Authoratative modes of speech in a Central Himalayan ritual

Among the most striking aspects of the culture of the Central Himalayan region (this includes the Indian state of Uttarakhand and the westernmost part of Nepal) are the development of bardic narration and the social role played by rituals of divine possession. These practices interact variously in different sub-regions (for examples, see Lecomte-Tilouine 2009; Hitchcock and Jones 1976).2 My concern here is with one of these configurations: that of a set of rituals known as jagar (in colloquial Kumaoni jag), since they take place at night, which are performed in the central part of Kumaon, the former kingdom that makes up the eastern section of Uttarakhand. The purpose of the Kumaoni jagar is to manifest one or several local divinities. This is done either for the good of a family, in which case the ritual is held in the family's home, or for the good of the village or this "whole created world" (yo srsti sansar), in which case it takes place in a temple or courtyard, both called dhuni, dedicated to the legendary sage Guru Gorakhnath.Issue title: Authoritative Speech in the Himalayas. John Leavitt teaches linguistic anthropology in the Anthropology Department at the Universite de Montreal. He has conducted field research on oral poetry in northern India and in Ireland. He has published on this work, on comparative mythology, and on the implications of linguistic diversity. His book, Linguistic Relativities: Language Diversity and Modern Thought, was published in 2011

Les structuralismes et les mythes

Le structuralisme en anthropologie a eu un effet révolutionnaire dans l’étude des mythes, permettant à la fois de respecter la spécificité du texte et d’en proposer des interprétations basées sur une méthode plus ou moins rigoureuse. Cet article note certains points méthodologiques saillants des différentes méthodes appelées structuralistes, surtout celles qu’ont inspirées la linguistique diachronique (Dumézil) et la linguistique synchronique (Lévi-Strauss) ; il propose d’y ajouter d’autres méthodes qui prennent au sérieux le contexte rituel de l’énonciation d’un mythe ainsi que sa forme textuelle ; et il illustre ces propos avec la discussion d’un mythe de la région central-himalayenne (Inde du Nord).In anthropology, structuralism has had a revolutionary effect on the study of myths, making it possible to respect the specificity of the text and to propose interpretations based on a more or less rigorous method. This article notes some of the striking methodological points of different methods that have been called structuralist, particularly those inspired respectively by diachronic linguistics (Dumézil) and by synchronic linguistics (Lévi-Strauss); it proposes the addition of methods that deal on the one hand with the ritual contextualization of myth, on the other with its textual form; and it illustrates these proposals with a discussion of a myth from the Central Himalayas (North India).El estructuralismo en antropología tuvo un efecto revolucionario sobre el estudio de los mitos, al permitir al mismo tiempo el respeto de la especificidad del texto y la posibilidad de proponer interpretaciones basadas en un método más o menos riguroso. Este artículo comenta ciertos aspectos metodológicos importantes de los diferentes métodos denominados estructuralistas, sobre todo los que se han inspirado en la lingüística diacrónica (Dumezil) y en la lingüística sincrónica (Lévi-Strauss); se propone agregar otros métodos que toman en serio el contexto ritual de la enunciación de un mito así como su forma textual. Dicha proposición se ilustra con una discusión de un mito de la región del Himalaya central (India del Norte

King Kong: Reflections of Feminism Through Film Music

https://remix.berklee.edu/graduate-studies-scoring/1071/thumbnail.jp

1861-08-22 John E. Leavitt requests discharge from the regiment

https://digitalmaine.com/cw_me_2nd_regiment_corr/1110/thumbnail.jp

Co-Cultures of Oophila Amblystomatis Between Ambystoma Maculatum and Ambystoma Gracile Hosts Show Host-Symbiont Fidelity

A unique symbiosis occurs between embryos of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and a green alga (Oophila amblystomatis). Unlike most vertebrate host-symbiont relationships, which are ectosymbiotic, A. maculatum exhibits both an ecto- and an endo-symbiosis, where some of the green algal cells living inside egg capsules enter embryonic tissues as well as individual salamander cells. Past research has consistently categorized this symbiosis as a mutualism, making this the first example of a “beneficial” microbe entering vertebrate cells. Another closely related species of salamander, Ambystoma gracile, also harbors beneficial Oophila algae in its egg capsules. However, our sampling within the A. gracile range consistently shows this to be a strict ectosymbiotic interaction—with no sign of tissue or presumably cellular entry. In this study we swapped cultured algae derived from intracapsular fluid of different salamander hosts to test the fidelity of tissue entry in these symbioses. Both A. maculatum and A. gracile embryos were raised in cultures with their own algae or algae cultured from the other host. Under these in vitro culture conditions A. maculatum algae will enter embryonic A. maculatum tissues. Additionally, although at a much lower frequency, A. gracile derived algae will also enter A. maculatum host tissues. However, neither Oophila strain enters A. gracile hosts in these co-culture conditions. These data reveal a potential host-symbiont fidelity that allows the unique endosymbiosis to occur in A. maculatum, but not in A. gracile. However, preliminary trials in our study found that persistent endogenous A. maculatum algae, as opposed to the cultured algae used in subsequent trials, enters host tissues at a higher frequency. An analysis of previously published Oophila transcriptomes revealed dramatic differences in gene expression between cultured and intracapsular Oophila. These include a suite of genes in protein and cell wall synthesis, photosynthesis, central carbon metabolism suggesting the intracapsular algae are assimilating ammonia for nitrogen metabolism and may be undergoing a life-cycle transition. Further refinements of these co-culture conditions could help determine physiological differences between cultured and endogenous algae, as well as rate-limiting cues provided for the alga by the salamander

Examining Admission Factors in an MPA Program

This article presents an in-depth examination of the validity of the admission factors employed by a NASPAA-accredited MPA program. Admission factors are examined to determine if particular factors, or a set of factors, are most indicative of an applicant’s potential achievement in the MPA program as measured by a student’s final grade point average (GPA) in the program. The study uses truncated regression techniques to analyze student records in order to determine the relative significance of a set of commonly collected admissions information. We find that the best predictor of success in the MPA program, as measured by final GPA in the program, is the applicant’s undergraduate GPA. This finding brings into question the utility of much of the information collected in a typical MPA program application

Buying a herd boar

John W. Massey, R. K. Leavitt and John C. Rea (Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture)Revised 12/81/8