CHAPTER FOUR

LEARNING

All human behavior can be classified as:

• reflexive, where the function does not involve any mental activity, but is a normal motor action. e.g. withdrawal of a finger when it touches a hot body; or
• instinctive, when it is a character trait of the whole species and is found full grown at its first occurrence and then continues without diminishing.  Man has practically none of these. One example for this type of behavior is the migration of birds.
• Learnt. Man is distinct in this respect that instincts do not dominate his behavior and most of man's culture is leant.

How do we learn a culture?

ENCULTURATION

lf we are born in a culture, we learn it in the process of our growth. This is known as ENCULTURATION. When a child is born he has no conception of the world, no language nor morality. He is simply egocentric, reacting to his own senses.

As a child grow up, he consciously or unconsciously picks up and internalize his culture. His mind is thus programmed in accordance with his cultural values to react with family, friends, enemies, other creatures and to inanimate things. These are stored both in the conscious mind as well as in the unconscious and subconscious minds. This produces the personality of the man, which the bible calls the soul. In so doing, the child has the freedom to choose and develop in their own personal way producing a unique person. Man is fully responsible for his own self. The culture provides a background and a general matrix. A child is taught how to find his position in the family, society and in the rest of the world. He finds out whom he should respect and submit himself to, whom he should tolerate, and whom he could bully. Along with high ideals, culture also transmits subtle selfishness and methods of self preservations like cheating, lying etc.

Apart from these informal educational processes, every culture provides for some form of formal education for its individuals. They are usually in the form of training in skills that are necessary for their adult life. Girls are taught basic housekeeping skills by their mothers including culinary arts and arts and crafts. Boys are taught the arts of wielding weapons and in decision making. In the Sudan, children are encouraged to serve elders in their councils under the trees, thereby introducing them to the techniques of tribal government and judgmental systems.

Formal schooling as known to us today is not known in the ancient Sudanese society. But they have come to value their significance, because they know that an educated man ‘has several cows to his credit’.  Learning to read and write are coveted skills.  Since culture is learnt, it can be taught.  Culture change including change of faith can be introduced through schools.  That is why most missionaries start their work as educators and medicine man.  Entering a culture by basic literacy work is an effective means, because it brings trust and confidence before the necessary transference of the good news.   Even the nomadic tribes will appreciate a traveling school teacher.

ACCULTURATION

But if a person is not born in the culture, the way to learn the Culture is called ACCULTURATION. Every person entering a new Culture will experience a certain amount of culture shock. A sense of isolation and feeling of unwantedness is common. But as soon as he makes contact with the people and makes friends with them, this emotional disability will start to vanish. The first step in this direction is to learn the language. Eventually a missionary will be able to learn to live a bicultural life, with one foot in each culture. He will be accepted as a friend and will be trusted. But he will be treated always as an outsider. In some cases this distinction can be helpful, in that he say be able to command some respect and hearing.

assimilation

But a much better way of acculturation is by assimilation.
In this the missionary identifies himself with the host culture completely. He will wear their clothes, speak their language with ease and behave like them. Assimilation will open up new intimacies that are not open to an outsiders bringing with it greater opportunities for evangelization. Since Sudanese are a family centered people, a missionary family will have greater chance of building up trust.

QUESTIONS

1. Classify human behavior. Give examples for each of them from human life or from non-human life.

2.  What is the difference between acculturation and enculturation?

3.  In spite of the same cultural matrix in which a child is brought up, one develops into a unique person. Why?

4.  What are some of the educational processes in your tribe? (Describe both formal and informal training.)

5. Compare the merits and demerits of bilingual missions and assimilated missions.

6. Develop several strategies for entering a culture in order to communicate the good news.