Final answer:
Kottak's experience with the children running away during his research reflects the complexities of anthropological fieldwork and the need to understand local cultural reactions to outsiders.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Kottak began researching among the Betsileo in Madagascar, the children ran away from him because their reaction to a stranger, particularly a foreign one, can be rooted in various cultural and historical reasons. Fear, curiosity, or taught caution could be responses to the appearance of an outsider within their community. Kottak may explore these themes extensively in chapter 11 of his ethnographic work, detailing his observations, experiences, and perhaps his understanding of such behavior based on his anthropological background.
Encounters like these illuminate the complexities of fieldwork in anthropology and the initial barriers researchers must overcome to build trust and rapport with local communities. This aspect of Kottak's research might highlight the intricate dynamics between the observer and the observed within the field of anthropology.