Week 8: Ethnography Project: The Iroquois (North America)

Environment:

The Iroquois, made up of Native Americans , are known to stretch along the United States and Canadian border. Most are in New York, Quebec, and Ontario now but before included Oklahoma to North Carolina, and around the great lakes. Their environments tended to have extreme weather sometimes but not out of the ordinary for winter and summer seasons, including snow storms or blizzards. This crippled their gain in hunting and gathering because it was too cold to survive while doing so. This was a big downside since the crops did not hold up well in the fall so their source of eating was slim to none. They had to adapt. They also experienced extreme heat as well that would dry out their crops or water in homes and make it difficult to stay hydrated. But they had the advantage of the great lakes nearby to have enough water. For the most part they were okay because of their shelter though. The rainfall is at its highest in June at an average of 106 mm. The rainfall is at its lowest in February and the average of this time is 40 mm. There is most always rain so they are fortunate in the case of getting water and watering plants. The temperatures range from 23.1 degrees Celsius in July and -5.6 degrees Celsius in January. The variation between driest and wettest months is 66 mm. The variation through temperature annually is about 28.7 degrees Celsius. There is not much change needed to adapt as it is not that big of a jump in temperature or precipitation but minor adaptions are always safe.
The area they live in is very beneficial for growing crops so it is very desired by other tribes and is shared with other tribes in some places. The setting was more rural than urban before as there were five, now later six tribes within the Iroquois. The total population in the 1980s was said to be around twenty thousand! They had around a few hundred people in each village so it wasn't too isolated but food didn't have to be fought for too much either. The plants mainly used by the Iroquoian tribe were corn, squash, and beans. The animals in the area consisted of black bear, elk, deer, rabbits, and birds, and fish. They had a huge variety of things at their reach. The main environmental stress, like mentioned before was the climate change when it would either snow or be extremely hot for their crops to be able to withstand and for theirselves as well. They adapted to this by building houses called longhouses that were huge and kept them safe from sun exposure or snow storms.

Adaptation:

One of the physical adaptations of  the Iroquoian tribes was their strength. They had to be strong to be able to build the longhouses and keep themselves out of harms way.
The other physical adaptation would be their build. They looked physically fit with lots of muscles and were not overweight but not underweight so that they would have enough meat on them to survive winters but not too much that would hold them back when carrying logs for building houses. Some of the cultural adaptations was that women were helpful in regard to planting the crops or the "Three sisters" and men with their strong builds, were able to provide shelter. The third cultural adaptation is that they would create chimneys for their longhouses so the fires could be inside to keep them extra warm and so the wind would not blow it out when they cook their food and to preserve crops they hung them from rafters and the ceiling as well as containing them in things with lids.


Language:

The most common among languages used between the different tribes in the Iroquois Nation, is Mohawk. This is the most common because it is generally used at religious festivities and men use this alot because it is spoken most at Great Councils. The other six languages are Cayuga, Tuscarora, Onondaga, Seneca,Oneida, and another popular one, Cherokee. Most Iroquoian Indians can speak more than one of these languages to communicate with the other tribes. There is a written version of this language as I have shown on the photo above. There are a lot of words that have been taken from this language and used to name things, like bayou, caribou, jaguar, and hammock. This language when written can be puzzling in the design for those of another cultural background.

Gender Roles:

There are two gender roles in this culture, the male and female roles that is. The typical roles you see in most other cultures are also apparent here but with some differences as well. The women are the ones who plant the crops and tend to them, as the men go out to hunt. The difference in this culture is that both roles will at times weave items like a boat. This culture also sees the women to have superiority or power. The chiefs of the clans may have all been men, but they only received that power by being elected by women. Roles involving any form of ritualistic performance or art of some sort were intertwined and done by male and female. The gender roles were strict in that they were never to be crossed over really but there were not really any repercussions heard of against it. Maybe this is because no one felt the need to switch roles as they felt it was the way things should be. Children learned their roles right away by the boys going to hunt with the men while the women were farming.

Subsistence:

The subsistence patterns used most frequently were hunting/gathering and slash and burn or horticulture methods, they now tend to live more similar to an American lifestyles, as well as Canadians, the two countries in which they reside. The food items within their diet consists of an abundance of things including fish, berries, black bear, elk, deer, rabbits, and the "Three Sisters"; beans, corn, and squash. The food stayed available year round for hunting and planting because the soil is always fertilized due to the constant rainfall as well as the animals always have vegetation in their environment so they will stay nearby for them to hunt. They always have a great supply of food to live off of and this may add to why they are so physically balanced. The veggies are providing by the women who care for them and the animal meat and fish as well as berries are provided by the men who are strong and physically built to go hunting for their family's. Most of their food is always obtainable and they live a very healthy lifestyle in regards to their diets.

Economic System:

The Iroquois did have a surplus of crops because of the flooding that kept them alive and flourishing. These surplus crops and meat they had were stored away in clay pots so that they would survive the cold months. This also was in case of a freezing out or dry spell so that they were not left with nothing if other crops were to perish too soon. The specialization in labor is clear in the Iroquois nation because the women were to gather food, cook, clean, tend to children, and stay at the longhouses for supervision and care for crops and children there. Men were to go hunting, fishing, be the ones to do the trading, and to go to war if need be. This tribe does in fact participate in the redistribution of goods. This can be done by providing other tribes with something such as a peace offering that is usually reciprocated, or by trading. Trading was done with crops for other goods or with their form of currency which is referred to as wampum. Wampum is a shell bead that was used as a form of money to trade it for other things like crops. It was valued so much that it was sometimes inserted into artwork. Their way of trade was beneficial to everyone because by trading they were all getting something they had wanted but in other ways it comes with a price because if you use too much of your crops for trading then you may not have enough for your own tribe.


 Marriage:

The Iroquois Indians' way of marriage was monogamous in that they got married based on mutual consent and not by arrangement or for royalty. The Iroquois did not embrace marriage to parallel cousins but when it came to cross cousins it has been done to keep alliances within tribes for safety reasons. Their was no trading involved in marriage from what I have read so the values of each participant of the marriage were to be valued mostly at an equal amount, though women were able to break off the marriage whenever they felt right and the men had to leave their clan's once married to live with the woman's clan and if they were to divorce the man would have to leave the longhouse of that clan. As mentioned earlier they did not encourage incest taboo's but were not opposed when it came to cross-cousins. Regarding homosexual relationships it was unclear.

Kinship:

The kinship of the Iroquois Indians culture is of matrilineal descent pattern and this shows that the women are valued more as the men are always to leave their own clans for their partner's, meaning all the women stay in their own clan's and their maternal line is all connected. The male descent lines are not focused on much since they are not part of the clan. If the mother has a brother in their clan that is not married then he may be valued more than a father since he is by blood part of the clan. The one who possesses the most power within the family would be the oldest maternal relative since the role of authority is passed through the maternal line. Men don't carry any possessions with them other than the simple necessary ones for survival so the important possessions are passed down the matrilineal descent line as well. The naming patterns within my culture are somewhat strange. The sister of an ego's mother would be called mother as well. The brother of the ego's  father would be called father and the parallel cousins were referred to the same as siblings, whereas cross-cousins are just referred to as cousins.

Social Organization:

I believe that the Iroquois Indians are that of a somewhat stratified and egalitarian culture. In regard to being egalitarian, everyone is mainly treated equal but the women hold a higher social power because of the descent pattern but this is just in a way of being respected a great amount as the men are treated mostly equal. The Iroquois are that of a stratified class when it comes to genders because women get to have the authority in keeping their marriage or not or deciding the chief, but they are egalitarian in how they live. Women have their tasks, and so do men. No task is said to be of a higher class than the other, it is just part of their lifestyle to help each other out.

Political Structure:

Chiefs are elected by the women of the tribes and this is part of the political structure. The women can veto any law of the Chief that is made as women hold most power. On a more vast political view, the Iroquois created a league of nations into one with those five tribes at the start that established a bicameral legislature where two tribes were in one "house" and two other tribes in another with a middle man tribe to veto any laws that seem out of place. representatives were chosen by clans and decisions were made by the Great Council. The Iroquois constitution inspired America and Canada in their laws that were written. For breaking laws in regards to blood shed, you could be banished or exiled from the tribe in such a scenario.

The Role of Violence:

The Iroquois desired to have peace with all mainly as a goal though violence did play a part when it was instigated by others. When this would occur a lot of blood could be shed on account of the Iroquois tribes but only because their much more toned physique than maybe an American or Canadian might of had. The effects of violence are seemed to be very negative in this culture in that they only try to move towards peace mainly, shown by the peace treaties they have with everyone. But if something was unjust regarding a political issue or regarding their goods and trading then this may cause an uproar because it is based on their survival.


Religion:

The Iroquois religion does not have a distinct name but they praise a figure known as the "Great Spirit" kind of like Christians praise God. They are polytheistic yet they tend to only worship the "Great Spirit". The story behind how they came to be is different within some tribes but majority say that a deity named Sky Woman had created the Earth and that her sons created all the bad and good in the world. One son represented the natural creations that were helpful to our survival while the other represented natural creations that were detrimental to it. There are six major ceremonies for the Ioquois religion, they are called Maple, Planting, Strawberry, Green Corn, Harvest, and Mid-Winter or New Year's festival. They are believed to help farming, curing illness, and for Thanksgiving. This culture could function without this religion but they strongly decide not to because it gives them a sense of hope and peace to hold onto which is sometimes needed to get by and survive the hard trials.

Art:

(Artwork) The most commonly used artwork would have been beads. The Iroquois would add beads to clothing, bags, and paintings even. These beads (alot of the time wampum beads), were seen as currency but seen as of more importance artistically and contributed greatly to the whole culture.

(Music) The most common form of music would be chanting, flutes, and drums. This form of music contributed to story telling and connecting with their Deity. They would do this around fire and the men sometimes would use flutes to impress women they liked.

(Performance) Dancing was used for rituals of trying to speak to the Great Spirit in accompaniment with the music such as the form of music above. This contributed to their fun and spiritual gatherings and to their strength in their belief that it could help cure illness or help with farming.

(Religions Art)  I would say most commonly referred to as religious art is the ritual dancing and chanting but some religious art is shown through items like the faceless doll that tells of a story of how her face was taken by their God because she was too consumed in her appearance and this is how they believe a lesson was given regarding not being so conceited and only focusing on your looks.

Cultural Change/Conclusion:

The culture of the Iroquois have since been majorly effected by other cultures such as the American and Canadian cultures, which is expected. They have adapted to their living style that has changed. They use modern day materials just as we do and don't have to hunt or grow their own food to eat anymore but they still have the option to. Some still live on the Reservation but there are also a lot that don't anymore. A lot of the Iroquois members have gotten jobs outside there Reserve and are living just like the rest of us. Some of the positives from this change is that they don't have to struggle in the cold looking for food to catch or risk their health to survive anymore. They also have the help of many modern day medicines and vaccines as we do. The negative may be losing a lot of their original culture rituals but this does not mean they have lost it all. I believe that they are healthy, thriving, and holding onto their original culture as much as the rest of us do. They still celebrate special days, still participate in important ceremonies every year but just not everyday, just like we celebrate our holidays. The Iroquois influence on today's culture is the same as others. They add on more stories in literature, they add on more sports to our lives, and more forms of dance and more ways of religion that is just like any other culture. I wouldn't say it impacts us more than other cultures though because I believe all cultures impact each other at some point or another and always learn something new in the process!





                                                            BIBLIOGRAPHY


 Borade, Gaynor. "Iroquois Tribe: Religion and Culture." Buzzle. Buzzle.com, n.d. Web. 02 June 2016. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/iroquois-tribe-religion-and-culture.html>.

Reid, Gerald. "Iroquois." Encyclopedia of World Cultures. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2016<http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Climate: Iroquois." - Climate Graph, Temperature Graph, Climate Table. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2016. <http://en.climate-data.org/location/133812/>.

"Iroquois - Religion and Expressive Culture." Religion and Expressive Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2016. <http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Iroquois-Religion-and-Expressive-Culture.html>.

Brandão, José António, and René Cuillerier. Nation Iroquoise: A Seventeenth-century Ethnography of the Iroquois. Lincoln: U of Nebraska, 2003. Print.

Week 7: Art As A Culture

1.     Functions of Early Art:

a.      The cave paintings were trying to tell a story of the animals that surrounded that area and of the people and their interactions with other animals or other people. Sort of like a first generation picture book.

b.     The animals traveled in packs always and sometimes people would not. They were probably more fascinated with the animals as well. They also made more paintings of animals probably to tell the story of when they would be hunting.

c.      By the way the Paleolithic people painted the men and their weapons you can tell that they traveled in the nude sometimes and their weapon could be as simple as a spear. The way they would paint the animals showed a slight feeling of fear of the animals as well. That the animals were praised more than they were.

d.     They would ground up colored rock (yellow ocher and red oxide or charcoal, specifically) and then they would add spit, water, or animal fat to create a paste when mixed and help it stick to the wall. To spread the paint onto the walls of the caves they would use their finger, twigs, moss, or horse hairbrushes in order to put it on. They also blew paint through bone tubes or reed pipes onto the walls.

e.      Early humans use this art for display of their success or story of hunting, spiritual communications, and a call for help. They had thought sometimes that this was a way of calling out to their spirits to help them or tell them of tragedies or as for guidance.

2.     The Commonalities in Art:

The commonalities between the early humans and modern humans regarding art was that some paintings now tell stories as well and the abstract way of painting is still used today. The other common interests between then and now is the finger painting. It is still used today a lot and is encouraged for kids to do.

3.     Introduce us to your favorite art: (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18MFUE0Vpgw  )

a.      Lyrical dancing conveys a huge message through body language. It can be done in a large body of people or individually or even as a duet. But the main focus is the body. It reminds me of hula dancing sort of because hula dancers always tell a story too but mainly with their arms and hands. Lyrical dancing tells a story through the whole body as well as facial expressions. It tells you the story behind the song playing.

b.     Hawaii is known for hula dancing and this has some elements of lyrical dancing but lyrical dancing on its own is used in many cultures. It tells the story it just has become more complex since modern day. The only language is the body language going with the fluctuation in the vocals and music and the lyrics for the tone of the performance. The usual dress for a lyrical dance performance involves tights, with no shoes, and shorts and a top or a petite dress.

c.      The only detrimental effects of lyrical dancing would be for the one doing it. You have to be very graceful and precise yet messy and chaotic at other points and go back and forth from slow motion to very rapid motion to make a statement with what feeling you are trying to portray and that can be very strenuous or painful and you have to have an abundance of muscle. I feel it benefits society as another form of art that is beautiful and also tells a story just like any other form of art though this form goes by more what the song says instead of what the performing artists makes up with words but the body movements are all theirs.

Week 6: Politics and Violence Post

It is said that the laws are universal regarding violence and killing within different cultures but when it comes to the Yanomamo Indians there is some differences in how they deal with issues. They Yanomamo don't have many formal laws or guidelines to uphold. They don't even have a chief or judges. When they deal with an issue it is delt with more within the family and on their own rather than by going to the law to settle it for them. They don't have a written language or number system really so this just shows how much differences they have with most all cultures as well. 

In the Yanomamo population revenge killings are usually a result of sexual jealousy. This can be from any form between sexual infidelity, rape, or failure to give a promised girl in marriage, and others. The process is done in various ways. Some involve shooting with bows and arrows with the intent to kill. The most common motive behind the original killing is women and the most common cause behind the raids that follow is for killing the first time so it goes around basically. The raids are usually the aftermath of a revenge killing within the village. 

The revenge killings are of course life-threatening for those who are involved, obviously but those who obtain the title of unokais. To gain this title it means you are a man who has killed and then once you have killed you have to perform a ritual purification called unokaimou. This ritual helps deflect any supernatural harm that might come the killer's way from the soul of the one whose blood he shed, this also is a form of honor to them because this means they become an unokai and that it is widely known who they are and who they killed. Recruitment is on a self-selective basis though boys are rewarded for signs of aggression. The benefit of an unokai member seems to be that they are not as likely to be killed in the raids because of their status. This is proven by the statistics that the unokai populate most of the village because the rest have suffered in the raids. The benefit of a non-unokais is that they don't have to go out and risk their life to have a killing on their hands if they do not wish to be of this status so they are not as in the danger as others would be.

There are many ways the Yanomamo culture's revenge killing's effect their political structure, social status/ social organization, kinship, and marriage and reproduction. The revenge killing's influence political structure because they deal with their issues through families so when they are involved in revenge killings in the form of a raid they can be risking the strength of their group politically and socially because if they die then that means their group becomes weaker in society as well as in politics of the Yanomamo population. The influence that revenge killing has on kinship is not in their favor for the most part. Though it sometimes adds to the number of people behind a group that is involved in a raid if they have kin they are close to, but this also will risk the lives of the kin that are involved which will create once again a smaller group politically and socially and will end with no kin because they are the main scapegoat for actions of those who do revenge killing when it comes time for raids since they are close to those who may have done the killing before. Now in reference to marriage and reproduction men are more likely to be polygynous and have many wives within their lifetime and this will create more kin for their raids because they have more supply as in women. The ones who are more likely to have more kin are the political leaders who marry each others families if they are equal in leadership of a village. This builds a stronger force for raids. 

I think it is very important to have laws and consequences for something that we "shouldn't want to do" because killing others based off revenge is an instinctual feeling of a mammal. We can cover our instincts with these laws that we know will only damper our happiness and not theirs but if we don't have these strict laws then some of us will become more violent and vengeful people. It is hard to control or communicate the feeling of losing someone dear to you because of someone else unless through anger, hate, and hurt. So if it is fresh in your mind and someone you love is to pass because of someone else whether it was premeditated or accidental, the idea of taking what they took from someone you love will probably cross your mind because when in that situation it seems there is no better justice than to take a life when they took a life first, but we have to remember we don't want to live in a society like that because in the end after you do your justice you still won't have that person back and now you will feel like you are just as bad as the person who killed first and this will not only lead in a lot of homicides but suicides as well and we would start to become our own extinction. 

Kinship Interview

1. 1.  My interviewee by choice was my mother, Crystal Rosenlund, whose maiden name is Richardson. She is a sister to two younger, twin brothers and who was born in Ohio on September 15, 1974. She grew up in this area and in Arizona and California as her father was involved in the military. Her mother was mostly home and father left after she was age fifteen. Both mother and father were from pretty average sized families and my Grandmother Carolyn, her mother, was the youngest of three children. My Grandfather Alfred, her father, was one of two children from his mother Buela who my mother was very close to. She is still alive and well at age 90 and her other grandparents from her mother’s side are also still alive. Mildred Scott, her grandmother was also someone she was pretty close to. My mother was raised in a family with thick twang accents and of the Catholic religion but never really fit in to this belief as she is now Mormon. She was always the calmer of her siblings as her two brothers were big troublemakers all growing up. Her family consists of descendants from a European and Native American ethnic background. 

2.   2.   I was pretty comfortable during this interview because my mother and I have discussed family history quite thoroughly a handful of times, yet it always is a little bit of a deep conversation when brought up because her father left her and her brothers when they were still kids and was abusive to her mother. So bringing back these thoughts were a little painful to think about for us both as is thinking about who she was closest to because her Grandmother Buela was who she was closest to and now she is getting much older so she worries about her. If I were to have done this interview on someone I was not related to I believe it would have been harder to be as interested in all the information and easier to not get so attached or effected by the answers. I feel like the thoroughness of this interview went well because we are able to open up to each other about everything but it would have been harder to get personal with someone unrelated maybe.

3.3.     I never met my Grandfather on my mother’s side so I cannot speak too much for him, but the socialization level on my Grandmother and mother’s side is apparent by them both. They both tend to have very nervous laughs and may seem very sociable but are more introvert than outgoing. My mother even more so than my Grandmother as well as my uncles. They are more closed off with people than someone who is super outgoing per say. My mother always felt more of a closeness to her father even though he left them at a young age because she always wanted to rekindle that relationship and always felt maybe it was her and her mother’s fault for why he left them but my uncles have seemed to favor their mother more so, knowing of how harsh their father was with them and their mother.  My mother was his “favorite” so to speak when he was around so I think it confused her most. It seems that in my mother’s side of the family the maternal roles take the lead more so. In her side of the family there is a trend of an average amount of kids everyone has but in my mother’s case she broke that trend with her 7 children. Within her family there are some ethnic differences within her cousins as some are also African American but this has not shown much of a difference in the way they socialize since they all come from the same area so they all are adapted to that environment specifically.

4.    4.  I know my mother’s and father’s relatives both pretty well, but I have not socialized an equal amount with all of them unfortunately. My mother’s relatives all mainly live in Ohio and I live in California so that basically speaks for itself. My father’s relatives are pretty spread out and some have passed now so I only got the past years I had with them to look back on. I would say that my Grandfather on my father’s side is the biggest influence in decisions that side of my family makes because he is the one that is kind of a crutch for all of the children and their children when things get tough and is always thinking of every possibility to make sure things run smoothly. On my mother’s side there is not really a decision maker for that side of my family because they all kind of do whatever they feel like no matter how crazy and no one listens to each other whether it’s advice or an order, including the children. My mother would definitely be the most level headed from her side of the family though. On my mother’s side family members that are married into the family does not really occur often since most are not married but my mother is and her husband is treated more friendly than my grandmother’s actual children as if he is still always a guest or friend of the family, but on my father’s side I have an Aunt Gayle that was married into the family as well as an Uncle Brian married into the family and Gayle is treated like she is one of their own, but Brian is secretly out of the loop more so from the group of family members that are closest but that is mainly based  off of his personality. There are huge differences I have noticed within the two sides of my families regarding gender. On my mother’s side it seems as though the boys in the family are always favored and babied more so but most of the boys on this side are not very independent and this may be why. On my father’s side the girls are more favored in the adults it seems though they are independent just majority are girls and the men on this side adore them all. I have really gotten to analyze my family a lot more within this assignment and I actually enjoyed doing so a lot I am able to understand the differences in character and why a lot better in each side of my family.  

Subsistence and Economy

Subsistence and Economy

Part 1: Discuss and compare the costs and benefits of the two different subsistence patterns of hunter

gatherers and agriculture, addressing the following questions in full:

1.      Identify the benefits of both types of subsistence patterns.

Hunter gatherers have the advantage of more food as in they can grow crops and hunt and have more so they are able to trade as well, for other things they might need. Agriculture has its perks because they don’t have to work so hard to catch their food when they can just grow it as well as being able to grow and abundance to be able to also trade crops for other things instead of only being able to round up a couple animals from hunting.

2.      Identify the costs (or disadvantages) of both subsistence patterns.

When hunting, it is more dangerous and you have to be a lot stealthier you can’t just water a plant and wait for food to come to you, you have to be steady and quiet and if you are hunting a strong animal then you have to be careful they don’t catch you first. With farming, the disadvantage is it takes a long time for the crops to be ripe and sometimes they die if aren’t taken care of properly and this can depend on the weather.

3.      Which subsistence pattern provides a healthier diet? Explain.

I feel like both are sometimes needed but maybe the crops would provide a healthier diet and if they needed meat they could use cows, chicken, or pigs which are easier to manage than a more wild animal. They can even feed these animals healthy things so that the meat is nicer and they won’t have such a bad diet from what the cow ate in its lifetime. Plus you need the nutrients of fruits and veggies.

4. Discuss why you think those early human populations 12,000 years ago made the transition into

agriculture? Think like an early human, not a modern one! Your answer should not mention

“machines” at all.

I believe a reason an early human would turn to agriculture in place of hunting would be that hunting was very dangerous without the right weapons and back then there wasn’t many and the weapons they would use would be a weapon you would have to use up close compared to now. So there would be a chance the animal would hunt you instead. Also, hunting could take a long time in that you would have to patiently wait for your choice of animal to appear and if you make a sound they might run off before you have a chance.

Part 2: Economics and Trade:

1. There is a direct relationship between the availability of surplus and the ability to trade. Explain

the meaning of this statement.          

When you make trades there is an opportunity to gain more than you gave. Just like in a business if you sell things for more than they were worth you got them you increase your income. So when making trades you may retrieve something that is of more value to you than what you gave which is more value to the other than what they gave you.

2. Identify and describe two (2) social benefits of trade.

The social benefits of trade is if they like your product they will come back for more and you will get something of greater value in return or word of mouth happens and more people or in some cases more countries want to make trades with your country if you have good supplies and then you will get more variety of supplies based on what the other countries may have.

Another benefit is that you make allies with the countries you trade with which is a positive for any disputes with other countries you may have because then everyone wants to be on your countries good side and will help you out in a crisis so that you do the same for them.

3. Identify and describe two (2) negative social results of the development of trade.

The negative social results of trade come from either one side thinking they were cheated and that they gave something of more value or quantity than the other. Another way that it can be negative is that there can be sharing issues. Maybe one side wants the other sides goods all to themselves and won’t allow others to join in on the trade or try to take over the area of the goods and this causes problems and has multiple times in history, one time was about China so they made the open door policy then.

4. Given your answer in the question #1, explain the relationship between the development of

agriculture and the development of trade. Again, think like humans 12,000 years ago.

The development of agriculture definitely increased trade because the more crops the more things to trade for those who are going hungry but have materials for things like shelter or warmth. I feel like growing crops helped spread the idea of trading because in some areas crops could not survive because of the climate changes and in other areas it could so it left a lot of room for trading and I believe the two go hand and hand in helping each other especially 12,000 years ago.

The Language Experiment

The Language Experiment:

1.   1.  For Part 1 of the language experiment we were asked to not use any form of symbolic language, thus referring to speaking, sign language, written language, just nothing verbal or ASL if we knew it. We were asked to do so while our subject of choice was allowed to speak freely however they wished.

This was definitely a difficult task to do because language is part of our everyday experiences but then again so is body language so I was able to get more in touch with how body language can come across and can give meaning behind something that was not intended before and this is why sometimes our communication is flawed because we mistake meanings of things for how we interpret the other person’s body language. I found myself using hand signals for like a thumbs up if my subject had guessed what I was gesturing towards right and if something they said was not the right message I was trying to get across I would laugh at them subtly and shake my head no so that they understood it was not what I was trying to say.

My subject was able to get my expressions and what they meant pretty well because I use body language an insane amount everyday probably much more than I actually speak and my subject was my fiancé so he was able to read my body language right from the start though of course would not be able to guess exact words I would want to be portraying but it always was at least very close or on the dot with understanding each other.

He did seem to alter his form of communication a little when it came to this experiment because he wanted to be able to understand what I meant more clearly and felt he could do that if he were to mimic me in some way so that when he would feel himself start to make an expression or move a certain way and analyzed how he was feeling in that moment then he would understand that when I made those same expressions or movements I was feeling pretty much the same.

I feel in some ways symbolic language and body language can both have their advantages if two people from different cultures were to converse because when speaking a different language and if the person from the other culture cannot comprehend that language, body language can definitely come in handy and leave both feeling like they were still able to have a successful conversation without symbolic language. I feel like the speaking culture would feel either more superior or like the other is helpless because of their lack of symbolic language yet if we didn’t use body language then I feel it would be even harder to communicate or form any type of opinions and sometimes having body language to back you up can be helpful in ways like convincing a loved one to better their life if they see that their lifestyle is hurting you by your gestures and sometimes one look can change someone’s world. Some people in our culture can’t use symbolic language anyway because they are deaf but this does not stop them from conversing with us. They have adapted their own symbolic language but when they have yet to learn it they cannot comprehend our words very well and I have noticed that the deaf people I have encountered are very good at using their body language and facial expressions. You are easily able to see the passion behind each gesture when they tell a story or want something and it’s awesome to be able to have friends who don’t quite get your language and you don’t quite get theirs but you have an understanding of each other through a smile or frown in a certain way.

2.    2.  For Part 2 of the language experiment, we were asked to only use symbolic language and no body language of any sort. This was probably the most difficult for me because I convey how important or how unimportant something may be by my tone of voice and facial expressions always very strongly and to not be able to use them kind of drove me insane with trying to express how I felt about something. I was not able to last the full 15 minutes without slipping up and using my face or body to show what I felt about what I was saying or in response to someone else’s remarks but it was interesting to see how difficult that would be to not show my feelings behind something not only for me but for my subject when trying to understand me.

My subject laughed at me mostly the whole time during this experiment because it was out of the “norm” to not have any meaning behind what you say and things that are foreign to what we are used to usually come off as weird to us. It was frustrating watching them laugh when I was trying to get a point across and I was envious of the use of their body language they were allowed when I was not.

I think this just shows how thrown off people can get when communication does not involve body language. I believe that is why being able to facetime is such a big deal and so is being able to hear the other’s voice over a phone because through letters and text the meaning or expression someone tries to share behind a word can be completely misinterpreted when the other person can’t see or hear he context in which it is said at the time.

Those who are blind cannot read body language though I know they still use it. It kind of is instinctive and can’t be helped but those who are blind when conversing will use body language themselves even though they may not see it and I personally feel like they can still read it somewhat by the tone of someone’s voice or if when they were to wrinkle their forehead when worried and then feel it for example this could show them that that is a part of expression of worry or confusion sometimes. But in some ways I guess body language would be good to not have because then you can focus on the actual writings and let that consume your mind more than the context behind it like when taking a class in person and hearing the tone of voice the professor may read in and if they have a certain opinion or judgement on a matter like humans are meant to then that will be what you take away from it but taking an online class like me, you are just seeing the raw words in the book.

3.     I feel like yes the experiment in Part 1 of the assignment would have been a lot easier if we were able to converse using written language as well but then the importance of body language would not really sink in and we all would have tried to focus more on writing things down than taking in the act of using only our body.

3. Written language can provide a lot to the cultures that use it though. This is a form of how we communicate long distances and was the only source of communications for decades. Written language can keep the importance of the message itself a top priority and helps us keep documents on historic or secretive matters.

Written language has impacted the world by spreading the language itself around the world the act of communicating through words that we create. It has impacted us by informing many of inventions around the world, of music, art, history, science, and many other great creations. Written language has made it so that we can expand our ideas further than just where we reside.

Environmental Adaptations

Population Comparisons

Zulu Population:

1.       Environment of population:

Rainfall is typically between .4 and 5 inches of rain throughout the year.

Climate can change from highs of 84 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter time to lows of 66 degrees Fahrenheit also in the winter time.

In the summer time highs of 77 degrees Fahrenheit and lows of 44 degrees Fahrenheit

Fall and spring wall in between these too.

2.       Physical adaptation they present:

One physical adaptation they have is the tone of their skin. It is one of the much darker varieties. This tone of skin is based on the amount of melanin and they need this because they live in an area where they may be more contact with ultra violet rays that are harmful to skin types that have less melanin and can cause skin cancer or melanoma.

 

3.       Cultural adaptation they present:

The cultural adaptation of the Zulu population would be the war tactics of King Shaka. During the late 1700s, when the Zulu population faced great threat from invasions, King Shaka developed new tactics and weapons to help combat their opponents while also starting off a new tradition among warriors.

 

4.       Race?

Based off of physical appearance, the Zulu , would best be described as part of the “African” race due to the physical characteristics of their body as well as skin color are associated with what is known to look “African”.

Andean Indian Population:

1.       Environment of population:

In the winter temperatures can be less than 52 degrees Fahrenheit and the rainfall is about 4 inches at this time. In the summer the temperature can range from 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit with about 8 inches of rain.  They are in a high altitude because they reside in the Andes Mountains of South America.

2.       Physical Adaptation they present:

The physical adaptation they have is lung capacity. This is helpful to them because they live in a very high altitude where otherwise it would make breathing hard to do but they have adapted in that way with an increased production of hemoglobin.

 

3.       Cultural Adaptation they present:

The Andean Indians didn’t receive much assistance from their environment in their way of food since it was harder for plants and animals to survive in that altitude so there was a slim selection that included alpacas and llamas for wool and milk.

 

4.       Race?

The race of the Andean Indians would be described as Native American by the details of their physical appearances.

5.       Summary- Adaptation vs. Race:

To base a person off of the race and not their adaptations would be a mistake for an anthropologist I believe. If based on race then it could be misleading and not as accurate as if you were to start the research on the adaptations of this race to figure out why they may look the way they do or be the way they are. The adaptation of a person in their environment can add to what makes them of a certain race anyway but to base their race off the appearance only would not have as much insight behind it. Looking into how the adaptations listed above helped mold them would be much more insightful.

Works' Cited

http://anthro.palomar.edu/adapt/adapt_3.htm

http://www.zulu-culture.co.za/zulu_food.php#.VxhMEfkrKM8

https://www.google.com/search?q=andean+indian+lung+capacity&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=775&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiIt5zdgZ_MAhXGOT4KHSRgAvYQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=GdJjcIobcHeBzM%3A

http://wallpaperweb.org/wallpaper/nature/andes-mountains-patagonia-argentina_11542.htm