Response to "Shakespeare in the Bush"

At the end of my senior year in high school we had to read Hamlet, and of course, our teacher taught us the "interpretation that was universally obvious" (Bohannan 216). This story was absolutely hilarious. Never again will I view the play the same way again. It was funny for me to read because the way I learned it, Claudius was the person at fault for everyone's death at the end, but these chiefs and elders blamed Hamlet and Laertes for all of the turmoil that ensued. They validated Claudius' marriage to Gertrude, claiming that the "Europeans were more like [them]" (218), it was a rule for the dead man's brother to marry the grieving widow immediately. Of course the Europeans did not see this union as proper, and so that was a difference in the upbringing of these two communities. Customs are very different no matter where you travel, and if you expect everyone to act and understand the same things, you are obviously living in a bubble.
It was funny how the elders would interjected with their customs while Bohannan told the story. Saying things such as, "But he must have many wives! Who else can brew beer and prepare food for all of his guests?" (219), which left Bohannan confused and frustrated. Her irritation was caused because there was no "universal" custom, not everyone follows the same rules and ideals in every culture. That is what culture is, a way of life that sets one community of people apart from another. Of course, groups of people imitate one another's cultures and guidelines on living, but no two tribes of people are the same.
I found it quite interesting that when the elders of this tribe talked about the Europeans, although they would correct their interpretation of Hamlet, they still said something that struck me. An elder said that "people are the same everywhere" (225), which is a statement that you do not often hear. There are always people who are racist or believe that their customs are the only way, but this tribe recognizes cultural differences and still believes that ultimately everyone is the same. I found it refreshing to read that, it was the nicest line I have read all semester. For once it was a positive view on societal differences.