PASTORALISM

PASTORALISM is
•• PASTORALISM is defined
defined as as the
the herding
herding of of domesticated
domesticated or or
partially domesticate
partially domesticate animals.
animals. TheThe basis
basis for
for pastoralism
pastoralism isis
movement.
movement. They They dodo not
not have
have aa distinct
distinct home
home since
since they
they are
are
all
all aa nomadic
nomadic society.
society. Their
Their home
home is is where
where their
their animals
animals go.go.
They rely
They rely on
on movement
movement to to keep
keep their
their animals
animals they
they herd
herd for
for
food and
food and clothing.
clothing.
•• They
They areare also
also able
able to
to utilize
utilize their
their animal’s
animal’s droppings
droppings for
for fire
fire
and sometimes
and sometimes using
using them
them forfor transportation
transportation purpose.
purpose.
Pastoralist societies
•• Pastoralist societies tend
tend toto live
live in
in rural
rural and
and harsh
harsh landscapes
landscapes
where
where no no other
other form
form ofof production
production is is possible.
possible. The
The people’s
people’s
animals
animals become
become their
their culture,
culture, for
for without
without their
their animals
animals their
their
culture would
culture would not
not exist.
exist.
• An example of a pastoral nomadic society is the
Reindeer herders of Siberia. They roam around
northern Mongolia. The herders, known as the
Tsaschin, or Dukha, rely on their animals for
transportation, and for the staples of their diet:
milk, cheese, yoghurt and dried milk curds. These
people hold rights to the reindeer as a group.
They depend on one another to stick together and
build their herd larger in order for survival in rural
Mongolia.
REINDEER HERDERS OF SIBERIA
HORTICULTURE
• HORTICULTURE is characterized by slashing and
burning. The defining feature is a crop or forest
rotation with long fallow periods. Horticulturist
societies have around 160 people per square
kilometer. The main crops they produce/use are
vegetables, grains and roots. Every person usually
works around 15-20 hours a week, and the work is
distributed by sex and age group.
• Children have an important role
in a horticultural society because
they weed and plant seeds, and
collect water and firewood.
YANAMAMO SHABONO - example of Horticulturist society
• Furthermore, horticulture has
been used for thousands of
years, first in the Middle East
and later in South America.
• Some common products of
horticultural societies include
grains and manioc tubers.
• As information about effective
productivity increased, the idea of
modifying the environment in order to
achieve these good growing conditions
became more widely understood and
used.
• One example of changing the
environment in this way is
crop rotation to allow the soil
to have fallow periods.
• Also, since horticulture lets a small area
produce a great deal of resources, population
density is higher in these societies than in
foraging ones. There is also an individual land
ownership because the whole society works
the land and benefits from it.
• The Yanamamo are a population living in
theAmazon Rainforest in the hills between Brazil
and Venezuela. They are the largest population
of native people in South America, and because
of the remoteness of their location they
managed to remain untouched foreign
sovereignty and influence.
• Prior to the 1960s this culture hadn't
had any contact with ither continents
but, because their culture is unusually
intact, they seem to be the object of
much foreign research.
• Living with their kin and marriage
lineages, the Yanamamo live in a
communal systemconsisting of groups of
50 to 400 people. The village stays within
the shabono, which are oval shaped
houses that are around 100 yards long.
• Everyone lives in the same shabono,
which they build out of materials found
in the jungle, which makes it very
susceptible to the elements. They
primarily harvest bananas through slash
and burn horticulture.
• They also practice polygamy and have
one of the lowest levels of blood
pressure of any demographic. Many
anthropologists believe the Yanamamo
to be the last culture to come in contact
with the modern world.
• They don't have a writing system, wear minimal
clothing and practice polygamy. The Yanamamohold
complex religious ideas centered on their belief of the
four levels or reality (duku ka misi, hedu ka mis, hei ka
misi, and hei ta bebi). Their religion is heavily based
on the use of hallucinogenic drugs and the telling of
mythical tales.
SLASH AND BURN CULTIVATION
• Also known as “shifting cultivation”, the
ancient mode of production known as
slash and burn cultivation has been
found in may parts of the globe, although
it is nowadays mostly associated with
cultivation in tropical rainforests.
• The process of slashing and burning
involves two important components, the
first being cutting down trees and, right
before the rain seasons, burning them to
produce a nutrient rich ash.
• Secondly, after the fields prouctivity
has declined, it is abandoned and
allowed to return to a normal state,
and can be used by humans for food
and other resources.
• These fields typically retain a large
amount of plant species usable by
humans. Today slash and burn
cultivation is practiced by 200 to 500
million or more people worldwide.
THE MAYANS
• The Mayans are a Mesoamerican people found in Southern Mexico
and Central America. Historically, the Mayans were a highly
advanced civilization known for their fully developed written
alphabet, the only one found in pre-Columbian American, as well as
their advanced mathematical and astronomical systems.
• Presently, there are about six million Mayan people living in
portions of Mexico and Southern America, many of which have
integrated into modern culture, although some have retained
traditional Mayan practices and continue to speak the Mayan
language.
• Historically, the Mayans lived in the rainforests around expansive,
highly developed cities that were used mainly for religious
purposes.
• The cities contained observation towers for astronomical
research,large palaces, and even ball courts, where a ritual Mayan
ball game was played.
• Although the cities were large, it permanently housed very few of
the Mayans. Population sizes were fairlysmall due to agricultural
limitations; the Mayans would need about 70 acres of land to fully
support about 5 people.
• The Mayans ued slash and burn cultivation to produce maize, there
staple crop.
• CHIAPAS, the Southern-most stae of Mexico, borders Guatemala to
the southeast. Today, over one million Tzotsil-and Tzeltal- speaking
Maya live in the Chiapas highlands.
• The indigenous people of Chiapas are among the
most traditional of the three million Maya of
Mesoamerica. They live in remote mountain and
lowland communities where they grow their own
crops, build their clothing for themselves and their
families.
• Neighboring communities often speak different
Mayan languages, and they retain their own ritual and
ceremonial practices, along with a distinctive style of
traditional dress.
PASTORALISTS
•• Almost
Almost 50%
50% ofof their
their diet
diet comes
comes from
from meat
meat from
from their
their own
own
herd.
herd.
•• The
The Maasai
Maasai tribes
tribes ofof East
East Africa
Africa are
are aa modern
modern example
example of of aa
pastoralist
pastoralist society.
society. They
They inhabit
inhabit parts
parts of
of Kenya
Kenya ndnd northen
northen
Tanzania.
Tanzania. They
They rely
rely predominately
predominately on on the
the herding
herding ofof oats,
oats,
sheep,
sheep, and
and cattle
cattle as
as their
their main
main source
source ofof food.
food.
•• Cattle,
Cattle, especially,
especially, isis held
held inin high
high regards
regards among
among thethe Maasai.In
Maasai.In
fact,
fact, the
the size
size of
of aa man's
man's cattle
cattle is
is often
often considered
considered aa measure
measure
of
of his
his wealth.
wealth.
•• The
The Maasai
Maasai people
people alsoalso consume
consume food food such
such as
as maize,
maize, rice,
rice,
cabbage,
cabbage, and
and potatoes.
potatoes.
MAASAI PEOPLE
AGRICULTURE
• AGRICULTURE is one of the “5-plus” modes of production, as
referred to in Professor James' lecture. By definition, it is the
production of food and goods by means of forestry and
farming.
• Its defining feature is land ownership (and if not ownership,
than very detailed and socially enforced use rights) in addition
to water rights.
• One significant result of agriculture is that it led to the
development of civilizations, seeing as animals were
domesticated and plants (crops) were maintained; this in turn,
create food surpluses that paved the way to form more
stratified societies with larger populations.
• Because this helped to develop societies, it is a given that there
was a sudden need for higher level rule enforcement through
social institutions, private property, and stored wealth/stealing,
which again, furthered the development of societies within
civilizations.
• Also, technology has played a key role in the development of
agriculture. Because technology advances with time, the uses
and tools used in agriculture have developed and advanced as
well.
• The “family farm” run by a household is disappearing nd is
replced by industrialized farms.
• Industrialized farms is a form of agriculture that are
much more effcient and can more easily adapt
economically to global changes and demands than the
traditional and old-fashioned “family farm”.