After you read this paper you will be able to identify the kinship system of the San tribe and how it helps them survive. Also, you will be able to identify how the kinship system creates their behaviors. A nuclear family is the most common type of kin when it comes to the San tribe. A nuclear family is the basic mother, father, and their children. Bands are multifamily grouping who live in the same area bands are known to have extended family members.
Running Head: THE DENE PEOPLE OF NORTH AMERICA! 1 THE DENE PEOPLE! 2 Abstract The Dene are a First Nations culture with a unique set of values and principles often not shared by the popular culture of the countries in which they reside. They believe in harmony between all living things of this world as well as the spirit world. Like all aboriginal tribes of the Americas, their culture has been irreparably bruised by the coming of other peoples, yet at the core of their history are the indisputable teachings of how to live a life that is good.
For many years the Navajo adopted many practices and regulations from the Pueblos Indians. Another name of the Navajo people is Dine which means the people because they all are considered one. The Navajos, a semi-nomadic from the 16th to 20th century hail from the south western United States and are considered the largest federally recognized tribe in the U.S(Linford 2000). The Navajo are a matrilineal society in which they move often in search of naturally occurring pastures to feed their heard.. This culture began as large hunters and gathers until the Spanish arrived and introduced the practice of animal herding into this culture.
The Maasai people are almost completely dependent on their land as they are a semi-nomadic culture. Hearding livestock such as cattle, goats and sheep is one of their greatest occupations and they rely upon the planes and feeding grounds of the great rift valley to do so. They also rely upon the scarce water source of the valley for the hydration of their cattle. The Maasai people originated in Northern Kenya and migrated south along the Nile Valley around the mid fifteenth century. They then found themselves in the Great Rift Valley, at which time they pronounced the land sacred to their culture.
The Mayan small city-states system collapsed because of infighting among small kingdoms. Both these civilizations were once a powerful state, although, they both decline due to rebellion from small kingdoms. Economically, the Shang and Mesoamerica both relied greatly on agricultural. The Shang relied on the generous portion of agricultural productions from the regions they controlled. They also use its stable agricultural surplus to build a trade-centered civilization.
First, we will discover the Navajo’s primary mode of subsistence and then relate it to other aspects of their culture. The Navajo’s primary mode of subsistence is Pastoralism. Pastoralism is defined as, “food-production strategy based on care of herds of domesticated animals and use of animals for food” (Nowak & Laird, 2010). The Navajo’s culture use pastoralism as their primary mode of subsistence by raising their own agriculture and livestock. At the beginning, their focus was raising sheep and goats; they later incorporated horses that were used to direct their flock to new grazing areas.
Their culture is rich in ritual ceremonies that last around nine days to treat the ill, for physical as well as mental aspects of their lives (Carey, 2011). The Navajo have a unique history of being Pastoralists, their Navajo kinship, their beliefs, values, sickness and healing rituals are important aspects within their native cultural lifestyle. The Navajo people are a pastoralists and agriculturalists society (Navajo, 2004). They often moved their sheep and horse herds during the summer and winter months to more flourishing areas for water, grasslands and to hunt for their family’s survival (Navajo, 2004). They lived in what is called hogans (Eck, 1998).
Hunter-gatherers were nomads who lived in tribes and relied on hunting, fishing and gathering wild fruits. Their social organization was based on kinship, age, and gender. Kinship relations were maintained among different multifamily bands through marriage. Generally, people married outside their own band. Gender relations were related to the division of labor, men hunt and women gather.
The Gains and Losses of Tribal Gaming Within the past few decades, tribal gaming has become one of the foremost influential variables effecting the sovereignty of Indian tribes and their status within the United States. The role which gaming facilities play within the Native American culture is one that has come to both help and hinder their progress in society. The catalyst which propelled the Native people to live subservient lives upon reservations, was that of Westward Expansion in the 1800s, forcing them to carry out their lives in destitute conditions and assimilate into a society they wanted no part of. This forcible means of assimilation included expectations placed on the people to find a means of gaining monetary advantages, although assistance as to how this would be achieved, was not readily available. Countless Indian tribes endured terrible conditions within the reservations and received scare funds from the government to improve their living conditions, which contributed to the tremendous disadvantages they faced in a predominately white society.
They used matrilineal descent groups to trace their ancestors and select marital partners. Their right to use land also came from these groups. Women were as equal as men in a way that gave them power over what happened in the group. As a social structure, the Iroquois tribe was a well planned, close knitted family. As a member of the tribe, everybody was related by blood or marriage.