Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Adaptation of Zulu and Andean Indians

1. Zulu Nation: They are believed to be descendants of a chief from the Congo area who migrated south picking up various traditions and customs and inhabited the South Africa area. The Zulu people believe in a creator and god but this god does not interact with humans and does not care for everyday life. They interact with the spirits and feel that all misfortune is a result of evil sorcery or offended spirits. They feel that nothing happens for natural causes. The most famous Zulu warrior is Shaka Zulu, who after the death of his father conquered many nations under his reign and created a large Zulu nation.
www.africancraftsmarket.com/Zuu_people.htm
The temperature in South Africa is projected to increase between 1 and 3 degrees and the country's rainfall is projected to decrease by 5-10%. This is an important fact especially to the males in the Zulu tribe considering they are the ones that are responsible caring for cattle, manufacturing and maintaining weapons and farm implements, and building dwellings. The average temperature is  in summer and autumn in the western part of South Africa are likely to increase and making it difficult at times with little rainfall at times. The east part of South Africa is normally projected to be wetter. In recent years there have been several studies of certain illnesses leading to the water supply that has been causing cholera epidemic. An example can be noted here http://www.dwaf.gov.za/iwqs/microbio/NMMP2004/SaidM_Cholera_KZN.pdf
http://www.sealthedeal2009.org/climate-change-south-africa.html
The heat and strong sun has an impact on the civilians but have yet to find many indications that it makes it more difficult in their health to where it affects their daily lives. They do have a darker complexion and produce a large amount of melanin but I have not come across anything serious other than dehydration and not enough food intake to where their bodies are not able to handle their daily labor. Many of them have become gold and copper miners which involves several hours of difficult and heavy labor. I found it an interesting fact that Zulu workers organized some of the first black labor unions in the country. http://www.photius.com/countries/south_africa/society/south_africa_society_zulu.html



Andean Indians: They are a tribe that takes place in Central America and the northern coast of South America. What separates this region is the Orinoco River and the West Indies. The area is within the tropics and the seasons are marked more by precipitation than in temperature. Most of the lowlands tend to be higher in temperature while the higher parts of the islands near the mountain ranges that run through Central America, Colombia, and Venezuela have higher elevation, temper with their weather climate. Some areas deal with more heavy rainfall which support many of the surrounding forrests while the dryer parts support little more than sparse grass. The Andean Indians are some of the few tribes in Latin America to have survived after the arrival of the Europeans.
A variety of crops such as maize, sweet potato, bean, and others are commonly grown in various regions. The climate doesn't seem to affect their production in produce. Numerous other vegetables and tropical fruits are also grown. Their overland transportation is mainly by foot. Often when going from island to island, their source of transportation will be by canoe in the river. 
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/102247/Central-American-and-northern-Andean-Indian
Transportation can often be difficult going up and down or between the mountains. Sometimes animals such as llamas are needed. Some consider the Andes mountain climate to be the most interesting in the world because of how drastically it changes throughout the region. In Ecuador there are tropical rain forests just a couple of miles away from a frozen peek. Ecuador normally remains pretty dry while their neighbors on the other side of the mountains; Colombia, is normally pretty wet with much rain. Ecuador has an average temperature of 68 degrees as Columbia has an average of 64 degrees. The temperature is considered pretty good weather for living conditions considering the lifestyle and culture they have there where they can grow crop and make a living. The elevation and altitude is what seems to be more of a challenge at times. It is something their bodies get use to but does make traveling for them difficult at times which can put a wear on their bodies. The Andean Indians are considered to have strong cardiac muscles due to the constant high elevation they have dealt with for a number of years and is something their people develop over a long period of time in that climate.
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/andes_climate.htm


3 comments:

  1. The information about the Andean Indians traveling difficulties and the cardiac systems to be enlightening. I appreciated that part of your research since I had difficulties finding such information.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good background in the first paragraph. Interesting. Yes, darker skin color is a physical adaptation to high heat and solar radiation. Can you identify a cultural adaptation to these stresses?

    I thought your emphasis on transportation through the Andes was an interesting take on that section. I like the discussion of llamas and stronger cardiac muscles.

    Good images. Summary?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Also, did you decide on races for each population?

    ReplyDelete