On Seasonal Round Activities
of the
Schitsu'umsh and
the Nimíipuu Communities
With the landscape prepared by the First Peoples, embedded with the "gifts" (mi'yep and súumesh = "the bones") and with Animal and Plant Peoples, and we the Human Peoples, in our baaéechichiwaau, perpetuating the health of the "the family," of landscape for all Peoples, how we we understand and apply those teachings and powers to help the Plant and Animal Peoples, the landscape itself? How are we to relate to our Animal and Plant Kinsmen?
Videos: Makuna Consent (23 min., notes on Makuna Consent) and Gabra Finn (15 min., notes on Gabra Finn) are part of the Millennium series.
Definition of "landscape" -- the way a people have conceptualized the phenomena of their environment (lakes, rivers, mountains, animals, plants and fish), investing that phenomena with cultural significance and meaning. A "landscape" transcends its material properties and resides in the symbolic meaning it has for a people. Hence a "landscape" can entail phenomena that is fundamentally aesthetic, affective, moral, spiritual, as well as economic and political in nature.
One form of anthropological research focusing in human/landscape relations is called, "ethnobotany," as exemplified in the following images from the Schitsu'umsh (Coeur d'Alene Indians) uses and meaning of "camas" and "water potato."
Types of ecological systems include:
Indigenous gatherer-hunter (e.g., Aborigine Ecology and Technology, Apsáalooke, Nimíipuu, and Schitsu'umsh
Indigenous Gatherer-Hunter is the oldest, historically most adaptive, and continuing form of ecology, and is expressed in virtually every environmental niche around the world.
Indigenous herding (e.g., Nuer)
Indigenous horticultural (e.g., hoe technology) On origins of agriculture, see Story of Jericho (domestication, stratification, energy consumption, and population growth
Global Agricultural (e.g., plow technology)
Global Industrial, capitalistic society (e.g., modern technology)
Defining characteristics of an Indigenous "gatherer-hunter" - "horticultural" ecology (in contrast with other ecological strategies) include:
a limited technology and energy basis, tools characterized multi-function, yet vast and sophisticated ecological knowledge base. A listing of approximate level of energy needed per day per capita to maintain the society (by kilocalories):
Paleolithic gatherer-hunter society, from 2.6 million to 10,000 years ago, representing about 99% of human history: approximately 2,000 kilocalories needed per day per capita.
Historic and contemporary gatherer-hunter society: the equivalent of 5,000 kilocalories are needed daily per capita.
Horticultural society: the equivalent of 12,000 kilocalories are required. hoe technology
Agricultural society: the equivalent of 26,000 kilocalories are needed daily. plow technology
Industrial society beginning with the Industrial Revolution around the 1760s merging into the modern technological society of the 21st century: the equivalent of 77,000 kilocalories are required per capita per day.
Technological society of the 2st century: the equivalent of from 280,000 to 323,000 kilocalories are needed per individual each day. modern technology
transhumance and nomadic seasonal cycle - seasonal round (for both gatherer-hunter and horticultural)
flexible and autonomous social groupings
equalitarian roles and leadership
spiritual foundation for all relationships, and means of communications and exchanges
Domestication, Horticulture and Agriculture
Story of Jericho - 9,400 years ago: a metaphor of domestication
and its long-range implications, and demarcation from the Indigenous.
Why were the
walls and tower
of Jericho built? And what where their long-term implications?
Why humanity domesticated plants is still shrouded in scientific mystery, as many theories predominate and the evidence is clouded. Archaeologists do know that domestication of plants was pursued by the gatherer-hunter Natufians and people of Jericho (some 10,000 years ago) as an unintentional, secondary strategy for survival in a "ghetto" gatherer-hunter zone, all predicated on a number of unique precursor conditions first occurring. Initial "domestication" of plants was not an inevitable and obvious adaptive strategy, with advantages over gatherer-hunter strategies. Review Story of Jericho
Domestication is predicated on and leads to the defining characteristics of an agricultural as well as technological ecology.
Higher ratio of technological control and energy application over the landscape (than in gatherer-hunter, herding or horticultural ecologies), as exemplified in the use of the plow, resulting in greater yield of crop per capita of land.
A sedentary life-style - cities and urbanization.
Task specialization, differential access to resources, social stratification into classes, and centralization of political and economic power.
Manipulation of and control over a what is now called a "natural species" -- creating a "domestic" from what now is considered a "wild" plant ("weed").
A symmetrical relationship of mutual dependency between newly domesticated plant/animal and human -- each dependent on the other for its survival. Example of teosinte, to maize, to corn.
Necessitates and eventually leads to rapid growth in human population - population explosion
an enormous human labor input is required, though low level of productivity per unit of human labor results -- you need a lot of labor (thus placing demands in increased population levels)
but a high aggregate crop productivity per unit of land also results -- you are able to produce a lot of food (to feed those extra mouths)
and critically, redefines the human/landscape cultural values - - dichotomized relationship
Creating and maintaining a "barrier" between the beneficial "domesticated" crops and the destructive "wild weeds." What is "wild" is necessarily a threat to your security -- separation and exclusivity, (displacing inclusivity – replacing kinship) The Walls of Jericho.
and securing and maintaining control over those "wild weeds." What is "wild" must be purged -- dominion and inequality
within natural realm, securing and maintaining control over those "wild weeds." What is "wild" must be purged. Ecological success measured by ability to technologically control and dominate the nature environment and exploit it – (replacing equality) The Tower of Jericho.
and once domesticated, transforming nature into a "commodity" for man's economic exploitation and benefit -- "natural resource" – (no longer a "kinsmen," no longer with volition and living by consent) The Tower of Jericho.
within social and economic realm, central control of and competitive access to scarce resources, leading to stratified society and political centralization – (replacing equality) The Walls and Tower of Jericho.
Redistributing those resources based on "principle of competitive accumulation" and "privileged access" – you become a "rich man" via successfully competing for and acquiring material goods, given your social position in society. Maximize one’s gains and minimize one’s losses, leading to a stratified and unequal social structure – (replacing "ethic of sharing") The Tower of Jericho.
Thus, the ultimate success of an agricultural ecology is measured in terms of its ability to technologically control, manipulate and modify the natural environment, with far reaching implications for all of humanity . . . . .
As a member of an Indigenous community and given your mi'yep teachings, what structural, behavioral and ideological frameworks and components define a successful relationship with your landscape? What do you need to make it work for you?
Schitsu'umsh Seasonal Round - landscape
Nimíipuu Seasonal Round - seasons
Spring into Summer and into Fall
Lodges (and Plains Indian Tipi)
Fall into Winter into Spring
The social philosopher Thomas Hobbes in his Leviathan (1651) had characterized the life of "primitive peoples" as with "no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." reflective write
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First: Indigenous communities are characterized as "walking lightly" -- maintaining an ecological balance -- receive only what the kinship-based "natural" landscape provides - - a minimal "carbon footprint"
Low levels of work output needed and high level of leisure and social time afforded. Average "work-week" (yearly average weekly hours per capita) is 20-25 hours of labor, with most time devoted to social/family relationships and aesthetic and ceremonial expressions. After the agricultural revolution, a radical swift from social and ceremonial to economic-based labor output hours.
Historic and contemporary gatherer-hunter society need a low level of energy consumption, an estimated equivalent of 5,000 kilocalories daily per capita per day to maintain their way of life, compared with technological society of the 21st century, with its equivalent of from 280,000 to 323,000 kilocalories needed per individual each day.
Maintaining appropriate population density for ecological carrying capacity. Example of a pre-contact, 5,000 Schitsu'umsh population in a ecological aboriginal territorial range of 4 million acres. With agricultural revolution, there came a rapid and accelerating population growth.
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Second: To "walk lightly," live in "Kinship" and "Partnership," live in inclusivity and with equality with landscape
-- with the landscape, e.g., address and relate to a deer as a "brother" - - with the animals and plants of the landscape, i.e., the "animal peoples" having the same rights as "human peoples," "living by consent of others" - - as with the health and healing of the human physical body, so with the health and healing of the landscape's physical body, i.e., when the spiritual and behavioral are in balance, so the spirit manifests itself in the physical phenomenal world - - and what applies to the animal and plant peoples, so too with fellow humans, with social equality among groups and with gender -- a s u
No "Walls and Towers of Jericho" separating and having dominion over animal/plant peoples, nor separating and having dominion (stratification) other humans peoples. No "domestic" vs. "wild demarcations," and "purging" of the "wild." No "animal and plant kinsmen" becoming "Natural Resources" and "Commodities." And socially, no class structures and differential access and reward to resources, of rich and poor, of political elite and powerful. And no "ecological crisis," no "global warming." No "exclusivity."
Expressive of the following mi'yep - "the bones": . . . . . .
Expressive of the following mi'yep - "the bones": . . . . . .
Expressive of the following mi'yep - "the bones": . . . . . .
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Third: To "walk lightly," live in Reciprocity. An "ethic of sharing" characterizes the relationships among and between all the human and animal kinsmen, i.e., universal and equitable distribution of "gifts" based on need - - one's status measured in terms of what he or she gives away to help others - - "A poor man shames us all" (Gabra) -- t
No "Walls and Towers of Jericho" separating and having dominion over animal/plant peoples, nor separating and having dominion (stratification) other humans peoples. No class structures and differential access and reward to resources. No redistribution based upon status and privilege, and no rich or poor. No individual's seeking to "maximize one’s gains and minimize one’s losses." No systematic, institutionalized incarceration; no systematic, institutionalized warfare on other humans.
Expressive of the following mi'yep - "the bones": . . . . .
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Fourth: Resulting in a healthy diet, including calorie, fiber, calcium and protein intake, and low fat and sodium consumption. The gatherer-hunter dietary consumption levels per day per capita include:
An estimated 3,000 calories (these levels of calorie consumption are compared with the United States Department of Agriculture recommended minimum of 1,975 calories).
250 grams of protein (these levels are comparable or exceed the actual U.S. average consumption which ranges from 50-125 grams)
Fat consumption was at 71 grams (30 g. animal and 41 g. plant), representing 21% of the total daily dietary energy source. The U.S. average consumption represents 42% of the diet, with 30% a U.S.D.A. recommended. A significant portion of the U.S. fat consumption is of saturated fats)
Sodium levels were at 690 milligrams (compared with the U.S. average consumption of 2,300-6,900 mg. per day)
Calcium intake levels were at 1,580 milligrams (compared with an average 740 mg. per day in the U.S. Of note, this calcium level was reached without dairy products, e.g., cheese or milk, but was a result of the way animal foods are prepared and consumed, i.e., inclusion of animal bone)
Ascorbic acid was at 392 milligrams per day (compared with an average U.S. consumption of 88 mg.)
Fiber intake was at 46 grams per day ( compared with an average U.S. of 20 grams)
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Fifth: Resulting in few infectious and stress-related diseases and, if survive infancy, great longevity. In Schitsu'umsh instance, 60 to 70 years of age was norm.
After the agriculture, the over-health within these communities declined, with the average physical height of people shrinking and with an increase in communicable diseases and resulting deaths. It took centuries of improvement on the agricultural diet for the average height of people to return to its former self, only within the last century.
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Note: extension and replication of the same mi'yep - "the bones" that characterizes how Indigenous gatherer-hunters relate to "animal and plant peoples" also characterizes how they relate socially to "human peoples."
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"Affluence" -- a measure of the ratio of the means and products available, i.e., the technological knowledge and goods produced, relative to the desired wants, i.e., the expectations. For Indigenous gatherer-hunters, what is desired is obtained. And given the "ethic of sharing," no one or group goes without. Indigenous Communities = Original Affluent Society!
Anything but "nasty, brutish and short-lived." "A poor man shames us all."
To what extent have the "walls and tower of Jericho" continued into our own lives? A reflection, comparison with the United States.