(Week 2 Blog, Updated)
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| Color of skin is one of rhe factor helps adaptation to the geographical conditions |
The Zulu are an African ethnic group whose members live mainly in the
South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, which lies between the Indian Ocean to the east and the Drakensberg mountain range to
the west. The province stretches from the borders of Mozambique and Swaziland in the north to the Umzimkhulu River
in the south. This is an
agriculturally fertile region, with the summer being a very productive season.
The summer season between October and April is warm and rainy, while the winter
between June and August is relatively cold and dry. Temperatures are moderate.
The Zulu are bordered by the Swazi people to the north, the BaSotho to the
west, and the Xhosa and Mpondo communities to the south. Sea temperatures are
also relatively stable, averaging 21 degrees all year, providing possibilities
for a diversity of aquatic activities in any season, including diving, fishing,
swimming, boating and surfing.
One of the
physical traits that helps them adapt their environment is the melanin of their
skin, skin is more darker among Africans. As Africa is known for a very warm
weather. Their physical traits (like body structure, hair, skin) helps them to
adapt the weather and the geographical location as well. Thus it also shows how the Zulu's wear lighter clother or almost no clothes.
One cultural
trait that helps them adapt the environment is their house architectural design. Africans are
very known for their straw hut or mud hut. The thatched roof, mud hut and the
floor is made of material from ant hills and cow dung.
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| Clothing help people to adapt the geographic locations |
The Andes is the longest continental mountain range in the world. It is a continual range of
highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about 7,000 km (4,300 mi) long,
about 200 km (120 mi) to 700 km (430 mi) wide (widest between 18° south and 20° south latitude), and of an average height of about 4,000 m (13,000
ft). The Andes extend from north to south through seven South American
countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.
One of the physical trait that Andean Indian is the color of the skin, most
of them have brown to reddish skin. This is due to the cold weather and the elevation
of the physical environment they
live. Though much of the Andeans have a certain face features that you can
identify them from the rest of the ethnic group. They have broad chin and well
defined nose.
Since Andeans are well adapted to high altitude, they can easily adapt the
cold weather too. The primitive lived in a cave while today most of them live
in stone or cement houses. The house architectural design and the materials used
us appropriate for the cold weather. Thus, they wear heavy clothing materials for them to help adapt from cold weather.
Conclusion:
The temperature or the climate state is one of the factors that both
population have a difficult to maintain homeostasis. Human body maintains its
stability while adjusting to the physical nature of the environment however if
the system of the body can not maintain the equilibrium as a result a feedback
may happen. Second is the geographical location. Factors like extreme heat or
drought or extreme cold humans body have difficulty to maintain the
equilibrium.
Many members of the ethnic groups look the same particularly in physical
features because they live in one geographical area and same temperature. Their
diet, socio-economic status, thie lifestyle, their life span as well as common diseases has
also something to do with the geographical location as well as the geographical climate. According to the study when group of people share same diet in one geographical conditions, they believe that they also look similar.
If I have to choose a race that would identify each culture that would be
Asians. Though many thought Asians live mostly in tropical lands then its not
true. Japanese, Koreans, China has cold weather while the south part of Asian
continental has tropical climate. Most Asians range from fair to brown skins so
thus some physical traits identify each
culture. The geographical locations also like the Andeans many Philippine
native particulary Ifugao’s live in mountain geographic land and also has cold
climate. While the Bajao’s like the Zulu live near the shore and usually found
in warm climate.
The adaptive approach is the reflection of what kind of race in a certain
country or location has. Example, Asians main diet is rice thus they feel more
satisfied when eating food with rice while Americans (Caucasians) have
different diets. For me this only explains that adaptation can also identify
the race of the people. Also many Caucasians can’t adapt well to a humid warm
temperature while many Asians do. I do not think, there is a real comparison
because I believe each ethnic groups is unique. Though when it comes to physical
appearance you really can’t determine exactly what ethnic group people came from
because human body tend to adapt and maintain an equilibrium to his
environment. Unless you know what are
their practices and cultures then you can identify the ethnic group. The
usefulness of adaptive approach is mainly for survival. When an ethnic group of
people or individual adapt the nature environment factors (climate and the lifestyle) he or she can well
survive.
As they say, "Culture not race explains human diversity". The use of race for me is to identify the culture of the person. I do not want to indicate race to the color of the skin or the physical features because for me it is just only an appearance. I could have brown skin but I am raise in America however I identify myself through the culture I practice thus I can tell my race.
Reference:
Britannica
Encyclopedia Online
Beck, Roger B.;
Linda Black, Larry S. Krieger, Phillip C. Naylor, Dahia Ibo Shabaka, (1999). World
History: Patterns of Interaction.
Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell. ISBN 0-395-87274-X.
Countries and their cultures.
www.everyculture.com
South Africa travel and tours. www.southafricatravelandtours.com
Images from:
Yahoo.
www.images.search.yahoo.com
Google. www.google.com/search
i love your transition of how you put together the different cultures as well as changes into your own. I did the same thing and really didnt think i was understanding it right, but you defintley have a great perspective of it. It really intregues me. i defintley think today people adapt there culture to todays living since our societies has come along way from back then, although there are some people today who do still live like that.
ReplyDeleteThanks Vanessa. Many ethnic group adapt changes.. And I agree with you that our society has come along way from back then however some wanted to preserve their cuture. I came from different ethnic group too. However, we do not practice of what our ancestors used to do. We adapt what the society expect from us and that is change. We were not primtive anymore as what you others think of an ethnic group however we retain few practices like having festivities, some beliefs and still we speak of our mother tongue. In our ethnic group there are 21 different languages (which identified by summer institute of linguistics) and still each group identify themselves through the language being used.
ReplyDeleteSally- I thought your post was very informative and provided great information. I really like how you talked about the other surrounding nations as well but I thought that the Zulus lived in pretty extreme heat not moderate weather? I also agree that the pigment of their skin help them adapt to the area in which they live. I think it is great that you mentioned their clothing that they were and I like the pictures that you choose for your blog post. I thought you might have wanted to add a little more about what the Zulu people are all about and their traditions because they are very interesting.
ReplyDeleteReading about the Andeans was very interesting to me because of their ability to live in such harsh conditions I thought it was amazing that their bodies are able to take oxygen and rush it through their body faster so it isn’t hard for them to breathe. I really like the detail that you gave on the Andeans. Overall you had a great post that has a lot of good information.
~Heather L. Gault
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DeleteThanks Heather. Just like you I am also amazed how these ethnic group adapt in the environment just like the Andeans and Zulu. Besides the harsh condition of the climate, they find way to adapt into it and even cultivate the land too. Human body normally respond to environmental stresses like the extreme climate change and as well as the cultural practices and this is the human biological adaptability. While I dont see myself living on top of the mountains or the desert however if this is the only way we can survive I would think that like many others I can also adapt to environment stress.
DeleteOverall, very good. Lots of detail and very interesting. There are a couple points that I would like to cover...
ReplyDeleteYou identify appropriate traits for each requested adaptation, but how do they help the people adapt to their environmental stress? For instance, how do the Zulu homes help them in their environment? How does the skin color of the Andeans help them?
Your quote was interesting: "Culture not race explains human diversity". I actually don't agree. :-) I'd say our biology explains our physical diversity. Culture explains our cultural diversity, and there is overlap between them. Both are important.
I think you might be confusing race with ethnicity. They are actually two different things. Race is more superficial and is based essentially all on physical traits, like skin color, while ethnicity is based upon a number of things, including some physical traits but also shared historical and cultural backgrounds. Much more complex than race.
I was a little confused that you categorized both the Zulu and the Andean Indians as Asians? Why? Are they that similar in their physical traits?
1. Adaptation to environmental stress help people to survive. For instance the Zulu homes help them to survive in a harsh environment. Most of the African dwelling is made according to their comfort and needs. The climate is also a big factor on the structural of the dwellings.
Delete2. I believe the color of the Andean's skins help them to ethnicity identity.
3. I hope I didn't misunderstood the question or I am interpreting it differently ,but the question is "if I have to choose a race that would I identify each culture, what would that be?" So then I chose Asians because some physical traits like the skin color, the habitat, the lifestyle, the adaptation and the acclimatization is somewhat similar to some of the Asians traits and culture.
4. I agree that race is different from ethnicity. Though I always relate the two of them because I believe that, the ethnicity identifies the race. However, I was enlgihtened with the important points that they are two different things.
Regarding point 3: The key word was "each". Not "both". :-) One race per population, but not a huge issue.
DeleteI really liked your post and how it was organized, but I'm confused as to what altitude has to do with skin color for the Andean Indians. I know they are lighter than the Zulus for a reason, but altitude shouldn't have much to do with it. it should be concerning radiation exposure and how much sunlight these people see.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry I missed some sentences in here.
Delete"Altitude basically has something to do with the health". As we all know high altitude has less oxygen however human body has a possiblity to acclimate (acclimatization) to temperature, altitude, climate and even situation, depending on the physical fitness of the body. About the color of the skin well it has something to do of course with the DNA and with amount of the exposure of the sun.