Anthropology 3500 Study Guide: North American Indians - Cultural Trait Comparison - Prof. | Exams Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

STUDY GUIDE

ANTHROPOLOGY 3500: North American Indians

Beverly R. Ortiz, California State University East Bay

I. You should be able to compare and contrast the generalized lifeways of North American

Indians in each cultural area, as given in lecture, videos, and readings according to the

cultural trait categories listed in capital letters below. You should be able to provide at least

two to three specific, detailed examples within each category.

MAJOR LANGUAGE FAMILIES

In this category you need only be able to name the language family. Language family

names usually ends with the suffix “an.” For example, Algonquian, Athabascan, or Hokan.

ECONOMIC SYSTEM (SUBSISTENCE)1

Consider major food sources (plant and animal), major methods of food procurement

(foraging, horticulture, or agriculture), or seasonality. The latter includes the seasons in

which major plant resources were gathered or cultivated, and/or in which major animal

foods were hunted.

MATERIAL CULTURE (TECHNOLOGY)

Consider structures, clothing, tools, weapons, containers, or modes of transportation.

SOCIO-POLITICAL ORGANIZATION2

Consider relative levels of social inequality in each culture area (i.e., whether people were

organized into bands, tribes, or chiefdoms based on relative levels of ranking, stratification,

and access to resources). Socio-political organization includes leadership roles and

responsibilities, gender roles, kinship systems, concepts of wealth, and modes of dispute

settlement.

1 Foraging includes both hunting and gathering. Unlike farming in industrial nations, horticulture and

agriculture involve the cultivation of relatively small land areas without the use of machinery and

petrochemicals. Horticulture, also known as “slash and burn cultivation,” involves land clearing by

cutting down and burning vegetation. Tools include digging sticks and hoes. Since plot use isn’t

continuous, horticulture is sometimes called “shifting cultivation.” In some instances, as in most of the

California culture area, no planting occurs, but pruning, digging, and burning techniques are employed

to manage the land. Agriculture requires more labor than horticulture, and uses land “intensively and

continuously.” Agricultural societies commonly irrigate the land, terrace it on hillsides, and, outside of

Native North America, use domesticated animals for transportation, manure, and “as cultivating

machines” (Kottak 1997:219-220).

2 You should be familiar with the comparative characteristics of bands, tribes, and chiefdoms (see

Anthropological Concepts handout and Sociopolitical Organization: A Primer handout). When charting

socio-political organization you should refer to the handout to determine which culture areas had

bands, tribes, and/or chiefdoms and why.

Partial preview of the text

Download Anthropology 3500 Study Guide: North American Indians - Cultural Trait Comparison - Prof. and more Exams Introduction to Cultural Anthropology in PDF only on Docsity!

STUDY GUIDE

ANTHROPOLOGY 3500: North American Indians Beverly R. Ortiz, California State University East Bay I. You should be able to compare and contrast the generalized lifeways of North American Indians in each cultural area, as given in lecture, videos, and readings according to the cultural trait categories listed in capital letters below. You should be able to provide at least two to three specific, detailed examples within each category. MAJOR LANGUAGE FAMILIES In this category you need only be able to name the language family. Language family names usually ends with the suffix “an.” For example, Algonquian, Athabascan, or Hokan. ECONOMIC SYSTEM (SUBSISTENCE)^1 Consider major food sources (plant and animal), major methods of food procurement (foraging, horticulture, or agriculture), or seasonality. The latter includes the seasons in which major plant resources were gathered or cultivated, and/or in which major animal foods were hunted. MATERIAL CULTURE (TECHNOLOGY) Consider structures, clothing, tools, weapons, containers, or modes of transportation. SOCIO-POLITICAL ORGANIZATION^2 Consider relative levels of social inequality in each culture area (i.e., whether people were organized into bands, tribes, or chiefdoms based on relative levels of ranking, stratification, and access to resources). Socio-political organization includes leadership roles and responsibilities, gender roles, kinship systems, concepts of wealth, and modes of dispute settlement. (^1) Foraging includes both hunting and gathering. Unlike farming in industrial nations, horticulture and agriculture involve the cultivation of relatively small land areas without the use of machinery and petrochemicals. Horticulture, also known as “slash and burn cultivation,” involves land clearing by cutting down and burning vegetation. Tools include digging sticks and hoes. Since plot use isn’t continuous, horticulture is sometimes called “shifting cultivation.” In some instances, as in most of the California culture area, no planting occurs, but pruning, digging, and burning techniques are employed to manage the land. Agriculture requires more labor than horticulture, and uses land “intensively and continuously.” Agricultural societies commonly irrigate the land, terrace it on hillsides, and, outside of Native North America, use domesticated animals for transportation, manure, and “as cultivating machines” (Kottak 1997:219-220). (^2) You should be familiar with the comparative characteristics of bands, tribes, and chiefdoms (see Anthropological Concepts handout and Sociopolitical Organization: A Primer handout). When charting socio-political organization you should refer to the handout to determine which culture areas had bands, tribes, and/or chiefdoms and why.

LIFE CYCLE

Consider roles, cultural proscriptions, or rituals associated with birth, childhood, puberty, marriage, adulthood or death. RELIGIOUS SYSTEM Consider, ceremonial cycles, doctoring (shamanism), mythology (sacred narratives), regalia, religious beliefs, or taboos (supernatural sanctions). HISTORY Unlike the previous categories, which focus on old-time cultural traits, in this category you should be able to chart two or three major events that occurred after contact, intrusion, and/or invasion by non-Indians (American, Dutch, British, French, or Spanish). CONTEMPORARY ISSUES OF CONCERN: The contemporary issues that will be covered throughout the quarter are: sovereignty (federal acknowledgement/federal recognition), sacred sites preservation, repatriation, stereotypes (mascots), and economic development (casinos). You should be able to explain the significance of each of these issues with specific examples that illustrate their significance. II. On the exam you will be asked questions which require that you compare and contrast course material according to given culture areas in the major categories outlined above. You should select your examples from no more than two of the subcategories listed for your consideration under each of the major categories. Depending on the chapter, there may be more or less information about a given cultural trait, such as life cycle, so you may not always be able to chart each category in equivalent detail. III. In charting the course material, you should strive to back up generalities with pertinent, detailed (not vague) examples drawn from all aspects of the course material. So, for instance, in discussing house types in the Southwest as an example of material culture, a generalized answer might state "One major house type in the SW was built of stone." A more detailed answer would state "Some SW houses were made of stone, while others were domed and insulated with soil." An even more detailed answer might state "SW dwellings varied. The Hopi lived in plastered, stone houses clustered in pueblos atop mesas, whereas the Navajo lived in hogans (timbered, domed-houses covered with soil)."

Anthropology 3500 Study Guide: North American Indians - Cultural Trait Comparison - Prof. , Exams of Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

Related documents

Partial preview of the text

Download Anthropology 3500 Study Guide: North American Indians - Cultural Trait Comparison - Prof. and more Exams Introduction to Cultural Anthropology in PDF only on Docsity!

STUDY GUIDE

LIFE CYCLE