* This is an assignment I had to write for my Cultural Anthropology class. Can you guess what exactly it is I’m describing?
When speaking of culture, most would apply a certain culture to a specific geographical area. In my study of the Latem people, I found this unique group is spread out in several areas of the world; yet their social gatherings and wild appearance make them outcasts in every area they live. This group exists in countries such as the United States, Italy, Japan, Columbia and Australia. Because of their distinct and oftentimes offensive behavior, this group is forced to be marginalized to their own culture.
Members of the Latem can be distinguished by their artwork, usually on clothing, that depicts their native language. This language comprises of forms of speech they took from the language their indigenous to, as well as words and symbols whose meanings are known only to the Latem people. Some of these words are illegible even to the Latem people, but are drawn in an intricate matter for aesthetic appeal. They write this language in distinct fonts that were born out of the Latem minds. They use this language to communicate amongst each other.
What is most evident about this singular culture is their passion for disturbing sounds. The Latem people enjoy the sound of people screaming and growling. When I spoke with these people, they told me this love of peculiar sounds is what defines their culture. They worship these noises as though it is their religion. They played a little of these sounds for me, and any first-time listener would probably find it barbaric. I started to question, why do these people enjoy these gruesome noises? So I continued to listen in order to understand their passion for these noises. When they noticed my interest in the noises, they invited me out to one of their social gatherings.
The social gatherings of the Latem people are even more astute. All of the people in the Latem group gather around a raised platform. There are a few number of the Latem people on the platform performing the rituals. There is one person making those guttural sounds, and about three or four people accompanying the screaming person on instruments. The stringed instruments being played are oddly shaped, and these instruments usually have multiple strings where the player swiftly strums them in an inhuman technique. There is also a percussionist who uses a nefarious skill to make the noise sound even more vigorous. At these gatherings, there are a myriad of these groups that play. Some of the Latem people crowd around the platform, worshipping them. Others engage in a fighting ritual where they push each other around to celebrate their felicity of these sounds. Throughout this gathering, odd chantings and hand motions are made by the group on the platform and the group of people worshipping them. All of these actions are done to express their devotion to this religion.
The Latem are a unique and diverse group of people that connect based on their love of their religion where they worship odd noises and people screaming. Their gatherings help to connect this group of people. Their ceremonies show the devotion they have to these sounds. This interesting group exists in a number of countries around the world. The first accounts written about the Latem people date back to only forty years ago, but the number of Latem people increases with every generation. But even with this fact, they are still outcasted and discriminated frequently. But the most vital fact I learned about the Latem people is that they will never give up their religion or their ceremonies. Because of this fact, this group will continue to grow and flourish.
