1) The Andean Indians live along the Andes mountain range, with climatic zones changing according to alleviation. The general rule of thumb is the higher you go along the mountains the colder it becomes. The climatic zones along and around this mountain range range, but generally the temperature is dry, with rainfall ranging from very little to very much. The climate and altitude provide physical stress on the bodies of the Andean Indians, making it difficult to maintain homeostasis.
2) The physical stress of the altitude the Andean Indians are living at is enormous. After thousands of years living at a high range of altitudes, the people have genetically developed larger chests and a greater lung capacity compared to people who live at lower altitudes. These two adaptations allow the Andean Indians to get the amount of oxygen needed to function and help return their bodies to homeostasis.
5) In regard to how laypeople view other cultures and populations, I believe race speaks more than cultural and physical adaptations. However, to an Anthropologist, race means very little. It is merely a social construct classifying people by their physical appearance. In Anthropology physical appearance is still useful, but I believe the adaptations of the people, both cultural and physical, speak more than just how one person sees another and classifies them.
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/andes_climate.htm
http://jeb.biologists.org/content/204/18/3151.full.pdf
http://www.quesocabezafarm.com/pdf/llama_wool.pdf
Population A: Zulu
1) The Zulu people live in South Africa, with the climate generally characterized as warm and dry, receiving a little over half of the world average rainfall. The changes between seasons here are noticeable, with summer being warm and rainy and winter being cold and dry. The variation in temperature and the low amount of rainfall will provide
2) One physical characteristic of the Zulu people is the color of their skin, which is a physical adaptation to the amount of sunlight these people are exposed to living in their environment. High amounts of melanin protect the people from too much exposure to the sun, allowing them to thrive in a harsh environment. This physical adaptation returns the Zulu people to a state of homeostasis.
5) I believe that to an Anthropologist the physical and cultural adaptations of the people tell more about them than the classification of their physical appearance. The term African is too broad to refer to a people this specific. We are not talking about any person who has dark skin, a certain body build, or a certain hair trait. The Zulu are a people who have developed due to their environment, which is South Africa, not all of Africa.
http://www.southafrica.info/travel/advice/climate.htm
http://www.africanholocaust.net/news_ah/africanrace.html
I think that your post was very informative. You had great research and did a great job of answering all the questions. Out of all the questions my favorite would be number 4 asking about race. I was just curious if you found it difficult to come to a conclusion to what race either people were? I was nervous to be politically incorrect or offend someone. I agree with your choice for the Andean people as Native Americans based on your reasons. I, on the other hand, was struggling on coming to a definitive answer between Hispanic or Native American.
ReplyDeleteMy main reasoning for considering the Andean Indians as Native American is that there is not enough mixing between the people and Europeans, in my mind, to consider them as Hispanic. From their physical appearance, I think their traits are more similar to Native Americans than Hispanic and that's how I made my decision. I agree with you about it being a difficult choice, and I think there probably isn't a definitive answer between Hispanic or Native American. It mattered how you looked at the people and what criteria you judged them and classified them by. Thanks for the comment, feedback really helps in seeing what I did strongly on and what I can fix for next time. I think if I had elaborated a little more on my reasoning on the Andean Indians' race it would have made my argument stronger.
DeleteIt was interesting to me that you classified the Zulu as African then went on to say that African is to broad of a term. Why didn't you classify the race more specifically, like South African?
ReplyDeleteI think you are looking at two different arguments and linking them together when I wasn't planning to. I classified them as African because I'm not familiar enough with South Africa and the people who live there to classify them as such. As for my comment about African being too broad of a term, that was my argument for why cultural and physical adaptations are a more accurate way of viewing people rather than their race.
DeleteI will agree also that your post was well though out and informative. I specifically like your closing arguments for both the Zulu and the Andean people, that we need to move beyond the physical appearance/race labeling and look at the adaptation in context to their environment. I will say that i was quick to jump on the "African" bandwagon and post that on my blog but after reading your argument i will agree that in my haste i overlooked the obvious, that more than being African they are South African.
ReplyDelete-Marvin
My friends went to Chile during our junior year of high school. They came back with what they like to call "llama wear." It is apparel such as hats, jackets and scarves made from llama wool with decorative designs on them. It was very warm and made sense for that climate. It was cool to see you talk about it in their physical adaptations because I have seen what I imagine their clothing to be like first-hand.
ReplyDeleteI think you said it perfectly when you stated that to an anthropologist race means very little. Their are so many different ways to describe someone other than their race. Although saying someones race can give a general idea as to how someone looks when it comes to someones culture, saying they are "Mexican" or "Native American" is hardly saying much. Imagine living in the Andes Mountains and having to go to the extreme measures that the Andean Indians have to go through in their daily activity.
ReplyDelete"In regard to how laypeople view other cultures and populations, I believe race speaks more than cultural and physical adaptations. However, to an Anthropologist, race means very little."
ReplyDeleteVery nice distinction. I only wish we could change that. I think society would benefit from less racism and more adaptationist thinking. But that's just me being an anthropologist. :-)
Great post. Well-written, interesting and thorough. Nicely done.