Chapter 6 - Subsistence Systems Flashcards
cultural adaptation
A complex of ideas, activities, and technologies that enable people to survive and even thrive.
ecosystem
A system, or a functioning whole, composed of both the natural environment and all the organisms living within it.
cultural evolution
Cultural change over time - not to be confused with progress.
progress
In anthropology, a relative concept signifying that a society or country is moving forward to a better, more advanced stage in their cultural development toward perfection.
convergent evolution
In cultural evolution, the development of similar cultural adaptations to similar environmental conditions by different peoples with different ancestral cultures.
parallel evolution
In cultural evolution, the development of similar cultural adaptations to similar environmental conditions by peoples whose ancestral cultures were already somewhat alike.
culture area
A geographic region in which a number of societies follow similar patterns of life.
food foraging
A mode of subsistence involving some combination of hunting, fishing, and gathering of wild plant food.
carrying capacity
The number of people that the available resources can support at a given level of food-getting techniques.
Neolithic
The New Stone Age; a prehistoric period beginning about 10,000 years ago in which peoples possessed stone-based technologies and depended on domesticated plants and/or animals for subsistence.
Neolithic revolution
The domestication of plants and animals by peoples with stone-based technologies, beginning about 10,000 years ago and leading to radical transformations in cultural systems; sometimes referred to as the Neolithic transition.
horticulture
The cultivation of crops in food gardens, carried out with simple hand tools such as digging sticks and hoes.
Slash-and-burn cultivation
An extensive form of horticulture in which the natural vegetation is cut, the slash is subsequently burned, and crops are then planted among the ashes; also known as swidden farming.
agriculture
Intensive crop cultivation, employing plows, fertilizers and/or irrigation.
pastoralism
The breeding and managing of migratory herds of domesticated grazing animals, such as goats, sheep, cattle, horses, llamas or camels.
peasant
A small-scale producer of crops or livestock living on land self-owned or rented in exchange for labor, crops, or money and exploited by more powerful groups in a complex society.
industrial society
A society in which human labor, hand tools, and animal power are largely replaced by machines, with an economy primarily based on big factories.
industrial food production
Large-scale businesses involved in mass food production, processing, and marketing, which primarily rely on labor-saving machines.
What crucial elements of human social organization most likely developed with food foraging?
1) Division of labor by gender
2) Food sharing
3) The importance of the camp.
The ability of the Comanche and the Cheyenne to adapt to their new environment demonstrates______________.
Convergent evolution
Dumpster dipping, fishing, and berry picking are modern examples of____________
Food foraging
Food foraging regulates population size by how it affects individual___________ and_____________.
body fat; child rearing
Slash-and-burn cultivation is practiced by ________ cultures.
horticultural
Farmers and _______ have a symbiotic relationship with one another.
pastoralists
Modern industrial technologies have had a dramatic impact on___________.
food production
The_____________ are an example of biological adaptation.
Aymara
Farming in Southwest Asia and Mesoamerica took place independently each cultivating a narrow range of crops. This is an example of ______________
parallel evolution
The Tsembaga raise pigs for status and exchange, not for daily consumption. When illness, injury, warfare, or celebration arise, however, pigs are then eaten. This is an example of________________________
cultural adaptation
The advent of landowners not living on or working the land, led to the creation of a ________ class.
peasant
When did the transition from food foraging to food production begin?
10,000 years ago
What are the hunting techniques among the Mbuti Pygmies in the Ituri tropical forest?
1) Only men participate in hunting game using the spear to hunt elephants.
2) Women never participate in the hunting of game, but often take care of the young while the men hunt to provide for the community.
What is the chronological order of domestication of animals in Asia?
dog, rice, rye, wheat
What distinguishes North American ranchers from pastoral societies?
1) They are not nomadic
2) They identify with a larger society
What are some defining qualities of agribusiness?
1) Large-scale production of crops & animals for human consumption
2) Works in direct competition with family-owned farms
3) Has led to drops in rural populations worldwide
4) Main goal is to maximize profits
The mobility of food foraging groups may depend on the availability of________.
water
Environments do not determine culture, but they do present______________________.
certain limitations.
The fragility of an ecosystem is highlighted by the collapse of the Rapanui culture as a result of__________.
the introduction of rats
The emergence of towns and cities resulted in a(n)______ of agriculture.
intensification
What method do the Bakhtiari use for seasonal movements between highlands in the summer and lowlands in the winter.
Transhumance
What group is known for using pigs as a means of gaining political power and prestige?
Tsembaga
Archaeologist Ann Kendall conducted studies on intensive farming in which mountain range?
the Andes
How many people today still support themselves through food foraging?
250,000
What gardening technique, used by the Mekranoti, is one of the most common in the world?
slash-and-burn
Neolithic revolution refers to:
the profound culture change associated with the early domestication of plants and animals.
“Chicken leg diplomacy” was practiced by President G.H.W. Bush when he sent chicken legs to Russia. He did this because:
he wanted to help the Russian transition to a capitalist democracy.
Classifying groups according to their culture traits, anthropologists have mapped culture clusters known as:
culture area.
