Early Andean Culture
SOUTH AMERICA - THE CHAVIN CULTURE.
Early Andean society and the Chavín cult
The Chavin society was the first civilization in the Andes and migrated to present-day Peru and Bolivia region by 12,000 B.C.E. They were primarily hunters and gatherers. By 8000 B.C.E. they started to experiment with agriculture and developed complex societies as a result. The Main crops they cultivated include beans, sweet potatoes, cotton, and peanuts. Fishing also supplemented their agricultural harvests By 1800 B.C.E. they had developed artistic practices and produced pottery, built pyramids and temples. From 900 BCE the complexity of Andean society resulted to devising of techniques for producing fishing nets and cotton textiles. They developed metallurgy skills …show more content…
after discovering minerals such as gold, silver, and copper. This led to the development of cities. The Chavin people were also traders and linked coastal lowland areas to highland areas through an exchange of products native in each area. This helped cultural ideas among different civilizations. However, despite the social and economic organization, the Chavin cult did not develop into an organized political structure (Townsend and Aveni 2012).
The Oceania
The oldest known occupants settled on the island of New Guinea and adjacent Bismarck Archipelago in the late Pleistocene period (Martel 456). Later, New Guinea joined Australia as a single land mass known as Sahul. This paved way for human occupation of the vast Australian territory. The ancient Oceanic inhabitants were hunters and gatherers who exploited tropical rainforests and inshore marine resources (Meggit 887). They traveled for a long time between Australia and New Guinea until when sea levels divided the two areas. Aboriginal Australians continued with hunting and gathering practices until the arrival of European settlers while New Guineans became agriculturalists. The Aborigines used axes, clubs, spears and boomerangs to hunt animals like kangaroos and rats. The inhabitants of New Guinea were also scavengers in search of food (Grimbly 25).
For native Oceanians the area had a wide range of natural assets and the climate was suitable for large tracts of habitation. However, the population concentrated in areas where natural foods were most abundant despite the climate changes. Basically, these people were hunters and gatherers who relied on kangaroos, snakes, grubs, fruits, roots, lizards, turtles, cassowaries, fish, and seeds. Therefore they had total reliance on the continent's natural resources for their existence. Those who lived in the islands were primarily gardeners and relied directly on rainfall, the topography of the land, and soil.
Their lifestyle was nomadic.
They moved around in pursuit of scattered and seasonally available foods, therefore, their shelters were temporary. Men were hunters while women gathered roots and insects using digging sticks.
Politically, the oceanic societies Consisted of a chief and his administrators referred to as the ruling class. The chief competed with ruling classes of other neighboring districts leading to public observances. The leadership was hereditary and passed down from father to son. Others were nonhereditary although even in few matrilineal societies political offices were passed from male to male. Sometimes people contested for various positions that caused turmoil and caused them to break away and form their own organizations (Meggit 884).
Aboriginal Australians Social power was based on knowledge and gender. Men were usually the rulers. There were no rank titles while dealing with kings (Gardner and Helen 2013). Polygamy and marriage after the death of a partner were allowed. All members took part in raising the children. The children were not full members of the community until initiation. Children were apprentices and were expected to contribute to welfare including games, sharing, stories, songs, and performances (Meggit
897).
The aborigines also had a rich domain of graphic arts encompassing paintings, engraving, and carving which had a big cultural significance. The skillfully executed masks, idols among others. Usually expressed magical intent and clan unity. Others also indicated the presence of a powerful being.
The island Oceania had public structures built with different construction materials which served various purposes among them being secular meeting places, clan refuges, theaters, and forts (Gardner and Helen 2013).
Conclusion
Mesoamerican societies were isolated from the rest of the world thus did not benefit much from the exchange of cultural ideas and contact between civilizations with other parts of the world (Martel 456). Despite the isolation, the ancient Mesoamerican societies achieved notable advancements in architectural designs engineering and other advances that had a lot of impact on the societies that followed them. The blood shedding sacrifices, agricultural practices, ball games and architectural designs were among the things adopted by the other societies. They played a role in setting the foundations for the establishment of stronger kingdoms and advancement in civilization (WOLF 22). Just like the Americas, people of Oceania with different cultures were also separated for thousands of years. The Australians were nomadic foragers whose main economic activity was trade among themselves and had little contact with New Guinea cultures. Their religion was closely tied to nature and revered geographical features (Meggit 887).
Works Cited
1. Anonymous, The Oxford Handbook of Mesoamerican Archaeology (Oxford University Press, USA, 2012). ("Mesoamerican Archaeology" 5)
2. Townsend, Richard F and Anthony F Aveni. The Ancient Americas. 20th ed., Chicago, Art Institute Of Chicago, 2012,. (Townsend and Aveni 2012)
3. WOLF, ERIC R. "Explaining Mesoamerica (1)*." Social Anthropology. 2.1 (2013): 1-17. Print. (WOLF 22)
4. Grimbly, Shona. Encyclopedia of the Ancient World. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2013. Internet resource. (Grimbly 25)
5. Gardner, Harry P. Helen W. "The Origin Of Kinship In Oceania: Lewis Henry Morgan And Lorimer Fison". Oceania, vol 78, no. 2, 2013, pp. 137-150. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1002/j.1834-4461.2008.tb00034.x. (Gardner and Helen 2013)
6. CHARLTON, THOMAS H. "The Olmecs: America's First Civilization". American Anthropologist, vol 108, no. 3, 2013. pp. 584-587. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1525/aa.2006.108.3.581. (CHARLTON 67)
7. Benson, Elizabeth P, Beatriz . Fuente, and Espino M. Castro-Leal. Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico. Washington, D.C: National Gallery of Art, 2014. Print. (Benson et al. 83)
8. Miller, Mary E. The Art of Mesoamerica: From Olmec to Aztec. , 2012. Print. (Miller 36)
9. Meggitt, Mervyn J. Desert People: A Study of the Walbiri Aborigines of Central Australia. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 2015. Print. (Meggit 887)
10. Martell, Hazel M. The Kingfisher Book of the Ancient World: From the Ice Age to the Fall of Rome. New York: Kingfisher, 2012. Print. (Martel 456)
Early Andean society and the Chavín cult
The Chavin society was the first civilization in the Andes and migrated to present-day Peru and Bolivia region by 12,000 B.C.E. They were primarily hunters and gatherers. By 8000 B.C.E. they started to experiment with agriculture and developed complex societies as a result. The Main crops they cultivated include beans, sweet potatoes, cotton, and peanuts. Fishing also supplemented their agricultural harvests By 1800 B.C.E. they had developed artistic practices and produced pottery, built pyramids and temples. From 900 BCE the complexity of Andean society resulted to devising of techniques for producing fishing nets and cotton textiles. They developed metallurgy skills …show more content…
after discovering minerals such as gold, silver, and copper. This led to the development of cities. The Chavin people were also traders and linked coastal lowland areas to highland areas through an exchange of products native in each area. This helped cultural ideas among different civilizations. However, despite the social and economic organization, the Chavin cult did not develop into an organized political structure (Townsend and Aveni 2012).
The Oceania
The oldest known occupants settled on the island of New Guinea and adjacent Bismarck Archipelago in the late Pleistocene period (Martel 456). Later, New Guinea joined Australia as a single land mass known as Sahul. This paved way for human occupation of the vast Australian territory. The ancient Oceanic inhabitants were hunters and gatherers who exploited tropical rainforests and inshore marine resources (Meggit 887). They traveled for a long time between Australia and New Guinea until when sea levels divided the two areas. Aboriginal Australians continued with hunting and gathering practices until the arrival of European settlers while New Guineans became agriculturalists. The Aborigines used axes, clubs, spears and boomerangs to hunt animals like kangaroos and rats. The inhabitants of New Guinea were also scavengers in search of food (Grimbly 25).
For native Oceanians the area had a wide range of natural assets and the climate was suitable for large tracts of habitation. However, the population concentrated in areas where natural foods were most abundant despite the climate changes. Basically, these people were hunters and gatherers who relied on kangaroos, snakes, grubs, fruits, roots, lizards, turtles, cassowaries, fish, and seeds. Therefore they had total reliance on the continent's natural resources for their existence. Those who lived in the islands were primarily gardeners and relied directly on rainfall, the topography of the land, and soil.
Their lifestyle was nomadic.
They moved around in pursuit of scattered and seasonally available foods, therefore, their shelters were temporary. Men were hunters while women gathered roots and insects using digging sticks.
Politically, the oceanic societies Consisted of a chief and his administrators referred to as the ruling class. The chief competed with ruling classes of other neighboring districts leading to public observances. The leadership was hereditary and passed down from father to son. Others were nonhereditary although even in few matrilineal societies political offices were passed from male to male. Sometimes people contested for various positions that caused turmoil and caused them to break away and form their own organizations (Meggit 884).
Aboriginal Australians Social power was based on knowledge and gender. Men were usually the rulers. There were no rank titles while dealing with kings (Gardner and Helen 2013). Polygamy and marriage after the death of a partner were allowed. All members took part in raising the children. The children were not full members of the community until initiation. Children were apprentices and were expected to contribute to welfare including games, sharing, stories, songs, and performances (Meggit
897).
The aborigines also had a rich domain of graphic arts encompassing paintings, engraving, and carving which had a big cultural significance. The skillfully executed masks, idols among others. Usually expressed magical intent and clan unity. Others also indicated the presence of a powerful being.
The island Oceania had public structures built with different construction materials which served various purposes among them being secular meeting places, clan refuges, theaters, and forts (Gardner and Helen 2013).
Conclusion
Mesoamerican societies were isolated from the rest of the world thus did not benefit much from the exchange of cultural ideas and contact between civilizations with other parts of the world (Martel 456). Despite the isolation, the ancient Mesoamerican societies achieved notable advancements in architectural designs engineering and other advances that had a lot of impact on the societies that followed them. The blood shedding sacrifices, agricultural practices, ball games and architectural designs were among the things adopted by the other societies. They played a role in setting the foundations for the establishment of stronger kingdoms and advancement in civilization (WOLF 22). Just like the Americas, people of Oceania with different cultures were also separated for thousands of years. The Australians were nomadic foragers whose main economic activity was trade among themselves and had little contact with New Guinea cultures. Their religion was closely tied to nature and revered geographical features (Meggit 887).
Works Cited
1. Anonymous, The Oxford Handbook of Mesoamerican Archaeology (Oxford University Press, USA, 2012). ("Mesoamerican Archaeology" 5)
2. Townsend, Richard F and Anthony F Aveni. The Ancient Americas. 20th ed., Chicago, Art Institute Of Chicago, 2012,. (Townsend and Aveni 2012)
3. WOLF, ERIC R. "Explaining Mesoamerica (1)*." Social Anthropology. 2.1 (2013): 1-17. Print. (WOLF 22)
4. Grimbly, Shona. Encyclopedia of the Ancient World. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2013. Internet resource. (Grimbly 25)
5. Gardner, Harry P. Helen W. "The Origin Of Kinship In Oceania: Lewis Henry Morgan And Lorimer Fison". Oceania, vol 78, no. 2, 2013, pp. 137-150. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1002/j.1834-4461.2008.tb00034.x. (Gardner and Helen 2013)
6. CHARLTON, THOMAS H. "The Olmecs: America's First Civilization". American Anthropologist, vol 108, no. 3, 2013. pp. 584-587. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1525/aa.2006.108.3.581. (CHARLTON 67)
7. Benson, Elizabeth P, Beatriz . Fuente, and Espino M. Castro-Leal. Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico. Washington, D.C: National Gallery of Art, 2014. Print. (Benson et al. 83)
8. Miller, Mary E. The Art of Mesoamerica: From Olmec to Aztec. , 2012. Print. (Miller 36)
9. Meggitt, Mervyn J. Desert People: A Study of the Walbiri Aborigines of Central Australia. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 2015. Print. (Meggit 887)
10. Martell, Hazel M. The Kingfisher Book of the Ancient World: From the Ice Age to the Fall of Rome. New York: Kingfisher, 2012. Print. (Martel 456)