Biome
Two ARID biomes we have studied
deserts and grasslands
adaptive CLOTHING attributes
loose, open weave, covering most of the body
social capital
social relationships can provide links to resources
karez or puquio
human methods to access underground aquifers by digging down and building tunnels between wells
karez used by modern Baloch groups in Balochistan
puquio used by ancient Nazca groups in Peru
also qanat or kanat used in Syria
Martu (where & what subsistence strategy)
Western Desert Australia, traditionally reliant on hunting and gathering
adaptive attributes for plants
waxy or hairy leaves
angled leaves
avoiding desiccation via tubers/extensive root systems
adaptive BUILDING attributes
thick adobe walls that absorb heat during the day and release it at night;
light lean-tos that shade from sun but allow air to circulate;
tents that can be moved easily between locations
social capital relationships with familiar people (kin, neighbors, friends)
wana
Martu digging stick used by women to extract animals from their burrows, especially during controlled burns
Maasai (where & what subsistence strategy)
Eastern Africa (Kenya and Tanzania), reliant on herding, cattle especially important
adaptive attributes for animals
estivation and diapause - slowing down metabolism
burrows - staying out of the sun
long-distance migrations - finding water
adaptive approaches to arid FARMING
various forms of irrigation (moving water to bring it where needed)
social rules for access to resources, variable in scale
potential for hierarchical governance of canal building and access (Wittfogel's hydraulic hypothesis)
bridging ties
social capital relationships with people outside your familiar group, usually those with power or resources that would be useful to you, thus often above you in broader structures of political power or wealth
examples might be between a local herder and an NGO leader or a government representative
osotua versus esile
Maasai terms contrasting "ubilical cord" relationships of friendship with "debt" relationships where the loan must be repaid
also contrasted as need-based approach to livestock transfers vs account-keeping approach
rule of osotuo is that you only ask if you need and you only give if you can afford to; rule of esile is that you must repay what you borrow or risk public shaming
Ju/'hoansi or !Kung (where & what subsistence strategy)
southern Africa, Botswana, Kalahari Desert;
traditionally hunting and gathering
name group & place associated with mongongo nuts and explain the role of that resource
!Kung, southern Africa
plant food rich in protein and fat, can be gathered in large quantities
adaptive approaches to arid FORAGING
nomadic movements to map onto water, often with corresponding shifts in group size
use of social relationships to manage access to water
division of labor by age and gender, potentially between small reliable foods and large risky foods
CPR
common pool resources
one way to refer to the idea of common or pooled resources that can be successfully managed by the group (via self-governance systems) without degrading the resource
The Dreaming & The Law
fundamental aspects of Martu worldview
the Dreaming is an "everwhen" time of heroic beings traveling across Australia & creating and memorializing the landscape and water sources
the Law is a complex set of expectations about what is proper human behavior as part of a natural and social network of relationships
Karimojong, Turkana, Jie, Pokot, Gogo, Samburu, Ariaal, Rendille (where & what subsistence strategy)
all East African herders, but diverse in which animals they depend upon most and how they husband them
eg, Rendille emphasis on camels, Samburu emphasis on cattle, Ariaal emphasis on mixed herds
eg, Jie integrate farming, Turkana do not
name group & place associated with the animal resources of goanna, bustard, emu, and euro
Martu, Western Desert Australia
(lizard, bird, bird, kangaroo)
adaptive approaches to arid HERDING
herds of mixed species, with different needs for water and graze
transhumance
division of labor by age and gender
controlled burns
anthropogenic landscapes, often representing highly productive fine-grained mosaics of different resources
case study for this biome was for the Martu
walking larder & secondary products
the idea that herders have potential food sources that they can move with them across a landscape
the idea that domesticated animals can be kept and be a resource for "renewable" resources like milk, blood, and wool, that do not require killing the animal
Borana (where & subsistence strategy)
Ethiopia, reliance on mixed herding, with some growing of crops