In Keep the River on Your Right, Schneebaum is immersed into a culture that has a totally different set of social standards. When he first encounters the Akaramas, the first thing they did was promptly undress him in a very personal manner. They thoroughly examined him physically in a way that our society would deem to be a most intimate and private fashion. To them, it is nothing out of the ordinary to fully explore the bodies of those that are a part of their tribe. It is interesting to note how Schneebaum posed the idea that the Akarams viewed him wearing clothing just as if people in our society would view a person naked. This total change in the way of looking at people does not really catch Schneebaum off guard as much as if someone from the center of our American society were completely immersed in the Akarama culture. It is the American constructed idea that in order to be civilized, people need to have an almost fear of the bodies of others, especially that of children.

Another difference that the society of the Akaramas has from ours is the way they look at death. It took nearly ten to twelve weeks before Schneebaum realized that he hadn’t noticed any deaths among the entire tribe. He did notice that a couple of the women who used to be pregnant are no longer carrying their children, but they also don’t seem to be visibly caring for any infants. This seems to suggest that they had miscarriages, but that such an incident is not reacted to in such a way as we Americans are accustomed to. In our society, many view abortions as a form of murder and are set to change its legality. They hold even “possible” human life to be extremely valuable, while the Akaramas aren’t even phased by the prospects of death. When Darinimbiak gets ill and dies, the other men who went with Schneebaum to the mission treated his death with very little regard according to American standards. The question then becomes: Is a “civilized” culture required to have a high amount of emotional ties regarding the issue of death? Emotions regarding death turn out to be a socially constructed reality, and it is up to the people living in the soc

Some topics in this essay:
Father Moiseis, Kelly Michaels, River Schneebaum, Tobias Schneebaum, , Darinimbiak Darinimbiak, father moiseis, set forth society, emotional ties, “civilized” society, people society, society akaramas, society view, human life, society determine, forth society, set forth,