(FALL 1997)
Kristina K. Lee
Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death among Native Americans and Alaska Natives. The prevalence of diabetes among Native Americans is higher than the general population. For some Native American populations, such as the Pima, diabetes is at epidemics proportions. Diabetes has not always been a health problem for Native Americans. It is a problem of this century. I would argue that "mismatch theory" and "thrifty genotype theory" could be used to explain the high prevalence of diabetes in Native American communities.
Mismatch theory presumes that biological adaptations that humans have are from past environments. As hunters and gatherers, individuals sought out caloric rich foods. These foods were often in areas of limited resources. The limited availability of caloric rich foods combined with the people's lifestyles, did not give rise to diabetes. Today, food stress and limited food resources are not problems for most individuals. Many people have an increased sedentary lifestyle and access to caloric rich foods (fats, sugars). This was an environmental change from scarce food supplies to dense food supplies. The thrifty genotype hypothesis states that if the environment today does not match past environments, humans may develop problems with adaptations. There are consequences with diet change if organisms are adapted to live in a specific kind of environment.
In this paper I will examine
why certain Native American nations are prone to diabetes. Is there a genetic
predisposition among Native Americans for diabetes or is it strictly related
to environmental changes? This paper will discuss the lifestyle changes
(diet, economic) that contributed to the high prevalence of diabetes in
Native American communities.
Scott Ferguson
I'm planning to focus my paper on education issues in Australian Aboriginal societies. I'd like to explore acculturation methodology via skill training, ritual practices, and oral tradition. I'd like not to focus on the division of labor; I'm not so much interested in who learns what or why, but how. I'll most likely focus on children, especially young children, but I hope to explore the entire life cycle. I plan to make this paper useful (everyone should have a conscious plan for making his or her work useful) by organizing it in such a way as to facilitate future references for cross-cultural research in North American education issues.
Megan Cochrane
For my paper I am going to expand on the article "Chimpanzee Hunting Behavior and Human Evolution" by Stanford. I'm planning on looking at the hunting hypothesis and the basics behind hunting and then look the aspects of chimpanzee hunting (of different groups of chimpanzees) and compare these to see what appears
Holly
Hain
The Inuit are an interesting people who have adapted themselves to the harsh environment of the Arctic. One of the most important adaptations the Inuit have made is exploitation of marine resources. Hunting of marine animals is the main subsistence of this groups. It is so important to their survival that much of Uniut culture revolves around hunting. Today however, the Inuit no longer have the freedom to hunt as their ancestors once did. Because whales and other marine animals are becoming more and more endangered due to increased commercial hunting, the International Whaling commission is now regulating the number of of animals the Inuit may take each year. This has led to considerable debates on the side of the Inuit who wish to return to the ways of the ancestors. This paper will explore both the quotas and debates surrounding this issue and more importantly, its effects on the Inuit culture.
April Whitten
Introduction to the Problem: The Overkill Hypothesis
This paper will examine the Late Pleistocene megafauna extinction patterns in North America and their probable causes:
The problem will be addressed by reviewing various extinction models (see Bibliography).
Bibliography
Barnosky, A. D., 1989, ³The Late Pleistocene Event as a Paradigm for Widespread Mammal Extinction.² Mass Extinctions: Processes and Evidence, Ed., Stephen K.
Donovan, Belhaven Press, London.
Boecklen, W. J., and Simberloff, D., 1986, ³Area-Based Extinction Models in Conservation.² Dynamics of Extinction, Ed., David K. Elliott, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Diamond, J. M., 1989, ³Quaternary Megafaunal Extinctions: Variations on a Theme by Paganini.² Journal of Archaeological Science, 16, 1:167-175.
Diamond, J. M., 1984, ³Historic Extinctions: A Rosetta Stone for Understanding Prehistoric Extinctions.² Quaternary Extinctions: A Prehistoric Revolution, Eds., Paul S. Martin and Richard G. Klein, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 824-866.
Graham, R. W., 1986, ³Plant-Animal Interactions and Pleistocene Extinctions.² Dynamics of Extinction, Ed., David K. Elliott, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Grayson, D. K., 1984, ³Explaining Pleistocene Extinctions: Thoughts on the Structure of a Debate.² Quaternary Extinctions: A Prehistoric Revolution, Eds., Paul S. Martin and Richard G. Klein, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 807-823.
Jablonski, D., 1986, ³Causes and Consequences of Mass Extinctions: A Comparative Approach.² Dynamics of Extinction, Ed., David K. lliott, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Martin, P. S., 1987, ³Clovisia the beautiful! If humans lived in the New World more than 12,000 years ago, there¹d e no secret about it.² Natural History 96, 10:10- 13.
Martin, P. S., 1986, ³Refuting Late Pleistocene Extinction Models.² Dynamics of Extinction, Ed., David K. Elliott, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Martin, P. S., 1984, ³Prehistoric Overkill: The Global Model.² Quaternary Extinctions: A Prehistoric Revolution, Eds., Paul S. Martin and Richard G. Klein, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 354-403.
Martin, P. S., 1984, ³Catastrophic Extinctions and Late Pleistocene Blitzkrieg: Two Radiocarbon Tests.² Extinctions, Ed., Matthew H. Nitecki, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp. 153-189.
Martin, P. S., 1973, ³The Discovery of America.² Science, 179:969-974.
Martin, P. S., 1967, ³Prehistoric Overkill.² Pleistocene Extinctions, Eds., P. S. Martin and H. Wright, Yale University Press, New Haven, pp. 75-120.
Spaulding, W. G. , 1983, ³The Overkill Hypothesis as a Plausible Explanation for the Extinctions of Late Wisconsin Megafauna.² Quaternary Research 20:110-112.
Vermeij, G. J., 1986, ³Survival During Biotic Crises: The Properties and Evolutionary Significance of Refuges.² Dynamics of Extinction, Ed., David K. Elliott, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Whittington, S. L. and Dyke, B., 1984, ³Simulating Overkill: Experiments with the
Mosimann and Martin Model.² Quaternary Extinctions: A Prehistoric Revolution, Eds.,
Paul S. Martin and Richard G. Klein, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 451-465.
Kate Rundstrom
For this research paper, I would
like to look at biodiversity conservation. The establishment of game parks
and reserves that protect animals but sometimes have harsh impacts on local
peoples. I will discuss a few different programs that are currently in
use. The food factors, the costs economically and environmentally and socially
to local tribes. As well as possible solutions that would be helpful to
people and animals. I find it strange that for thousands of years people
lived in harmony with nature but within the last 50 years or so this balance
has been disturbed, this factor will also be incorporated into my research
paper.
Dekek Beacon
My paper is going to try and
look at the different toll use that is used by hunters and gatherers around
the world. It will look at the differences in tool use among various groups
around the world to try and answer why groups use certain tools. It will
also look at if some of these tools are used as weapons or if other tools
are made specifically for weapon use. To sum it up, this paper it going
to try and look at the variance in tool use among hunter-gatherer groups
around the world.
H. Jason Combs
The hunter and gatherer group
I intend to research is the Plains Indians, and the focus will revolve
around how the horse impacted these people. I plan to look at how the Indians
quickly became "horse cultures" once they acquired them, and the vital
role in which the horse had in the last few hundred years. At this point
it is undecided as to whether one individual group will be studied or a
number of tribes, this ultimately depends on the material available.
Jon Ferguson
The Impact of Ethnotourism on Traditional Hunting and Gathering Communities
In recent decades, tourism has
adopted a new form of exotic vacationing. Tourists have shown
interest in the traditional cultures of people who live in far off locations.
One doesn't necessarily need to leave his or her own country in order to
accomplish the same. Some Native American communities allow outsiders
a chance to experience their way of life. And this is mainly all
fine and dandy (or too late) because of the context of the situation.
The
act of visiting (touring) a traditional Hunting and Gathering community
allow for the influx of new ideas for local people to tackle. The
growth of resorts and tourist settlements in Hunter and Gatherer culture
areas introduce forms of the market system and allow for locals to interact
with the tourist for material trade, sex, and menial labor.
These situations are often exploitative, ending in the destruction of traditional
subsistence systems and traditional social structures, leaving the
once sustainable people to be marginalized in menial service labor.
Stephanie
Arbaugh
My paper will examine how the sexual division of labor amongst foragers
relates to the origins of sexual inequality.
Bibliography
DeRios, Marlene Dobkin. "Why Don't Women Hunt: An Anthropologist
Looks at the Origin of the Sexual Division of Labor in Society."
Women's
Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 1978. vol 5. no. 3.
Draper, Patricia. "!Kung Women: Contrasts in Sexual Egalitarianism in
Foraging and Sedentary Contexts." Toward an Anthroopology of Women.
Rerter, Rayna, ed., New York: Monthly Review Press. 1975.
Estionko-Griffin, Agnes and Greffen, P. Bion. "Woman the Hunter: The Agta." Woman the Gatherer. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1981.
Leibowitz, Lila. "Origins of the Sexual Division of Labor." Woman's Nature: Rationalization of Inequity. New York; Pergamon Press, 1986.
Ortner, Sherry B. "Is Female to Male as Nature is to Culture?" Woman, Culture, and Society. Stanford, Ca. Stanford University Press. 1974.
Shack, William A. "The Construction of Antiquity and the Egalitarian
Principle: Social Constructions of the Past and Present." Social
Construction of the Past. London; New York; Routledge. 1994.
Tringham, Ruth. "Engendered Places in Prehistory." Gender, Place, and Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography. vol 1. no 3. 1994.
Kenna Hauber
In my paper, I will discuss the role of women in hunter-gatherer societies. This is a particularly interesting topic to me, since studies on such groups seem to focus more on the men and hunting. I ma interested in learning more about the status of women, and the contributions that they make beyond that of being the "gatherer".
Melissa Florio
The purpose of my paper is to look at the medicinal practices of hunter-gatherers. I hope to find patterns that are unique to hunter-gatherers, but I know many aspects will apply to agricultural societies. I want to look at grouops indigenous to North American, South America, Africa, and Australia.
I will focus on the following questions: