Patterns of Subsistence Part I Cultural Adaptation A people’s cultural adaptation consists of a complex of ideas, activities, and technologies that enable them to survive and even thrive and that, in turn, impact their environment. Cultural adaptation occurs both as a process and as the resulting cultural changes. Dani of Western New Guinea The pig features very strongly in their local culture, being the most important tool used in bartering, especially in dowries. Because pigs are scavengers, they can use the food wastes of humans, while dirty and smelly; pig feces are also an excellent fertilizer. The Unit of Adaptation Ecosystem: a system, or a functioning whole, composed of both the natural environment and all the organisms living within it. Adaptation in Cultural Evolution Cultural evolution describes how cultures and societies have developed over time. Throughout most of the 19th century and some of the 20th century, theoretical approaches argued that different societies are at different stages of social development. Most 20th-century approaches focus on changes specific to individual societies and reject the idea of directional change, or social progress. Adaptation in Cultural Evolution (cont) Convergent evolution is the development of similar cultural adaptations to similar environmental condition by different people with different ancestral cultures. Agriculture: – Developed at least 10,000 years ago – Independent development of agriculture occurred in northern and southern China, Africa, New Guinea and several regions of the Americas Adaptation in Cultural Evolution (cont) Parallel evolution is the development of similar cultural adaptations to similar environmental conditions by peoples whose ancestral cultures were already somewhat alike. Adaptation in Cultural Evolution (cont) Culture area is a geographic region in which a number of societies follow similar patterns of life. Examples: – Vikings, Plains Indians, Nuer and Australian Aborigines Cultural areas of North American people at the time of European contact. Adaptation in Cultural Evolution (cont) Culture core: cultural features that are fundamental in the society’s way of making its living, including food-producing techniques, knowledge of available resources, and the work arrangements involved in applying those techniques to the local environment. Food taboos: – Beef among some Hindu groups – Pork among some Muslim and Jewish groups – Insects among some Western groups