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Townsend Ch 3 Ethnoecology

1. define, apply, and take note of the relevance of ethnotaxonomy and ethnoecology 2. examine and critique the nature/culture dichotomy

define ethnoecology and apply it to specific examples

One method of doing ethnoecology is to collect local words about their environment Traditional knowledge about plants, animals and ecosystems are studied by ethnoecologists. "Ethnoecology explores the ways in which different human groups perceive and/or represent ecological systems through an ensemble of knowledge, beliefs and practices" (Toledo, 1992).

The film "The Anthropologist."

Susan Crate an environmental anthropologist, her daughter Katie (from 13-18 years old)

Hallmarks of Anthropology

The hallmark of anthropology is the exploration of the complexity and nuances of human interactivity and culture

Linguistic anthropology

The study of human language in the past and present. the subfield of anthropology concerned with the study of human languages from a cultural point of view

Culture

a society's shared learned knowledge base and behavior patterns (Sobo and Loustenau 1997, 2)

Rewilding

a type of conservation where humans deliberately shape ecosystems to their natural state before human contact

After reading Townsend Chapter 4, you should be able to answer the following questions: What is the "kaiko" festival? Describe it.

a yearlong festival that would culminate in a huge feast at which most of the pigs would be sacrificed, leaving only 60 juvenile pigs by the end of 1963. The goal of the rituals was to increase the fertility and growth of people and their gardens and pigs.

multilinear evolution

an evolutionary model of culture emphasizing different development patterns for societies in different habitats

beliefs

are what a culture deems to

True/False. Multilineal evolutionists argue that all societies go through the same developmental stages over time. Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a True b False

b False

Fishermen in Newfoundland in 1992 were angry because Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a feminists interrupted their meeting b more than 40,000 lost their jobs c miners contaminated the water d the government made a law that they could only use one boat per family

b more than 40,000 lost their jobs

According to Mary Catharine Bateson in the film "The Anthropologist," human behavior is mostly a aberrant b instinctual c learned d impossible to document

c learned

According to Susan Crate, what option do the Kiribati people have to adapt to sea-level rise? a find new fishing locations b move to higher ground c relocate somewhere else d find water sources other than glacier melt

c relocate somewhere else

Which of the following takes a political ecology point of view when looking at the relationship between people and the environment? Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a Sobo and Loustaunau b Patricia Townsend c Hintz, Moore, and Robbins d Susan Crate

c Hintz, Moore, and Robbins

robbins, Hintz and Moore take a ______________ approach to the environment and society. Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a anthropological b ethnocentric c political ecology

c political ecology

Anthropology's five subfields

cultural anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, and physical anthropology, applied anthropology

Which of the following are part of the study of anthropology? a attempts to understand the human condition in all of its diversity b the study of human beliefs, behavior, patterns, and society, past and present c the study of human beings d all of the above

d all of the above

When anthropologists studied the "folk taxonomies" of tubers (thickened roots used as food) of the Sahapin speakers of Washington and Oregon State, they found that their taxonomies closely resembled: Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a a tree b the folk taxonomies of nearby American farmers c a flower d Linnaean taxonomy

d Linnaean taxonomy

Steve Lansing's anthropological work is: Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a applied anthropology b multidisciplinary c qualitative and quantitative d all of the above

d all of the above

According to the film "The Anthropologist." the most pressing environmental problem that the Sakha people in Siberia face is: Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a mad cow disease b melting glaciers c erosion of the coast into the sea d loss of hay for their livestock

d loss of hay for their livestock

Applied Anthropology

is the practical application of the other subfields to real human problems. For example, archaeologists are employed to ensure our heritage is not destroyed by construction projects such as highways, buildings, and dams. Linguistic anthropologists may work on preserving threatened languages, and cultural anthropologists may work on water rights or child malnutrition problems.

What is anthropology?

is the scientific study of humans in all their diversity, globally, past and present

Ethnocentrism

is the tendency to use one's own standards and values to judge others

Discover what particular significance do the Andean farmers give to "ice"

it has medicinal properties

Identify whether the following subfields of anthropology primarily focus on humans in the past or present.

paleoanthropology past cultural anthropology present archaeology past

permanently frozen ground below the soil

permafrost

Who are Robbins, Hintz, and Moore?

political ecologists

define these concepts culture

put briefly a society's shared, learned knowledge base and behavior patterns.

folk taxonomy

see ethnotaxonomy

agency

the capacity to make one's decisions; the capacity to get what one wants despite opposition

Macro level focus

the examination of large-scale social structures such as whole institutions and nations

fieldwork

the methodology of cultural anthropology also called participant-observation, where the researcher lives among the people being studied and gathers data using interviews, observation, and participation

reconciliation ecology

the science of imagining, creating, and sustaining habitats, productive environments, and biodiversity in places used, traveled and inhabited by human beings (Robbins et al. 2014, 8)

What is the fish festival in Gloucester, Virginia like? What concerns do the fishermen have? What are they doing in response?

there is less and less fish

Ethnoecology

to collect and study local knowledge about the environment and human interaction with nature

Micro-level focus

to examine small-scale human face-to-face interactions and human-nature interactions

define these concepts cultural relativism

we objectively consider actions, beliefs, values, and norms, within their own cultural contexts in order to understand them

Consider how do Peruvians in the Andes talk about nature

with respect

Ethnography

written or media/film result of fieldwork

ethnotaxonomy

(folk taxonomy) to study the taxonomic system people use to understand their environment

ccording to anthropologists, which of the following BEST explains culture? a learned ideas and values b inherited through genetic transmission c shared ideas and values that never change d going to the theater symphony, and art museums

A learned ideas and values

Which of the following is an aspect of highland Andean culture depicted in the film? Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a sharing nature as a group b experiencing nature alone c writing poetry about nature d an annual festival for the culling of llamas

A sharing nature as a group

How do anthropologists define religion? Why?

Anthropologists of religion, along with philosophers and theologians, engage in cross-cultural comparisons of these environmental theologies Each of the global religions has theological, moral, and ethical principles that support respect for creation. Whatever the similarities and differences in their ecotheology, followers of all of the global religions have generally fallen short when it came to putting their own environmental teachings into practice

Robbins, Hintz, and Moore define the terms environment and society

By environment we mean the whole of the aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric non-human world, including specific objects in their varying forms, like trees, carbon dioxide, or water, as well as the organic and inorganic systems and processes that link and transform them, like photosynthesis, predator-prey relationships, or soil erosion By Society conversely includes the humans of the Earth and the larger systems of culture, politics, and economic exchange that govern their interrelationships.

studies dealing with traditional knowledge of plants are called

Ethnobotany

Who is Kelly Alley?

Ethnographers especially study the interplay of belief and practice at the local level. One such research project is the work of anthropologist Kelly Alley on the sacred river of India, the Ganges (Ganga) (Alley 2002). These settlements and the industries in them dump their sewage, much of it untreated, into the river. Kelly Alley's multisited fieldwork took her to Banaras (officially called Varanasi) and the other large cities in Uttar Pradesh, India's most heavily industrialized state. The industries here include the processing of sugar and other foods, leather, textiles, pulp and paper, and chemicals

After reading Townsend Chapter 3, you should be able to answer the following questions: What is the "social construction of nature"? Give one good example of how nature is socially or culturally constructed.

Examination of the relationship between nature and culture.

Who are the James Cree of Canada?

For the 5000 years since the retreat of the glaciers, the Northern Algonquian group known as the James Bay Cree have lived in the boreal forest of the subarctic region southeast of Hudson Bay and James Bay, Canada. In order to have hunting success, the Cree assert, one must show respect to animals, maintaining an attitude of humility rather than boasting. A respectful hunter will follow rules that signify respect when he kills, carries, butchers, and consumes meat and disposes of the bones and inedible remains ofthe hunt. Nothing should be wasted; therefore, purely recreational or sport hunting (with no intention of Holy Ground 65 eating the meat) is inappropriate. Noise and mess are to be avoided. Offerings to the animal can be made with tobacco or by throwing pieces ofthe meat into the fire. Cree elders themselves report that when the Cree first got repeating rifles in 1910, they killed caribou wastefully and without respect. This one massacre led to the disappearance of the caribou from the area until the 1980s. The story of the disaster of 1910 was retained in Cree oral history through the generations and it informed the way the Cree hunted the caribou when they finally returned (Berkes 1999)

Cultural Ecology

Geographic approach that emphasizes human-environment relationships. the theory emphasizing the importance of how the natural environment shapes features of cultures, such as values, technology and economics

policies to increase food production in low-income countries by using of fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yield crop varieties

Green Revolution

define cultural ecology and apply it to specific examples

His analysis can be broken into three parts. First the kind of environment we live in shapes the type of subsistence strategy practiced. For instance, harsh, dry environments that do not support agriculture or domesticated animals are prone to the hunting and gathering way of life. Second the kinds of behavior of a group are associated with their substance strategy. For example, hunter-gatherers have a tendency toward the value of sharing and decision-making by consensus. In a harsh environment, it is essential to have support networks. Third he looks at how behavior related to subsistence is connected to other aspects of society. For instance, many hunter-gatherer societies have no inherited or permanent inequality. It is vital to Steward that anthropologists first examine a society's cultural core,

Explain one way that projects such as the Oostervaandersplassen park (OVP) change our understanding of how the natural world works.

It changed our understanding of how the natural world works because the results of the OVP led researchers to develop the 4 C's of rewilding, cores, corridors, carnivores, and managed culling (Fauer, 2020). The study of OVP herbivores being left alone in the wild with no predators was successful for decades until they were killed due to cold and harsh weather conditions in the years 2005 and 2017 (Environment and Society,2014). It changed our understanding because now we realize the importance of the relationship "between humans, plants, animals, and ecosystems"(Module 2 Political Ecology and culture, nd).

What does their example of rewilding tell us?

It is the product of rewilding, where long-lost ecosystems are crafted by people from whole cloth, in order to reclaim - or create - landscapes as they might have been before human influence (Kolbert 2012).

Identify the strengths and weaknesses of Rappaport's ecosystems approach

Nutritionists pointed out that the kaiko, as described by Rappa¬ port, was a very wasteful way to distribute the scarce animal protein available to the Tsembaga; he only claimed that the timing of the ritual in coordination with the cycle of war and peace assured that high-quality protein would be available to injured warriors when needed. Nonetheless, this is probably one of the weaker links in his argument, as he himself later admitted (Rappaport 1984:473-478). The core of his argument was not the nutritional advantage but the role that ritual played in regulating the relationships between local groups. the setting of boundaries around an ecosystem, in both space and time. How could Rappaport limit his study to the Tsembaga when they fought and traded with other local groups? despaired of defining higher-level units such as ecosystems and chose to focus instead on the individual organism interacting with its environment and on the process of natural selection operating on individuals

Sociocentric vs. Egocentric

Sociocentric - a personality dependent on the social atmosphere. An example I use is the person that acts differently around different groups of people. Whereas; Egocentric - are individuals with personalities formed from within themselves and do not vary, not matter the social atmosphere.

After reading Townsend Chapter 2, you should be able to answer the following question: Who is Julian Steward?

Steward's cultural ecology gathered adherents and then was transformed into ecological anthropology. This transformation came in part from adopting the concept of the ecosystem from biology.

Physical Anthropology

The "bones" as well as flesh, blood, and genes refer to biological anthropology, also called physical anthropology or human biology. a branch of anthropology that examines human biological diversity in time and space, primate behavior, human genetics, human evolution, and human biological adaptation

Explain who Roy Rappaport is, who he studied, what perspective he utilized, and what it enabled him to consider

Tsembaga Maring small-scale farmers of central Papua New Guinea kaiko pig killing he wanted to unify ecological anthropology with general ecol¬ ogy, he intended to use the concept of ecosystem in the same way that a biological ecologist would use it to describe an ecosystem such as a pond or a forest. fundamental ecologist

subak?

[traditional water irrigation system in Bali

According to your readings of Robbins, which of the following is BEST related to "reconciliation ecology"? Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a the science of creating biodiverse habitats among humans b the science of collaboration c trying to reconcile differences between the politics of the left and the right regarding the environment d the study of inequality in access to healthy environments

a the science of creating biodiverse habitats among humans

In the film "The Anthropologist," Susan Crate and her daughter Katie Yegorov-Crate go to: Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a Siberia b Mongolia c Nevada d Hawaii

a Siberia

One main aspect of cultural ecology is to study: Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a the process how humans adapt to the environment b how all cultures go through the same series of stages as they adapt and change c how humans evolve biologically d how goods are produced and distributed

a the process how humans adapt to the environment

True/False. The traditional rice farming system was successful without using pesticides. Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a True b False

a true

environmental anthropology

applying the methods of anthropology to environmental issues (Townsend 2018, 6, 120)

Which of the following anthropologists had the most significant impact on environmental anthropology? Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a Claude Levi-Strauss b Julian Steward c Patrician Townsend d Paul Robbins

b Julian Steward

One way Peruvian highland farmers in the film faced the problems of climate change was: Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a moving to lowland areas b changing which altitudes and crops to farm c they became more individualistic d they joined large protests in the city

b changing which altitudes and crops to farm

Which of the following is BEST associated with the concept of "cultural relativism"? Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a judging other cultures based on one's superior cultural values b examining cultures according to their terms and values, not those of another culture c not being able to judge cultures at all because they are so different d thinking your culture is the only culture

b examining cultures according to their terms and values, not those of another culture

What happened to the Canadian fishing industry in Newfoundland in the 1960s? Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a the Canadian Ministry closed all commercial and recreational fishing b fishing technologies such as freezer trawlers, Japanese cod traps, and echo sounders decimated the codfish population c the seas warmed, making it hard for cod to reproduce d a new predator to cod established itself in Newfoundland waters nearly causing their extinction

b fishing technologies such as freezer trawlers, Japanese cod traps, and echo sounders decimated the codfish population

What methods did Susan Crate use in conducting fieldwork in the film: "The Anthropologist"? a a survey of how climate change impacts health b talking to people at all levels of society c interviewing only the people who have lost their homes d conducting soil tests

b talking to people at all levels of society

According to your reading, which of the following BEST characterizes how anthropology is a unique inquiry into human life that is different from history, sociology, psychology, and economics that also study the human condition? a anthropologists only study non-western societies b anthropologists are concerned with meaning and not economics c anthropologists try to get the big picture using an evolutionary, cultural, and holistic approach d anthropologists study the bizarre; the other fields study the everyday

c anthropologists try to get the big picture using an evolutionary, cultural, and holistic approach

The video clip on rewilding argues that understory trees around the world are resilient because they evolved alongside: Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a monkeys b bison c elephants d giraffes

c elephants

the video clip on rewilding argues that understory trees around the world are resilient because they evolved alongside: Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a monkeys b bison c elephants d giraffes

c elephants

Learning cultural burning practices and partnering with indigenous people to manage land is an example of Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a how indigenous practices of burning brush contributors to deforestation and global warming b the ethnocentrism of the indigenous people c how white Californians can learn ancient fire suppression techniques from local Native Americans d the successes of white American fire suppression techniques

c how white Californians can learn ancient fire suppression techniques from local Native Americans

Robbins, Hintz and Moore take a ______________ approach to the environment and society. Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a anthropological b ethnocentric c political ecology d artificial

c political ecology

The mass restoration of the natural world is known as: Select an answer and submit. a regreening b re-enchanting c rewilding d greenwashing

c rewilding

The mass restoration of the natural world is known as: Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a regreening b re-enchanting c rewilding d greenwashing

c rewilding

Cultural relativism is: a the theory that everybody is somehow related b the idea that anything a culture devises is adaptive and a good idea c the perspective that all cultural solutions to life problems adhere to a cultural logic d the perspective that there are good cultures and bad cultures

c the perspective that all cultural solutions to life problems adhere to a cultural logic

About the Saniyo of Papua New Guinea, we know: Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a about 85% of their diet is bushmeat and fish b they are small-scale farmers facing the loss of their farmland due to melting permafrost c they have high infant mortality rates due to a lack of good weaning foods and high rates of infectious disease d their staple food is domesticated pigs

c they have high infant mortality rates due to a lack of good weaning foods and high rates of infectious disease

Traditional farmers in Bali get their water from: Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a the city water system b desalination of seawater c water temples d private springs

c water temples

When we say that culture is "taken for granted," we mean that Select an answer and submit. a we know how much it costs b we see things from the "insider's point of view" c we tend to assume our way of life is natural rather than cultural d we are individualistic and don't let culture guide us

c we tend to assume our way of life is natural rather than cultural

How climate change impacts highland Peruvian farmers

changing which altitudes and crops to farm

A person using the ____________ perspective would argue that market-based solutions do not address the problems of uneven development and over-accumulation. a risks and hazards b cultural constructivism c institutional d political ecology

d political ecology

According to Patricia Townsend, environmental anthropology is: a a policy used to reduce carbon emissions b a kind of ethnographic fieldwork c an investigation of how colonialism and globalization impact small-scale cultures d the study of environmental issues using the methods of anthropology

d the study of environmental issues using the methods of anthropology

Mixed Research Methods

developing methodologies that collect both qualitative (open-ended) and quantitative (close-ended) data

using anthropological methods and theories to add to our understanding of environmental problems

environmental anthropology

studies dealing with traditional knowledge of insects are called

ethnoentomology

Qualitative Research Methods

examining things not easily quantified into numbers such as stories, myths, and observations of behavior

where anthropologists go to observe, interview or excavate

field sites

What is ecotheology?

focuses on the interrelationships of religion and nature, particularly in the light of environmental concerns. Ganges river eg

What did Katie decide to study at university?

international studies and linguistics.

define these concepts ethnocentrism

involves using one's own standards, values, and beliefs to make judgements about someone else

After reading Townsend Chapter 2, you should be able to answer the following question: What is the difference between "unilineal" and "multilineal" evolution?

m= sees each human culture evolving in its own way by adaptation to diverse environments: different 'pathways' of evolutionary development followed by different societies. u=there is a set sequence of stages that all groups will pass through at some point, although the pace of progress through these stages will vary greatly.

Archaeology

study past prehistorical and historical cultures by examining the material remains of human activity.

the irrigation cooperative and its district, the local group of farmers who are concerned with one section of the irrigation canals

subak bali

Quantitative Research Methods

the examination of large-scale social structures such as whole institutions and nations

relativistic fallacy

the mistaken belief that is it impossible to make ethical judgments about the beliefs and practices of others

ethnocentric fallacy

the mistaken belief that the ideas and practices of others can be judged as wrong by the superior perspective of one's own culture

cultural core the parts of social and economic life most closely related to subsistence

the parts of social and economic life most closely related to subsistence

Understand the concept of "cultural core"

the parts of social and economic life most closely related to subsistence the theory emphasizing the importance of how the natural environment shapes features of cultures, such as values, technology and economics

Political Ecology

the study of how and why economic and political factors impact environmental change

Cultural Anthropology:

the study of living people

Anthropocene

the term describing our current era where humans impact or control nearly every environment on earth

Professor Theriault emphasizes these aspects of political ecology:

to examine the politics that shape environmental problems culture is the human adaptation to the environment environmental degradation is often driven by forces outside one's culture, such as large-scale political and economic forces differences in power shape all aspects of people's relationship to

What is holism?

to look at how a cultural practice fits into the whole context of that society, that is, how each part of a culture is interconnected to their economics, politics, family structure, social organization, religion, health, environment, language, and history

environmental anthropology to study long-term human and environmental interactions

to study long-term human and environmental interactions

How are the Balinese part of a complex society?

traditional irrigation rice systems

True/False. According to the film, many highland Peruvians say that nature and ice have medicinal value. Select an answer and submit. For keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a True b False

A True

Townsend Ch 2 Julian Steward's Cultural Ecology

1. consider the focus on adaptation and evolution in environmental anthropology 2. understand the development of environmental interests in anthropology 3. identify Julian Steward's contribution and the cultural ecology approach 4. apply Steward's cultural ecology approach to the demise of the Northern Cod Fisheries

1. People should not eat guinea pigs! 2. It is disgusting to eat something cute and cuddly! 3. I wonder if raising guinea pigs is less destructive to the environment than cows? 4. Did you know this guinea pig was raised for food (it is not hunted wild or raised like pets?

1. ethnocentric 2. ethnocentric 3. cultural relativism 4. cultural relativism

Townsend Ch 4 Pigs for the Ancestors

1. examine how Roy Rappaport applies an ecosystem approach to the Tsembaga Maring people's rituals in Papua New Guinea 2. identify the strengths and weaknesses of Rappaport's approach 3. understand that humans are part of ecosystems, not separate from them

According to your reading of Townsend, sago palm is the main source of nutrients for the Saniyo. Explain three ways that sago palm is connected to other aspects of cultural life there.

One way the sago palm is connected to other aspects of cultural life is through the work activity of the Saniyo women. In their culture, the women's preparation of sago starch is one of the primary jobs they have (Environmental anthropology : from pigs to policies, 2009). A second way the sago palm is connected to other aspects of Saniyo culture is through the high mortality rates of infants and children. Because of the lack of substantial weaning foods many children of this culture die at a young age. These children wouldn't die of malnutrition, they were not starving to death. Instead the lack of suitable weaning foods made them more prone to certain illness such as malaria and respiratory infections (Environmental anthropology : from pigs to policies, 2009). Lastly, sago palm is also connected to the Saniyo culture through spirit beliefs. For example in the culture if an adult dies when they are considered at their peak, they believe a witch is to blame. The Saniyo people believe that witches eat and have a taste for human flesh and violate other cultural food traditions. Because of this widows and widowers eat a specific set of things after there loved one is passed such as rat meat with their sago (Environmental anthropology : from pigs to policies, 2009).

holistic vs. reductionistic

Reductionism likes to divide explanations of behaviour into separate components Holism likes to look at the picture as a whole

define and have an excellent example of these terms: political, rewilding, reconciliation ecology, Anthropocene.

Rewilding A practice of conservation where ecological functions and evolutionary processes, which are thought to have existed in past ecosystems or before human influence, are deliberately restored or created; rewilding often requires the reintroduction or restoration of large predators to ecosystems reconciliation ecology this describes a science of imagining, creating, and sustaining habitats, productive environments, and biodiversity in places used, traveled, and inhabited by human beings. This point of view holds that while many of the persistent human actions of the past have stubbornly caused and perpetuated environmental problems, the solution to these problems can never be a world somehow bereft of human activity, work, inventiveness, and craft Anthropocene A metaphoric term sometimes applied to our current era, when people exert enormous influence on environments all around the Earth, but where control of these environments and their enormously complex ecologies is inevitably elusive