Essay Sample on Azande, Aztecs, Basserri and Hmong

Introduction

The Azande were people located at the center of Africa, and they border the Southwestern Sudan, and the eastern edge of the Central African Republic( Peters-Golden, 2002). The Azande are part of the people who represent a transition in cultures as they have shown a consistent change in culture over the years. They remain to be part of the most culturally indigenous people in Africa, as they have retained most of their cultural practices. They were previously known as the people who had much land, but that has changed over time since land ownership is not as rampant as it was in the past.

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In as much as they have lost part of their cultural identity, the Azande continue to portray an abundant culture. The individual homestead of each household and their children is the primary focus of their economic process. They still practice shifting cultivation and heavily rely on pumpkins, millet, bananas, and millet. Even though they initially participated in cattle herding, it is now impossible as a result of an increase in tsetse flies. The main animals kept domestically are dogs and chickens. The courtyards of the Azandes still remain a reflection of their original inhabitants. Every woman is entitled to their house and granary. Typically, the Azandes have maintained most of their cultural identity, but some factors such as the rampant spread of HIV has affected them adversely.

The Aztecs

The Aztecs previously had a rich agricultural culture, and they mainly grew maize on Chinampas (floating gardens) ( Bateson, 1935). They also richly valued for trading in fur, food, skin and also supply to the zoo's owned by the empire. The Aztec's are also extensively esteemed for their craft culture. In urban centers, they were known as highly elaborated silversmiths, goldsmiths, painters, sculptors, and feather works.

The Aztec's have managed to maintain some of their cultural practices, but they are not as vivid in practicing them as it was in the past. These changes can be attributed to the changes in the world's trends and the introduction of globalization and intermarriages. They still practice monogamous marriages, and their current purpose of marriage is to find families. This can be contrasted to the past, whereby their primary goal was to strengthen or forge deep political ties. The aspect of nobilities being polygamous has also changed as the political and legal system, and structure has changed over time. The marriages are also self-decided and not arranged by the parents.

Question Three

Environmental aspects have a crucial role in shaping the way in which the various cultures have developed over time and has had an impact on how they used to conduct their affairs. The local resources and climate have changed and impacted each aspect of the profound cultural traditions such as food, transportation, and art. Some of the cultures presented by peters- Golden that have changed are the Basserri and the Hmong.

The Basserri

The Basserri used to be a nomadic pastoral community located in Southern Iran. Their migration led them to settle in the east, south, and north in an area estimated to about 300 miles by 50 miles( Salzman, 2018). They used to keep domesticated animals such as goats and sheep. The donkeys in the past times were ridden by children and women and used as pack mules while the horses were ridden by men. Camels were used to carry the most cumbersome items. Moreover, it was impossible to keep cattle since their trek was rocky and long hence making it challenging to keep cattle. In those times, most shepherds used to possess a herd of 300 to 400 goats and sheep.

However, this has changed over time as they have been changes in the local resources available in Iran. Iran is among the countries that are most hit by a political and climatic crisis that has led to changes in the culture of the Basserri. Iran is currently known for being a war-torn country hence making it difficult to practice some of the past indigenous practices. The war context in the state does not allow the Basseri to access local resources that would be essential in taking care of the vast herds of cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys. Most of the areas have also dried up as a result of the increase in hot climatic conditions.

The Hmong

They were usually known for practicing slash and burn agriculture(Quincy & Quincy,1995). When the land was no longer usable, the villagers used to move to a different mountain. However, this has not remained so as a result of changes in their culture. They cannot practice slash and burn agriculture since land is now a limited local resource. There are now government rules on the ownership of land as a result of the change in the political and legal structure hence they cannot freely practice slash and burn agriculture or migrate freely as it was in the past. The number of livestock and crops that are grown have also reduced as a result of the limited ownership of land.

References

Bateson, G., (1935). 199. Culture Contact and Schismogenesis. Man, 178-183.

Peters-Golden, H., (2002). Culture Sketches: Case studies in anthropology. McGraw-Hill.

Quincy, K., & Quincy, K. (1995). Hmong: History of a people. Eastern Washington University.

Salzman, P. C., (2018). Pastoralists: Equality, hierarchy, and the state. Routledge.