Patagascar

GROUP G

Your region is mountainous. Rivers run out of the mountains to the south and to the west. A mountain pass runs north-south and connects the northern end of the continent to the middle region. A smaller pass connects the west coast to the interior. In the cool season, a lot of snow falls in the mountains, and it is very cold. During the warm season, temperatures rise to 25C.

Patagascar
 * 1) Name of our homeland: Patagascar
 * 2) Name of our people: Patagascans
 * 3) Geographic features of our homeland: Mountains, river sources, coastline.
 * 4) Populate your homeland. 7 million ( 3 major cities, 1 in the valley, 1 in the mountains, and 1 along the coast. the rest of the population spread out in numerous villages, with a large village in the western frontier).
 * 5) What biota exist in your homeland? Takin, Grey Wolf, Sno leopard, Dhole, Sharks,babmboo
 * 6) Available natural resources: Fish, mountain animals, wood, fresh water, minerals, ice, gold,silver,slate,river rock, bamboo, hemp
 * 7) Natural resources needed: Wheat, fruits, vegetables...


 * SUBSISTENCE**


 * 1. What pattern(s) of subsistence will your culture follow?**

foraging pastoralism horticulture agriculture

The ocean( fish,prawns,squid,shark,shrimps, chorella, seaweed,kelp,oysters), the mountains( minerals, gold. silver, ice, potatoes, mountain goats, herds for lambs, alpacas, mushrooms,bamboo,pigs) the rivers ( fish, river rock, beavers, wild animals that feed of the fish), the valley( vegetables,grapes,rice,wild berries, honey,qunioa,chili peppers, beans and lentils). We could also grow sugarcane which produce sugar.tomatoes, squash,carrots,corn,yams,peanuts,cotton,chestnuts,chili peppers,wheat,hemp, for medicine we could use ginseng that it is found in the forest, it is a good resource for trading with other kins and a really expensive medicine nowadays.
 * 2. What resources does your territory have to support your subsistence pattern(s)?**

The winter would be hard on the agriculture and foraging sectors, storage of food and a pre winter harvest would be very important, in the mountains and the valley vast storehouse exist for food storage over the winter, also trading domestically with the pastorates of the mountains.
 * 3. How do the climate and seasons in your territory affect your subsistence pattern(s)?**

smaller fishing villages along the coast, big town in the valley where the agriculture is, and small groups of shepherds and tribes in the forests and mountains.
 * 4. How will your subsistence pattern(s) relate to your population size and location?**

On the coast, the female members of the village will be in charge opf running the villages on a day to day basis as the men are out at sea they store food during winter seasons. females in the agriculture also in charge of food storage and the household, same goes for the foraging tribes, men hunt and women gather and look after the storage and distribution of food.
 * 5. How will the labour involved in subsistence be distributed among your people?**

agriculture use water buffalo for rice farming, potato done with digging sticks and hoes,and some tractors fishing done in small boats on coast using nets,irrigation widespread in the valley for agriculture, hunting tribes use, spears bows, and more and more frequently guns to hunt,also use the patagascan bulldog to aid in hunting. catch and release for smaller fish used to help with sustainability on the coast.
 * 6. What technology do your people use for subsistence purposes?**

the mining done in the mountains is done in a traditional method. small diverse crops grown, with surplus being the goal for use of trading and feeding the populaytion
 * 7. What impact does your subsistence have on the environment?**

in the winter in the mountains wool from lambs, and alpacas, leather, in the summer silk (sericulture, silk worm eat leaves from mulberry tree, silk quilt and silk clothes) and cloth to keep cool. Also Gunny/ linen could be used to produce clothes. Ceremonial clothes worn by the chiefs are, coastal,shark, moputnains, snowleopard,valley wasthe takin,
 * 8. How do your people clothe themselves?**

huts and houses made from bamboo, stones, river rock, in the valley houses are on stilts where the animals sleep to provide warmth aniaml pelts to keep warm in winter in mountains
 * 9. What type of shelter(s) do your people live in?**

gold and silver from the mountain, possession of animals, possession of land,social networking,
 * 10. Do your people have material goods? What kinds? Where do they come from?**

soups with lots of different vegetables such as tomatoes squah,potatoes yams, carrots, onions, pea's, and fish/lamb/pork/chicken. Ruce dish with beans, and penuts and lamb. Fish is often smoked for winter, lamb and pork is jerkied, cloth meat( traditional argentine drid meat dish)
 * 11. What is your people’s diet? How do they prepare food? What is a typical meal?**

Are there special ceremonial or ritual foods? in the valley there is a big celebration based on the harvest and spiritual elements,( god of rain and sun) Winter harvest, celecrates the goddess of the moon, three days festival fmaily comes together, gift exchane andfeast, music and dancing, traditional, variations on provinces. summer harvest, vegetables and fruits feast, dnacing, singing, sports competition. river festival ( mid summer) boat races, ritual offering the river god, dancing singing. ritual washiong in gold powder and then emergence into the water.silver and gold gifts
 * 12. Are there any celebrations centered on subsistence issues e.g. a harvest celebration?**

Note: depending on your choice of subsistence pattern(s), you may have to do some reseearch to fully answer these questions. For example, if you chose ‘horticulture,’ you should know something about how to grow food and/or raise animals. If you chose ‘foraging,’ you should know something about wild foods. And so on.


 * Is it a nuclear family
 * **Is it an extended family? Who does it include?** etxtended families include, uncles cousins aunts and grandparents, cousins usually drift off from the ego after marriage
 * **Are there households of non-kin? Who can co-habit this way**? No
 * 2. What are the roles of the members of the family in the subsistence system you've chosen?** equal for sexes, in the understanding that women have the roles they keep and men have the roles they keep, grandparents or elders responsible for education of and care of the young.


 * 3. Is your descent system unilineal?**


 * **If so, will it be patrilineal or matrilineal?** both
 * **If it is patrilineal, is it also patriarchal?** not really
 * **If it is not unilineal, what kind of cognatic system is it?**-


 * **If so, how many lineages are there? How many families in each lineage?**
 * **If so, what are the corporate powers of the lineage?**
 * **If so, is each lineage associated with a particular skill, occupation, or trait?**


 * **If so, what lineages belong to what clans?**
 * **If so, who is the apical ancestor mythological or just forgotten?**
 * **If so, do your clans have distinct totems? What do they symbolize?**
 * **If so, do your clans have chiefs?**


 * **If so, what are the two moieties called?**
 * **If so, how does an individual inherit his/her moiety?**


 * **What specific group is one expected to find a spouse from?** a different clan, or in rural areas, different village


 * **If so, does it include both polygyny and polyandry or just one**?no it is taboo


 * **by the individuals themselves?** individuals
 * **by the individuals' parents?**
 * **by supernatural means or by a match-maker?**

**13. Where do the married couple reside after they are married?** neo-residential with the choic of the location( whether close to brides family or grooms family) decided by the them,( usually close to the family that needs the most assistance wioth labour.

Economic System

1. Taking your subsistence into account, what resources are needed and how will they be allocated in your culture? e.g. land tenure, access to raw materials 2. What labour is involved in your subsistence? Who does what? In the small foraging groups that live along the westenr frontier, men are responsible for hunting bigger game while women are responsible for gathering fruits berries, and hunting of smaller game. In the cities work is allocated usually by relations ot the nobility and upper class members, with the lower classes beign the labourers, servants and farmers, whereas the closer families are to the chiefs the higher their positions are i.e: the governmental military, merchants etc are usually from the upper classes. 3. Are people compensated for their labour? If so, how? In the cities and the mines people are paid in silver coins which is the national currency of patagascar 4. What goods are produced in your culture? Is it through households or occupations? Small-scale handicrafts or large-scale industrialized products? Ore, Gold and Silver are mined in the mountains, all these operations are run by the Patagasca government, on the coast trade is made fro profit by the merchant class, labour ie building, etc is all compensated in the same wayt via silver coins, which can used to purchase clothing, food, and other goods all throughout patagascar. 5. What rituals or ceremonies are the basis for generalized reciprocity? balanced reciprocity? What gift giving is involved? 6. Is there trade within your culture? With another culture? What is the basis of the transaction? (i.e. barter? money? some other medium of exchange?) Trade is a dominant idea in patagascan culture with their strategic position on the mouths of rivers, on the coast and borderign so many countries. 7. Is there any form of redistribution of goods and services? 8. If you decide on a market-based economy, describe the allocation of labour, the means of production, the products, who are the consumers, etc. the products such as farmed goods manifactured clothing, and other wares are consumed by the population other goods traded for are also sold to the domestic market, which makes the merchant class of Patagasca quite powerful. 9. Does your group trade with another group? What is traded? How is trade incorporated into the economic system? Trade is a very important part of the economic system, goods are traded widely with many other nations, these goods include, silk teak wood, river rock, ice fresh water, salt, silver gold and ore. usually exchange for wheat, rubber, volcanic rock and household goods, which are in turn sold back into the domestic economy 10. Is the distribution of wealth equitable in your culture or are there differences in social status, wealth, and prestige? How is wealth achieved? maintained? displayed? wealth is not distributed evenly in patagsca, the people closest to the chiefs usually have the good jobs, and the most power\, wealth is achieved through land owner ship ownership of the means of production. It is maintained trhough an elite and displayed by the elitein different ways, however only the chiefs and their immediate family are allowed to wear gold as this symblozies the ultimate echelons of scoial status

POLITICAL SYSTEM

When considering these following questions, keep in mind the subsistence strategy/strategies and economic system you have developed so far. Population size is also a factor. Later, religion may also be a consideration.

1. What kind of political organization(s) will your culture have?

• uncentralized bands • uncentralized tribes • centralized chiefdoms • centralized states

2. If your culture has a leader, how does a person acquire this status? What are his/her responsibilities to the community?

3. If your culture has a centralized leader, what is his/her title? What social stratification is in place to support the political system? What bureaucracy and institutions are needed?

4. How does a leader maintain influence/authority/power? Can the leader be replaced? If so, how?

5. How does your culture deal with conflict and disagreement among its people? (Consider how you answered this in the very first exercise we did).

6. How does your culture make decisions that affect the whole community?

7. How does your culture deal with inappropriate social behaviour and crime?

8. What are typical negative social sanctions in your culture? Typical positive social sanctions?

9. Is there internal strife within your culture? Describe how it occurs, why it occurs, and how it is resolved (if it is).

10. Is there external strife between your culture and another culture? Describe how/why it occurs. How is peace achieved/achievable?


 * RELIGIOUS BELIEF SYSTEM**

1. Does your culture worship a deity or deities?

2. If your culture is monotheistic...

What does God look like? What role does God play in people’s lives?

3. If your culture is polytheistic...

How many gods are there? What do they look like? Do different gods have different responsibilities in the world? e.g. death, fertility, rain

4. Does your culture have ancestor veneration? Is it totemic? How does ancestral veneration work?

5. Does your culture believe in animism or animatism? How does it work?

6. Is there a belief in ghosts and demons? What role do they play? Can they be controlled or used?

7. What is the culture’s mythology?

How did the world begin? How were humans created? What stories explain the existence of things? of culture? What happens to people after death? What moral lesson are taught?

8. How do people worship?

on their own? with religious specialists? healers, diviners, mediums, shamans, priests/priestesses? a bit of both? who does what?

10. If there are religious specialists...

how do they become religious specialists? how do they connect with the supernatural world? manipulate it? what is their social status?

11. Is there a belief in magic used? How is it used for good or bad? How do people protect themselves from bad magic?

12. Are there rites of passage? If so, what rites are there? e.g. mortuary, marriage, birth

13. Are there rites of intensification? If so, for what purposes? e.g. fertility, drought, epidemics

14. How are the rituals in 12 & 13 performed? e.g what offerings, sacrifices, symbols, actions, language, costumes, masks, performances, etc. are involved? By whom? 15. Have there been changes in belief? Conflicts? Have these resulted in cults or movements? How have these been handled by the social structure? - GENDER QUESTIONS

1. How is gender identity reflected in differernces in clothing, behaviour, speech, etc.?

2. What are the gender roles of men and women, boys and girls in the domestic sphere and in subsistence labour?

3. What gender roles are apparent in economic activities, political organization, and religion?

4. What gender status differences are there between men and women?

5. What control do women have over divorcing their husbands?