Bronisław Malinowski
Malinowksi made two major contributions to the field of anthropology. The first was his theory of functionalism. Malinowksi claimed that culture groups needed to meet the individual needs of their people in order to function properly. These individual needs can range anywhere from food and shelter to the need for security and happiness. The Kula Ring is great example of the concept of functionalism. It uses gift-giving as a way to fulfill the need for political organization among the Trobriand people. People who received the best Kula gifts, red-shelled necklaces or white-shelled armbands, were given a higher social rank in Trobriand society.