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Forms of Cultural Diffusion
Spread of Rugby
Combining Cultures
Page 32-33 / Cornell Notes
EHS
7300
miles
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Spatial spread of learned ideas, innovations,
and attitudes.
Each cultural element originates in one or
more places and then spreads.
Some spread widely, others remain confined
to an area of origin.
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Absorbing barriers completely halt diffusion.
Can be political, economic, cultural,
technological
More commonly barriers are permeable,
allowing part of the innovation wave to
diffuse, but acting to weaken and retard the
continued spread.
Culture/Ideas spread throughout a population from area
to area.
 Subtypes:
1. Hierarchical diffusion: ideas leapfrog from one node to
another temporarily bypassing some
2. Contagious diffusion: wavelike, like disease
3. Stimulus diffusion: specific trait rejected, but idea
accepted
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1.
Relocation diffusion occurs when individuals
migrate to a new location carrying new ideas or
practices with them
Football (rugby league)
Football (soccer)
Football (rugby)
Football (rugby union)
Football (American Football)
Football (Australian Rules Football)
Haka is the generic name for all Maori dance
and is an expression of the passion, vigor
and identity of the race.
Two styles of the Haka:
 Peruperu is the style for true war dance
involving weapons.
 Taparahi is not a war dance as weapons are
not involved.
1884 - A New Zealand team in New South
Wales used a Maori war cry to introduce itself
to its opponents before each of its matches.
A Sydney newspaper reported:
"The sound given in good time and union by 18
pairs of powerful lungs was sometimes
tremendous. The NSW men declared it was
hardly fair of the visitors to frighten them out of
their wits before the game began."
Ka mate! Ka mate! Ka ora! Ka ora!
Ka mate! Ka mate! Ka ora! Ka ora!
Tenei te tangata puhuru huru
Nana nei i tiki mai
Whakawhiti te ra
A upa … ne! ka upa … ne!
A upane kaupane whiti te ra!
Hi!
I die! I die! I live! I live!
I die! I die! I live! I live!
This is the hairy man
Who fetched the Sun
And caused it to shine again
One upward step! Another upward
step!
An upward step, another … the Sun
shines!
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History of the Haka
France / All Blacks
Tonga / All Blacks
Eaglecrest High school
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Who sponsors the All Blacks? So What and
Why?
Why does EHS have a Haka?
What role does “Space Time Compression”
have on and diffusion?
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Cultural diffusion is the spatial spread of learned
ideas, innovations, and attitudes.
Barriers to diffusion can include absorbing barriers
which completely halt diffusion or more commonly
barriers are permeable.
Diffusion takes many forms:
Expansion
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1.
2.
3.
1.
Hierarchical diffusion
Contagious diffusion
Stimulus diffusion
Relocation diffusion
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Nothing
Sharing of ideas
Combining of ideas
Diffusion
Conflict
Diffusion - Two related concepts
1. The two-way blending of cultures that
results from increased interaction is
called cultural convergence
2. The fusion of two distinctive cultural
traits into a unique new hybrid trait is
called syncretism
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A new cultural trait created by the fusion of
two distinct cultural element.
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Acculturation-Modification or change when
one cultural group adopts traits of a
dominate culture. Speak English at school,
Spanish at home.
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Assimilation – minority culture completely
adopts the culture of the host society.