Dr. Fred Foy Strang
In this 5-page paper you will select a people-group and research their history and culture in
order to provide providing a succinct ethnographic portrait.
*You must utilize proper citations and have a bibliography. You may use the formatting style
with which you are comfortable, just be consistent, accurate, and current.
Ethnographers utilize many tools and techniques to gather information, but interviews and
participant observation are the most widely one employed.
Other tools include
• direct, first-hand observation of daily behavior
• observation of participants
• conversations of varied levels of structure and formality
• genealogical exploration to determine kinships
• key informant in-depth interviews
• fact finding about particular areas of communal life
and a number of others (longitudinal, PRA, problem-oriented, etc.)
ἔθνος ethnos = people (we derive our English word “ethnic” from this root)
A comprehensive ethnography involves both library research and fieldwork. In our case,
we will not be conducting fieldwork. We are only doing the research aspect. Therefore, any
conclusions will only have partial validity. Nevertheless, it is an important exercise and one
that can be employed in many ministerial contexts.
