Materiality - Anthro

What are the three major variations of foraging subsistence patterns?

1. Pedestrians who hunt and gather on foot. 2. Equestrians who hunt large mammals from horseback. 3. Aquatics who hunt marine animals from boats.

What are market economies characterized by?

1. Use of money as a means of exchange. 2. Having the ability to accumulate vast mounts of capital. 3. Having complex economic interactions that are ultimately international in scale.

Define general purpose money.

A portable, arbitrarily valued medium of exchange. All market economies use this form of money. It is considered "standardized currency".

Define intensive agriculture.

A primary substance pattern of large-scale societies which results in larger food production compared to other subsistence patterns.

Describe Horticulture.

A small-scale, low intensity farming usually involving planting and tending to domesticated food plants. Some small animals are often used for food and prestige. Their population densities usually consist of 30-100 people.

Pastoralism definition.

A subsistence pattern in which people make their living by tending herds and large animals.

Define pastoralism.

A subsistence pattern where people make their living by tending herds of large animals.

Define irrigation

A way of supplying water to an area of land.

When did intensive agriculture first begin?

Around 5,000 years ago,

Why do horticulturists abandon their gardens after a while?

Because production drops after the depletion of soil nutrients in an old field.

How was the transition to intensive agriculture made possible?

By water management systems and the domestication of large animals for pulling plows.

What is generally true of pastoralist societies in East Africa?

Cattle functioned as their special purpose money in the past.

Where is horticulture mainly used today?

Central Africa and the Amazon Basin of South America.

Describe aquatic foragers.

Exploitation of marine resources is usually more reliable and productive foraging than diversified hunting and gathering. They usually have totem poles.

What is true concerning foragers?

Foragers generally have a passive dependence on what their environment contains.

What is the most ancient of human subsistence patterns?

Foraging.

Describe equestrian foragers.

Horses allowed them to migrate seasonally for large herbivores over long distances. They are male dominated and warlike.

What kind of environment is best for horticulture?

Humid, tropical forests.

What are market economies?

Impersonal but highly efficient systems of production, distribution, and exchange. They are mainly found in large-scale societies.

Give an example of equestrian foragers.

In South America, the Tehuelche hunted the guanaco.

Define special purpose money.

It consists of objects that serve as a medium of exchange in only limited contexts. An example in use of bride price would be cattle.

What happened to the political and economic power of most farmers in the ancient civilizations?

It decreased. The ownership of property shifted from the community to individuals.

What do non-market economies use general purpose money?

It makes it easier to carry out trade and gives individuals the ability to accumulate wealth.

What is systems of production?

It refers to how food and other necessities are produced. It includes, foraging, pastoralism, horticulture, and intensive agriculture.

Describe pedestrian foragers.

Lived on all continents except for Antartica. They focus on a specific food species and therefore occupy rich fertile land. They also moved their campus throughout their year depending on their food supply.

Describe pastoralist societies.

Mainly of patrilineal descent and are male dominated. Men usually make important decisions and own the animals while women usually care for children and do chores.

Define polygyny.

Marriage of one man to two or more women.

What are the two forms of pastoralism?

Nomadism and transhumance.

What kind of families are found in large-scale industrial nations?

Nuclear family households.

How are pedestrian foragers different than equestrian foragers?

Pedestrian foragers are comparatively peaceful and have very democratic political system that don't have full-time leaders.

What changes occurred due to intensive agriculture?

Permanent year round settlements, a much more complex division of labor, and a surplus of crops.

What kind of agriculture is most likely to be found in the poor developing nations in tropical regions of the world?

Plantation agriculture.

What traits are most likely to be found in pastoralists societies?

Polygyny, patrilineal descent and where older men are the leaders.

What are the major components of any society's economy?

Production, distribution, and exchange.

Define systems of distribution.

Refers to the practices that are involve in getting the goods and services produced by a society to its people.

Pastoralism is usually an adaption to.... ________?

Semi-arid open country.

What does the word, "horticulture" refers to...

Small scale, low intensity farming.

Give an example of pedestrian foragers.

The Australian Aborigines.

Give an example of aquatic foragers.

The Kwakiutl of Vancouver Island.

Give an example of pastoralists.

The Saami who herd reindeer for a source of meat.

The population density and community size of horticulture societies is usually _________________ pedestrian foragers.

The population density and community size of horticulture societies is usually larger than pedestrian foragers

Define subsistence pattern.

The way a society uses the resources around them to provide food, shelter, and clothing for themselves.

Describe foragers.

They do not plant crops and the domesticated animals they have are dogs. Foragers mainly rely on their own muscle power to carry out their tasks and the labor is either done individually or in small groups. Men usually hunt and women are usually plant gathers. Their settlements are temporary encampments of year-round migrations.

Define transhumance pastoralists.

They follow a cyclical pattern of migrations depending on the season.

Define pastoral nomads.

They follow a seasonal migratory pattern that can vary by year. Their destination and timing mainly depends on the needs of the herd animals. They do not create permanent settlements and are usually self-sufficient in terms of necessities.

What is historically known about foraging societies?

They intentionally burned grasslands and woodlands.

Describe the Mongol pastoralists during the 13th and 14th centuries.

They were successful conquerors and not easily defeated in war by settled agricultural societies.

Why do horticulturists intentionally produce a surplus of food?

To sell or exchange it for things that they cannot produce themselves.

Which kind of pastoralists are most likely to have stable, permanent villages?

Transhumance pastoralists.

What kind of results has occurred due to the rise in economically powerful nations?

Women's economic and political power has risen and there has been an increasing emphasis on mental rather than hard physical labor.