In class on Wednesday we began by going over general information involving our wikipedia training.  The most important part of information was that we need to find an article related to the class and post a critique of it, using the information we learned in training as guidelines.  After this we listened to Julia talk about renewable energy in Chile.  Given Chile’s location it is hard for people to have reliable access to energy, so having wind turbines proved incredibly helpful.  Chile’s windy climate further helped the turbines utility.

Per usual, after these two items we divided into groups based on people around us to discuss what we read the day before and our answers for the Historical Analysis Prep involving the Quipus, an important part of Incan culture.  We discussed the importance of various figures towards the Quipus, including a Spaniard, an Incan who was taught Spanish and served as a translator, as well as someone who was half Inca, half Spanish.  Quipus were a matter of great culture importance for the Incan, as it allowed them to keep information without having a written language.  This was met with curiosity by the Spaniard in question, as opposed to the feelings of disgust amongst other Spaniards.  Even today these quipus are incredibly important to the indigenous people of Peru.

Following our discussion on the readings, we watched the short video in class again about the quipus in modern day.  This opened up an interesting dialogue about how to interpret the video and the creator’s views.  Multiple images were utilized as well as audio clips of native people talking about how the quipus are still a treasure amongst people.  One critique that came up was that in the slideshow, some of the images did not have much to do with his main point, essentially distracting the audience and possibly making his point harder to understand.

As for terms, we in particular focused on the definition of Mita. Mita was an Inca institution where people had to perform forced labor for the central government, mainly involving construction of large buildings, roads, or waterways. These people were to come from all over.  This reflected how when the Incas conquered other people, they drafted men into their military, thus increasing their strength.  An important distinction was made in class involving the term forced labor and slavery.  It is important for us to realize the key differences between slavery and forced labor, especially the racial aspect that existed in uprooting Africa people from their homeland and exploiting their labor.

Another term/idea we discussed was the geography of the Andes that was well utilized by the Incan people.  Given the Andes was an incredibly hilly area, with plenty of different altitudes, it could be very hard to have sustainable life in the area.  The Incan, though, made the best of their situation by setting terrace farms and grew different crops in different areas, for example growing cacao in lower, warmer areas and other plants in the higher, colder areas.  KH Note: this is called a “vertical archipelago” system.  An interesting fact we discussed was how the high altitude proved helpful for the breathing habits of people, looking particularly at soccer and how the high altitude mountains made it hard for people who were not acclimated to the altitude to perform.

Links:

• A Jstor article giving an in depth explanation of quipus and their importance
• An article explaining the economy of the Incan, further explaining the Mita system
• An article further exploring the agriculture of the Incan

Exam Questions:

• How do the quipus relate to another important concept we have discussed in class: material culture? What do they say about materialism in Incan society?
• What potential issues could have plagued the Incan considering their geographic location in the andes? How did they navigate these issues? What does this tell you about the Incan people?
• Name 2-3 examples of how the cultures of Spaniards were fused with the Incan.  What does this tell you about the interactions between the two very different cultures?

We started class on Wednesday by clarifying that we need sign up for Wikipedia as soon as possible, and that we will be having our Map Quiz at the beginning of class on Monday, September 4. Alberto presented his Latin America in the News post, which dealt with the Guarani people of Paraguay, and a recent celebration to help promote and celebrate diversity.

Afterwards, we identified various popular terms used for referring to the indigenous populations of the Americas (Indian, Native American, First Nations) and recognized that it is important to refer to groups of people/individuals as they want to be identified. In addition to this, it is important to recognize what these phrases can’t do; when looking at this history of colonialism, we need to understand that there is a huge amount of cultural and linguistic diversity. If an observer thinks about the history of colonizing Latin America as only two populations, Indigenous Latin Americans vs. Spanish Invaders, the history will not be easily understood.

After this discussion, we were split into groups for the rest of the class. The first topic was looking at why we chose certain areas of Latin/South America as likely to be inhabited. After talking among ourselves, we created a class list of important influences for deciding where large civilizations can form; access to waterways for transportation/trade, access to fresh water, the right amount of rainfall, flat land, non-extreme temperatures, and the ability to grow a surplus of food so people can contribute labor towards anything other than agriculture.

This was how we discussed the importance of environment, as environmental factors are what determines where large groups of people can live/gather. The environment determines what indigenous/Spanish populations could interact and at what historical moments. We didn’t necessarily quote any specific passages when discussing this, but the discussion relied heavily on the maps provided for readings and Bauer’s analysis of the environment’s importance in the development of history throughout the world (16).

After this, we moved on to collectively define Material Culture. Values are assigned to goods, imprinting societal values onto physical objects. They become valued outside of their pure economic value. These objects are used to define a community’s/individual’s culture; what does a particular object’s presence mean/represent? What does an image seen on repeated pieces of pottery in a specific region mean? This method is incredibly useful when looking at the remains of a civilization, as it displays the relationship between the society and nature, how leisure time was spent, how race & gender manifested, and much more. Food in particular is an incredibly significant aspect!

Links

I’ve found two links by the historian Jared Diamond that deal with his theory of the environment’s role in the formation of civilizations, one addressing his original formulation of the theory and another applying his own theories to the current global climate. I’ve also found an article that works to apply theories of Material Culture to the contemporary production of art in Michigan.

Potential Exam Questions

• Imagine you are researching the remains of an ancient culture, and you’ve noticed that one particular type of object has been found multiple times throughout the site. What conditions would help you determine the role that they played in this society?
• Are there any other non-human factors, other than the environment, that need to be considered when determining where civilization can thrive?
• Try applying the idea of material culture to contemporary American society: What will future historians think our cultural values were by looking at American currency?