ES 321 Final Flashcards
Cultural Landscapes*
- Cultural & physical medium through which people form perceptions and are formed.
- Includes creation stories, fishing/hunting practices, ceremonial places, travel routes, community histories, etc.
- Is constantly evolving
Culture is the ___, natural area is the ___, the cultural landscape is the ____.
agent
medium
result
Social Space
- active role in social relations
- shaping the land has social meaning
Space
- Structures what is possible in terms of movement, visibility, present & future productivity, etc.the
- Physical territory
- Objective
Place
- Invested with stories, histories, memories, etc.
- Space with meaning
- Subjective
Kincentricity*
- The belief that humans and nature are part of an extended ecological family that shares ancestry & origins
- Acknowledges that a healthy environment is achievable only when humans regard life around them as kin
Environmental Determinism
-The idea that the environment and its parameters determine what occurs within that landscape (culture, settlement, society, etc.)
Critique: ignores the fact that humans influence their environment through time & space
The Raramuri
- Believe that all things have a soul and share the same breath
- Humans used to be part plant, and when they emerged into the present world, so did plants and animals as “humans in a different form”
What might happen if we saw the ‘resources’ around us as family members: cousins, siblings, etc.?
- If we have this kincentric view, we would be far less likely to thoughtlessly exploit resources into extinction, and we would take extreme measures to protect them
- Valuable/worthy of respect
Laguna Pueblo
- New Mexico
- It was not until they recognized humans were sisters and brothers to all life that they could “emerge” and become humans on Earth
“The Land Ethic”
- Each individual member of the community is ethically bound to maintain cooperative relations with the biotic community.
- Enlarges the community to include soil/water/plants/animals…“the land”
CMT
- Culturally Modified Trees
- eg. Stripping cedarbark to build canoes; involves respect and acknowledgment of the dynamic nature of life
Traditional Food Systems*
- Used to identify all culturally accepted foods within a particular culture available from local native sources; very diverse
- Includes management, beliefs, histories, practices, TEK, relationships, etc.
Cultural Keystone Species
- Plants/animals foundational to a culture, in terms of diet, materials, medicine, etc.
- Cultural icons, without which societies would be very different; featured in language, ceremonies, narratives, etc.
- e.g. salmon & blue camas for Coast Salish
“Country Foods”
- Term used by the Inuit to describe traditional foods
- Provide shared cultural connection between family & community
- Bring people together at community events
“Earth Ovens”
- Used to process (Balsam) roots
- Very resilient food system in the long term
The Nutrition Transition
- Decline in use of traditional foods=increased consumption of processed foods
- Has led to obesity, alcoholims, diabetes, and other health concerns among indigenous groups