Iranian Journal Of Antheropology

Iranian Journal Of Antheropology

Culture of Rice Cultivation in Mazandaran: Case Study on Two Villages, Farah-Abad and Arteh

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
Fatemeh Taheri
Ph.D. student of Anthropology, social faculty of Tehran university, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
This study is conducted with the aim of a deeper understanding of the socio-cultural aspects of rice cultivation and examining the rituals related to it in the two villages of Farah-Abad and Arteh in Mazandaran, and changes in the stages of rice cultivation due to the introduction of new agricultural technology and tools have been undertaken. Research data have been collected in the framework of ethnography and with the help of participatory observation methods, photography, and semi-structured interviews. The main question is how rice cultivation is done today and what are the strengths and weaknesses of the developments in rice cultivation and its industrialization from the perspective of farmers. The results show that the use of agricultural tools has advantages in some farmers opinion such as increasing crops, making cultivation easier, and saving time and money. Also, as a result of the industrialization of cultivation methods and the absence of people in some stages of rice cultivation, some of the rituals, such as singing during planting and weeding, and singing poetry by men during the weighing of rice in the two studied villages, have been greatly reduced or eliminated. Meanwhile, another part of oral culture, including proverbs related to rice cultivation, is still remaining among people even the young generation.
 
Keywords
rice
culture of rice cultivation
planting of rice
art and music
Subjects
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