Learning Knowledge, Skills, and Ethos of the Community: Acquisition of Mental Attitudes Through Co-Participation

Abstract

In this study, we elucidate how not only knowledge and skills, but also mental attitudes, or ethos, can be passed on from older to younger generations through co-participating in activities. These mental attitudes include intersubjective values, customs, manners, and the social norms of a community. We have employed the methodology of interaction analysis using video recordings of preparation activities for the Nozawa-Onsen Dosojin Festival. In Analysis 1, we illustrate how the art of rope binding ‘kesho-shibari’ is learned, describing how the beauty of the form is the essence of the skill. In Analysis 2, we illustrate how through co-participating in the stacking of lumber, the younger generation learn how to take initiative in the activity in a short time while maintaining the orderly arrangement of the lumber. These analyses show that knowledge, skills, and ethos are acquired together. Finally, we propose a learning model that enables community members to move on a trajectory of knowledge, skills, and ethos in a new activity, once the mental attitude has been acquired. This study clarifies not only a way of transmitting culture but also suggests an ethnologic device that educates and unifies a community.