Material World: Country Observations Study Notes

Observational Guidelines

• You will look at images of different countries and record the country name, then write as many observations as you can (about 2 minutes per image).

• Look for the following features:

  • Amount of things

  • Types of things

  • Number of people (consider family structure)

  • Housing

  • Surroundings

  • Any other noticeable details

• This set of notes captures all major and minor points from the transcript, including house types, occupations, possessions, and cultural details as described for each country.

Bhutan

• Family: Namgay and Namgay’s family from Bhutan; Namgay has a hunched back and a clubfoot.

• Occupation: Namgay grinds grain for neighbors with a small mill his family purchased from the government; they are subsistence farmers.

• Economy/Payments: The mill is paid for as they can; payments are often made in grain and mustard oil.

• Housing: A 3-story rammed-earth house located in a hillside village called Shingkhey, Bhutan.

• Cultural/Religious Roles: Namgay is a reader of sacred texts and conducts house cleansing and healing ceremonies for their 14-house village.

• Possessions: The family’s image is described as showing all of their possessions (in front of their house).

• Observational notes: Emphasis on multi-story earth-building, rural hillside setting, and integration of daily subsistence work with community religious/cultural roles.

Cuba

• Family: The Costa Family outside their home with all of their possessions, Havana, Cuba.

• Housing/Setting: Image indicates a home in Havana with their possessions in front of the house.

• Occupation/Economy: Not specified in the description.

• Observational notes: Limited detail beyond the family and location (Cuba, Havana) and possession display.

Iceland

• Family: The Thoroddsen Family; Bjorn (pilot for Iceland Air) and Margaret, also known as Linda (a milliner).

• Housing: A 2,000 square foot wooden frame house overlooking the harbor in Hafnarfjordur, Iceland (near Reykjavik).

• Occupation: Bjorn is a pilot for Iceland Air; Margaret is a milliner.

• Possessions/Setting: Family posed with all of their possessions in front of their home.

• Observational notes: Modern, mid-sized wooden house near harbor; livelihoods include aviation and crafts.

• Numerical details: House size $2000 \,\mathrm{sq\ ft}$.

Japan

• Family: The Ukita Family in front of their home with all of their possessions, Tokyo, Japan.

• Housing/Setting: Image shows the family with their possessions in front of their residence in Tokyo.

• Occupation/Details: Not provided in the description.

• Observational notes: Minimal detail beyond location (Tokyo) and the family image; implies a display of daily belongings.

Kuwait

• Family: The Abdulla family in Kuwait City, Kuwait.

• Housing: A 4,850 square foot one-story house (with a full basement) in a residential neighborhood.

• Observational notes: Indicates larger single-story dwelling with basement; location in a major city (Kuwait City).

• Numerical details: $4850 \,\mathrm{sq\ ft}$; one-story with basement.

Mexico

• Family: The Castillo Balderas family of Guadalajara, Mexico; outside their home with all of their possessions.

• Housing/Setting: Image depicts a home in Guadalajara with possessions visible outside.

• Occupation/Details: Not specified in the description.

• Observational notes: Shows a family in an urban Mexican setting with gathered belongings fronting the home.

Mongolia

• Family: The Regzen family outside their ger (yurt) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

• Housing: A 200 square foot ger (round tent built from canvas, strong poles, and wool felt) on a hillside lot overlooking one of the valleys around Ulaanbaatar.

• Occupation/Household Details: The description notes the family as residents of the ger; no specific occupations listed.

• Notable features: Portable, traditional nomadic dwelling adapted to urban hillside setting.

• Numerical details: $200 \,\mathrm{sq\ ft}$.

South Africa

• Family: The Qampie family, photographed on March 15, 1993, in front of their home in Soweto.

• Housing: A 400 square foot concrete block duplex house in the sprawling Southwest Township (Soweto), outside Johannesburg.

• Observational notes: Snapshot from early 1990s urban township living; compact housing with concrete block construction.

• Numerical details: $400 \,\mathrm{sq\ ft}$; location Soweto, near Joburg.

Thailand

• Family: The Kuenkaew family, photographed at 5:30 pm on May 31, 1993, in Ban Muang Wa, Thailand.

• Housing/Setting: In front of their home with all of their possessions.

• Observational notes: Time noted (5:30 pm) and date; indicates end-of-day context for displaying possessions.

• Numerical details: Date $31\ May\ 1993$; time $5{:}30 \text{ pm}$.

Mali

• Family: The Natomo family with all their possessions on the roof of their home in Kouakourou, Mali.

• Housing: Two mud brick houses in the village; located on the banks of the Niger River.

• Occupation/Economy: They are grain traders and own a mango orchard.

• Social/Tradition: Soumana is traditionally allowed to take up to four wives; he has two. Wives Pama and Fatoumata are partners in the family and care for their many children together.

• Observational notes: Displays multiple residences and agricultural/trade-based livelihoods; highlights polygynous arrangement and partnership roles in the family.

• Numerical details: $4$ wives allowed; has $2$ wives; location on Niger River; two houses.

United States

• Family: The Skeen family of Pearland, Texas; Ricky Skeen (36), Pattie Skeen (34), with children Michael (7) and Julie (10).

• Housing/Setting: Outside their home with all of their possessions.

• Observational notes: Suburban U.S. setting; family of four; ages provided for parents and children.

• Numerical details: Parents ages $36, 34$; children's ages $7, 10$.

Western Samoa

• Family: The Lagavale family with all their possessions in front of their house in Poutasi Village, Western Samoa.

• Housing: A 720-square-foot tin-roofed open-air house with a detached cookhouse.

• Livelihood: They farm, fish, and make crafts to support themselves; also work for others locally to supplement modest needs.

• Animals/Resources: They have pigs, chickens, a few calves, fruit trees, and a vegetable garden.

• Observational notes: Mixed subsistence and local-market activities; modest-sized open-air dwelling with separate cookhouse, reflecting traditional Samoan rural living.

• Numerical details: $720 \,\mathrm{sq\ ft}$.

Summary of Observations Across Countries

• Housing types vary from rammed-earth (Bhutan) to wooden frame (Iceland) to tin-roofed open-air (Western Samoa) and concrete block duplexes (South Africa), and include traditional nomadic tents (Mongolia).

• Building sizes range from as small as $200 \,\mathrm{sq\ ft}$ (Mongolia ger) to as large as $4850 \,\mathrm{sq\ ft}$ (Kuwait City house) with multi-story and basement features.

• Common themes include: display of possessions in front of the home, explicit mention of household members and sometimes their occupations, and links between dwelling type and livelihood (subsistence farming, trading, crafts, farming/fishery).

• Some notes highlight cultural or traditional roles beyond economics (Namgay’s sacred texts and house cleansing ceremonies; Soumana’s polygynous arrangement and wife-partner roles).

• Several images are timestamped (dates in 1993, times such as 5:30 pm) indicating a specific moment in time for the observation.

• Several families are tied to urban or peri-urban settings (Havana, Havana; Tokyo; Soweto; Pearland; Hafnarfjordur near Reykjavik) in addition to rural or hillside locales (Shingkhey, Kouakourou, Ban Muang Wa).

Key Numerical and Spatial References (LaTeX)

• Bhutan: $3$-story rammed-earth house; village with $14$ houses.

• Iceland: $2000 \,\mathrm{sq\ ft}$.

• Kuwait: $4850 \,\mathrm{sq\ ft}$; one-story with basement.

• Mongolia: $200 \,\mathrm{sq\ ft}$ ger.

• South Africa: $400 \,\mathrm{sq\ ft}$ duplex.

• Thailand: date $31\ May\ 1993$; time $5{:}30 \text{ pm}$.

• Mali: $2$ mud brick houses; up to $4$ wives; currently $2$ wives.

• United States: parents $36$ and $34$; children $7$ and $10$.

• Western Samoa: $720 \,\mathrm{sq\ ft}$ open-air house.

• Additional contextual notes: Some homes feature multiple structures (e.g., detached cookhouse in Samoa; full basement in Kuwait), and others indicate ownership or farm-related assets (mango orchard, pigs, etc.).

Connections to Broader Themes

• The collection emphasizes the diversity of housing materials and sizes across cultures and geographies, reflecting local resources, climate, and economic activities.

• The inclusion of familial roles, such as Namgay’s religious duties and Soumana’s polygynous family structure, highlights the social and cultural dimensions that intersect with daily living arrangements.

• The images function as a pedagogical tool to contrast subsistence-based livelihoods with more market-oriented economies (grain traders vs. millers, farmers, pilots, and milliners).

• The exercise reinforces observational and comparative thinking: students are nudged to consider how material possessions, dwelling types, and family structures relate to geography, culture, and economics.

Cross-Country Observations: Practical Takeaways

• Housing types to remember: rammed-earth (Bhutan), wooden frame (Iceland), tin-roofed open-air with detached cookhouse (Western Samoa), mud brick (Mali), concrete block duplex (South Africa), and large modern Kuwait City home with basement.

• Common occupation themes: subsistence farming, grain trading, farming/fishing crafts, aviation, and artisanal crafts (millinery in Iceland).

• Family structures: from nuclear families (U.S., Iceland, Japan) to extended and polygynous arrangements (Mali) and multi-household villages (Bhutan).

• Scale of living spaces: from micro-homes ($200 \,\mathrm{sq\ ft}$) to relatively expansive homes ($4850 \,\mathrm{sq\ ft}$), illustrating economic and geographic variation.