Geog_Jan_8th_-_Google_Docs

Page 1: Telling Time

• Concept of Time

  • Europeans adopted a fixed calendar with Christmas on December 25th.

  • Indigenous peoples utilized flexible calendars based on natural events.

  • Example: Northern Australian aboriginals based their calendar on fruit ripening, enabling mobility in variable climates.

• Land Use

  • Europeans developed agricultural societies with fixed land for crop planting and animal raising.

  • They established systems of land ownership where individuals retained rights to land unless relinquished.

  • Aboriginal groups practiced a traditional land use system, characterized by sharing arrangements when different groups interacted.

  • Aboriginal peoples had an understanding of treaties related to shared land but lacked European-style land ownership.

• Exceptions in Land Use

  • Pacific coast of British Columbia provided resources for permanent villages.

  • In Central Ontario, the Huron developed shifting cultivation and semi-permanent villages between Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay, supporting a population of around 4,000.

  • Environmental impacts noted: soil degradation from corn cultivation, deforestation, and declining deer populations from continuous hunting.

• Worldviews of Aboriginal Peoples

  • Native peoples held a historic perspective, believing they belonged to nature and it belonged to them.

  • Conducted environmental management through selective practices, example: firing grass to manage larger animals and influence vegetation.

  • They demonstrated extensive knowledge of their environments, although certain hunting practices led to unnecessary animal deaths.

Page 2: European Concepts of Nature

• Changing Views on Nature

  • Europeans prioritized farming, emphasizing land ownership and exploitation of nature.

• Ecology Defined

  • In the 19th century, two prevailing thoughts emerged about the human-environment relationship:

    1. Nature as a resource to be exploited.

    2. Necessity of conserving nature to mitigate human damage.

  • Ecology focuses on sustaining natural systems while managing exploitation.

  • Introduced by botanist Ernst Haeckel in 1866, defining it as a self-sustaining network of interacting organisms and their abiotic environment.

  • Ecosystems are complex and dynamic, highlighting interrelationships.

• Human Ecology

  • Examines how humans interact with ecosystems, their knowledge and practices related to nature and agriculture.

  • Stories from Columbia Plateau, such as Coyote tales, combine elements of morality, religion, art, and ecology.

• Community Dynamics

  • Ecological communities possess autonomous life beyond individual organisms, evolving naturally towards climax vegetation.

  • Human Ecology became integrated into social sciences, highlighting human impacts on ecological contexts.

  • Herbert Spencer pioneered concepts of human ecology, coining 'survival of the fittest', often misattributed to Darwin.

• Geography and Ecology

  • Geographers focus on human-environment interactions.

  • Barrows proposed geography in terms of human dependency on physical environments but faced rejection from physical geographers.

  • Carl Sauer critiqued Barrows’s limitations, emphasizing the human-land relationship without using the term ecology.

Page 3: Systems and Adaptation

• Function of Ecosystems

  • Ecosystems exhibit interactions, structures, and can be studied at various scales.

  • They emphasize interrelationships among members, adapting dynamically to environmental changes.

• Adaptive Strategies

  • Adaptive strategies aim for ecological success and improving living standards.

  • Psychology examines individual actions within societal frameworks.

• Adjustment and Retaliation

  • Adjustment refers to behavioral changes to minimize environmental conflict.

  • Retaliation entails forcing the environment to conform to human desires.

  • Some individuals may choose to migrate away for better environmental conditions.

• Anthropological Perspectives

  • Anthropologists and geographers observe that collective behaviors may not align with communal benefits.

  • Individual actions can be detrimental to the environment.

• Adoption and Cultural Responses

  • Different responses can be behavioral (immediate learning) or genetic (long-term adaptations).

  • Cultural responses reflect group shifts in technology and ideology, enhancing awareness and environmental adaptation.

• Cultural Geography

  • Survival is contingent on resource availability and societal regulations.

  • Patterns of living are influenced by environmental and social constraints, informed by values, traditional contexts, and power structures.

Page 4: Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Continuity

• Cultural Continuity Defined

  • Traditional knowledge is derived from historical experiences, passed through generations and adaptable with changes.

  • There exists a marked difference between modern urban professionals and rural agriculture.

• Understanding Tradition

  • Traditions encompass practical common sense, profound understanding of local environments, and spiritual health—integrating emotional and rational thought.

  • Traditional lifestyles carry obligations to share resources, reinforcing communal ties.