Write an essay that illustrates 3 points of similarity or difference between Kwakiutl and American Wedding Rituals.

The Comparative Approach: Kwakiutl and American Wedding Rituals
Read the handout that details Kwakiutl and American Wedding traditions (also available on Blackboard). Write a 3 to 5 page essay that illustrates 3 points of similarity or difference between the two traditions, and then include your own observations of a rite of passage you have witnessed.
In your essay be sure to analyze what the similarities and/or differences between the American and Kwakiutl weddings demonstrate about their respective cultures and values. After this, examine a rite of passage you have witnessed; this could be a wedding, a first communion or baptism, bar mitzvah, quinceanera, etc. Be sure to summarize the event as an anthropologist and include the purpose of the ritual, the stages of the event, kinship relations and how an individual’s status may have been referred to (e.g. by inclusion in the ceremony, or being seated at a head table), the purpose of gift exchange if it occurred, who shouldered the financial responsibilities and why (if known), what sorts of ritual specialists were involved, differences in the roles of men and women, etc., etc. It is critical that you explain how this event reflects cultural ideals and norms about its respective community and culture.