What is the purpose of the Human Relations Area Files? :: essays research papers

What is the purpose of the Human transaction Area Files?Imagine a dictionary with over 800,000 pages of definitions in it. It would suck up every definition of every word, and every pronunciation of that word in it. Well the Human Relations Area Files are almost that, still with culture in mind. The HRAF started by George Murdock in 1949 at Yale University, is a parade on microfiche of over 800,000 pages of primary source materials, including books, journal entries, dissertations, unpublished area reports and many translations on selected cultures or societies from all over the world. These 800,000 pages of material charter and classify 700 pagan characteristics and it includes about 400 societies past and present. This includes warfare, substance practices, gag law patterns, marriage, and rituals. They are and then catalogued and cross-indexed with ethnographic data, filed by geographic location and cultural characteristics. The subject memory access is provided by an al pha-numeric coding system based on geological area and cultural groups, subdivided by traits. Each culture or ethnic group contains a variety of source documents ( books, articles and dissertations ) that have been indexed and organized.So what does all of this mean? Let me try to explain. It is all of the observation nones of hotshot particular culture. But its even more than you think, its notes upon notes upon notes. It helps us find an invoice for certain cultural beliefs and practices. One fraction of an example is Who dances for rain? wherefore do they dance for rain? What do they do if they do not get rain? Etc... All of this is recorded. It can be shared and then linked together, so we could one day find out that mayhap the American Navaho Indians and the Australian Aborigines, both have a similar rain dance ritual. These files are like one big reference library, make by all cultures, that many people can gain access too. Some of the purposes of these files are to allo w us to establish correlations between cultural features, but not conclusions about the causes and effects.