, the ethnologist attempts to
formulate a theory that can explain (totally or in part) what happens within a given society.
Within the context of ethnology, we can identify two different branches:
Prehistoric ethnology: which tries to explain social behaviors of ancient and prehistoric men
without having documents and evidence to support its claims and basing its theories on
assumptions and analysis; and
Historic ethnology: which explores and analyzes the behaviors of barbarian tribes and old
societies.
Prehistoric Ethnology Historic Ethnology

which tries to explain social behaviors of

which explores and analyzes the
ancient and prehistoric men without
behaviors of barbarian tribes and old
having documents and evidence to
support its claims and basing its societies.
theories on assumptions and analysis

Similarities between Ethnography and
Ethnology
The two branches of anthropology have several
aspects in common, as they both focus on the
analysis of societies and of social behaviors.
Both explore and study social behaviors and
societies starting from the analysis of rituals,
ceremonies and traditions;
Similarities between Ethnography and
Ethnology
Both focus on ancient societies and try to give
insights on the life and traditions of ancient times.
But none of the two is limited to the study of
historic and prehistoric societies; and
Both aim at providing a clearer understanding of
human history.
Difference between Ethnography and
Ethnology
While they may seem very similar and although they are both
branches of anthropology, the two disciplines differ on few key
aspects:
The ethnologist uses a comparative method to understand and infer
similarities and differences among different societies, while the
ethnographer mainly focuses on rituals and traditions of one
society, without doing a comparative study of different human
groups
Difference between Ethnography and
Ethnology
Ethnology focuses on a limited group of people (i.e.
the tribe or the clan) whereas ethnography covers a
broader population, comparing and contrasting
various social groups.