Environmental Adaptations: Zulu vs Andean Indians
The Zulu:
Zulu
groups are formed by African American people. They mainly live in the South African province of
KwaZulu-Natal. This location is between the Indian Ocean (east) and the mouth
range, Drakensber (west). The location allows for agriculture because the
summer is an effective season. During the summer, that is between May and
September, it is warm and rainy. Now during the winter, between June and
August, it is relatively cold and dry. The weather itself, is not too extreme,
they are actually quite moderate.
During the wet seasons, also known as summer, that is
October to April there is intense humidity and heat. There is much more
rainfall, but usually after a thunder storm. The temperature between these months usually varies around
56 degrees Fahrenheit and 88 degrees Fahrenheit.
During the dry season, also known as winter, that is May to
September there is little rainfall. Now the temperature that these months
usually vary between is 55 degrees Fahrenheit to 81 degrees Fahrenheit.
A
physical stress that would make it hard to maintain homeostasis is the weather
(heat) and the high altitudes in which the Zulu live in. High altitudes can cause stress for
humans because air pressure is lower, according to the article Adapting to high
Altitude (article by the professor)
One physical
adaption the Zulu demonstrate is their darker skin color. According to Skin
Color Distribution Around the World (article by the professor) there is a human
skin color distribution pattern. The darker skin color is said to be found in
hot climates. The Melanin that Zuru groups have plays as a shield against
ultraviolent radiation. “By doing this, it helps prevent sunburn damage that
could result in DNA changes and subsequently, several kinds of malignant skin cancers” according to
Skin Color Adaption (an article from the professor)
One
cultural adaption that the Zulu demonstrate is by their clothing. As stated
before, the Zulu live in a warm location and therefore they wear less clothing
than we are accustomed to. For the most part, their clothing is not any
different than other modern urbanites. Men wear something that is called an
amabheshu. An amabheshu is made of goat or cattle skin, it looks like an apron,
and it is warm at the back. Most women where only beads to cover their bodies,
but if they are married they will wear a T-Shirt.
One
race that I think best fit the Zulu population would be African. Simple as
their skin color is the reason for my choice. Also their clothing (bright and
elaborate) is something I believe the African involve in their culture.
The Andean Indians:
Andean
Indian members inhabit Central America (south from Guatemala) and the northern
coast of South America. This area does not coincide with any named region in a
geographic sense or with a contemporary national political boundary. This
population lives in high altitudes on the Andean mountains. Despite the discomfort of most people
the high altitude is something this population is used to. They have used this
area for more than 10,000 years. They live on mountains that exceed 3000m.
This area is within the tropics and you can mark the seasons
by differences in precipitation rather than in temperature. The lowlands tend to be hot, but “elevation
tempers the climate on some of the islands and along the mountain ranges that
run through Central America, Colombia, and Venezuela.” The heavy rainfall
supports the dense forest and the (few) dry areas support the sparse grass.
Furthermore the climate in this area usually depends on the latitude, altitude,
and the area of sea. The average temperature is around 64 degrees Fahrenheit,
although the southern, central, and northern section can differ. The southern
section will have more cold/rainy temperatures, while the central will have
very dry temperatures. Lastly the northern section is rainy and very warm.
One
physical adaptation is their blood. Because this population lives on such high
elevation it is crucial that their bodies adapt to this environment. Andean
Indians actually have 20% more blood and weigh a little more than those on
lower elevation would. This altitude on those who are not accustomed to it are
at risk of heart failure because there is added stress to the lungs, heart, and
arteries according to Adapting to High Altitude (an article from the professor)
One
cultural adaption is astronomical observations in order to supply themselves
with food. The Andean Indians live in an environment that is harsh to farmland
because of the elevation. The Andean people need to learn and get used to when
they will get rainfall and sunlight in order to grow their food. Without this
adaption, the Andean people would have malnutrition.
One
race that I think best fit the Andean Indians is Latin. Their clothes for
starters is something I would see in the Mexican culture. Also their skin color
, and eye color. In the Hispanic culture there is a lot of farming that is
being done which also resembles that of the Andean population.
Summary:
I
believe that Anthropologist should look upon adaptations to the environment
when they are collecting their information. The outside appearance, to me, does
not say entirely everything about a person. Because a person looks African or
Hispanic does not entirely mean this is true. I do however believe that when groups
of people do certain things (to adapt to their environment) it can say more
about the type of people they are. Skin color, eye color, or even the way they
dress can sometimes be misleading and therefore I do not believe that
Anthropologist should focus on that. I think the job of an anthropologist is to
look beyond what the common people look at (beyond just the appearance)!
Citations:
Wow! This was so well written and the pictures are very interesting. I like how you were able to go more into detail about the high altitudes and the effects it has on the Andean's blood flow. Overall, I would agree that race really has nothing to do with describing a person and their culture.
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DeleteExcellent post! I took a different approach to the Zulu clothing instead of showing what it means I took my theory about why they wear a lack of clothing. I also liked how instead of keeping it in the original question form you separated the two completely out, and that made it much easier to read and keep the information all in one area. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI agree your post is well written and great quality pictures. I also agree on your viewpoint on how anthropologist should look upon adaptions to their environment. I resonated with your comment, "Just because a person looks African or Hispanic doesn't necessarily mean that they are!
ReplyDeleteYour post was extremely informative! I liked your evidence as to why the Zulu would have darker skin, and the fact that if they did not have darker skin, it would result in sun burn with DNA damages which also cause cancer.
ReplyDeleteYour description for the Andean Indians was in depth as well. You covered all of the various geographical regions they cover, and the hardships they combat as well.
I also agree with your statement, " I do however believe that when groups of people do certain things (to adapt to their environment) it can say more about the type of people they are." This could translate into race or adaptation too. I really enjoyed reading your post!
Good images.
ReplyDeleteZulu:
"Zulu groups are formed by African American people. "
No, they are not. They are not at all American. They live in Southern Africa. We become very careless about the words we use to describe groups of people, but words matter in science. Make sure you say exactly what you mean.
In general, good description of the Zulu environment. What about UV radiation? Isn't this an environmental stress that impacts this population?
For your discussion on physical adaptations, you argue:
"The darker skin color is said to be found in hot climates."
Is it *heat* that is the factor or solar radiation? If you have ever skied on a sunny day or spent time on a mountain lake in the sunshine, you know that it isn't the heat that has anything to do with skin color. It's the levels of solar radiation. Darker skin tones, resulting from higher levels of melanin, certainly are prevalent in equatorial Africa, but you also see more pigmentation in high altitude environments (less atmosphere to block radiation) and in cold climates where reflections of the suns rays off of ice or water are just as much of an impact on skin tone.
I agree with your cultural adaptation, but keep in mind that some populations who live in hot climates, such as the Saharan nomadic populations, use the opposite tact for dealing culturally with heat. They opt for full body coverage, but they don't tend to have as much melanin and they use cloth instead of animal skins for their clothing. Could that help explain the differences?
"Africa" is a geographical location/continent, not a race. There are many races that live in Africa, so we can't use it to indicate just one. A more accurate choice would be "black" or "negroid".
Andean:
Good description of the Andean environment, but you go onto describe a physical adaptation that helps them deal with hypoxia from their high-altitude environments. You mention that they are living at a high altitude, but you don't explain how that influences the stresses they experience that cause adaptations to occur. That should have been part of the discussion.
With regard to the cultural adaptation, it isn't that Andeans have more "blood", per se. What they have is more hemoglobin in their blood cells, which allows those cells to transport more oxygen per unit measure than those without that adaptation.
Yes, Andeans cultivate specific crops and heard specific animals that work well in a high-altitude environment. Can you identify some of the crops and animals that work in that environment? Expand.
"Latin" is an ethnic association, relying not just upon physical traits but also sociocultural ones. Race is only based upon superficial external physical traits, like skin tone or the shape of the face. A likely choice for a race for Andeans is either "indian" or "mongoloid".
Interesting summary. Do cultural anthropologists try to figure out what "type" of people a culture is? Or do they try to understand why people look and act as they do? "Typing" people is similar to figuring out their "race"... you are just labeling and categorizing them. That doesn't get us very far. In science, labeling has limited benefits. What we need to do in order to understand cultures and behaviors and appearances is to explain them. Race doesn't help with that. Only understanding traits (physical and cultural) through the lens of their function in a given environment can understand the culture.
And I suggest that understanding the "common" or average person in a population is a big part of what cultural anthropologists do. There will always be those far different from the "norm" of a population, but if you want to understand that population, you need to focus on the most common traits and practices, those that are most prevalent, correct?
Great post! I love the pictures, and how the descriptions that went along with them matched them exactly. I also agree with your statement in your summary that others should look beyond the outside appearance in order to learn more about their culture. One person can look black but their culture can be both black and irish and even italian. I think that is the most interesting part about the people in this planet is that each is different cultures and no one is the same, but at the same time, groups of people can all be part of the same culture. Otherwise, amazing post!
ReplyDeleteAmazing post!!! The descriptions and pictures tied everything together. Comparing the adean indians to the zulu people was really interesting. I liked how you talked about both of theses cultures. I agree that looks do not say anything about where a person is from and who they are. Instead of assuming what nationality a person is we need to look beyond the point.
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