Political Bands

7/23/2019 Political Bands

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Bands

Political Organization and Leadership




V.B. Modern Microcultures

V.A. Modern Folk Societies

IIII. States

III. Chiefdoms

II. Tribes

I. Bands








I. Bands

• the political organization

of foraging groups




II. Tribes

• a political group that

comprises seeral bands

or lineage groups! each

"ith similar language and

lifest#le and occup#ing adistinct territor#






III. Chiefdoms

• a political unit of

permanentl# allied tribes

and illages under one

recognized leader






IIII. States

• a centralized political unit

encompassing man#

communities and

possessing coercie

po"er







• a social t#pe of rural

farmer associated "ith

preindustrial ciilization!

dominated b# the cit# and

its culture but marginal toboth







• a distinct pattern of

learned and shared

behaior and thinking

found "ithin larger

cultures such as ethnicgroups! and institutional

cultures






I. Bands

• the political organization

of foraging groups

• small groups of

households! bet"eent"ent# and a fe" hundred

people at most

•



http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/anth1602/pchunt.html



Band Societies



Hunting / Gathering

$$% of human&s time has been

that of a hunter'gatherer



Ascent to Civilization, p. 10.10, 000 B.C. – 100 % Foragers



Ascent to Civilization, p. 10.A.D. 1500 – 1 % Foragers



Ascent to Civilization, p. 11.A.D. 1982 – < 0.001 % Foragers









(ntil the mid')$*+s the ,-ung

model of the foraging life"a#

dominated the band paradigm

(Science, May 1988)

Band Societies





Map 12-3



Anthropologists no longer take

the ,-ung as the model of pre'

agricultural band societies

Band Societies



Anthropologists no" recognize

a much greater ariabilit#

among foraging bands

(Science, May 1988)

Band Societies



Band Societies

But The Desert People are not hunters

The Hunters are hunters! for eample . . .





The Desert People

Pfeiffer, Ch 1!

The Hunters

Pfeiffer, Ch 1"

Band Societies

http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/anth1602/video/Desert_People.html

http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/anth1602/video/Hunters.html

http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/anth1602/video/Hunters.html

http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/anth1602/video/Desert_People.html



Hunting / Gathering

The Desert People

Australian/aborigines0

The Hunters

/Bushmen0 ,-ung San

-hoisan

zhun/twasi

(#ourse$%es&)



desert dwellers

Aborigines of the

Western Australian Desert

!Kung San of the

Kalahari Desert



Band Societies

The Desert People

simple materialculture

The Hunters

simple materialculture



Band Societies

• The households come togetherat certain times of the eardepending on their foragingpatterns and ritual schedule



Band Societies

Moing puts a premium

on multi'purpose tools

e.g.! digging stick! blade tools . . .



Hunting / Gathering

1hile foraging groups are

usuall# bilineal in descent and

inheritance! some earl# hunting

groups ma# hae beenpatrilineal bands . . .



Hunting / GatheringHunting / Gathering

•The Desert People

•"band# societ

•The Hunters

•"band# societ

and man# hunting band societies

are still patrilineal



patrilineal $inship





patrilineal $inship




patrilocal residence

patrilineal societies are patrilocal



Band Societies

small groups of families

ca. 2+ 3 4+ 5 group

• simplest le%el of social organization



Band Societies

,-ung San in Camps



Band Societies

2+ 3 4++ persons integrated b# a

shared language and a sense of

common identit#

e'act nuers de*end on the carrying

ca*acity of their geogra*hic area



Band Societies

/magic numbers0 are 24 and 4++

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/abeltd/san.htm

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/abeltd/san.htm



Band Societies

6ternal conflict bet"een

groups is rare since

territories of different bands

are "idel# separated and thepopulation densit# is lo"



Band Societies

Band membership is fleible

Band composition is fluid as

people shift residencefre7uentl#



Band Societies

If a person has a serious

disagreement "ith another

person or a spouse! one

option is to leae that bandand 8oin another



Band Societies

no official leaders

leadership is informal

leader has no po"er and onl# limitedauthorit#

position carries no re"ards of po"er or

riches

Leadership is "charismatic#&



Band Societies

9eadership is based on the

7ualit# of the indiidual&s

adice and personalit#



Band Societies

Band leaders hae limited

authorit# or influence! but no

po"er



Band Societies

strongl# male dominated

but the old people '' male and

female '' are respected and are

influential

Age and se'generall determine

who will e'ert influence&



Band Societies

influence ma# dissole or be

created in an instant

a person ma# come to thefore as a leader for specific

tasks or eents



Band Societies

status positions are fluid from

generation to generation



Band Societies

There is no social

stratification bet"een leaders

and follo"ers



Band Societies

:roup decisions are made b#

consensus



Band Societies

;olitical actiit# in bands

inoles mainl# decision

making about migration! food

distribution! andinterpersonal conflict

resolution



Band Societies

Marriages are through

alliances "ith members of

other bands

Video: N!ai, The Story Of A !Kung Woman



hunting

Bands are often nomadic

hunting'gathering groups



hunting

usuall# there are male

associations

1hen bands are hunters!

male 3 male relationships

dominate

http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/anth4616/video/N!ai.html

http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/anth4616/video/N!ai.html



hunting

<ifference bet"een

#oung males and old males

is intensified in hunting

societies



hunting

Abilit# to hunt signifies change

of status and ma# be re7uired

for adulthood



hunting

=unting intensifies

differences bet"een sees . . .



hunting

=unting creates a /male "orld0

and a /"orld of the "omen

and children0



hunting

=unting increases the diision

of labor bet"een sees



hunting

But hunting thus also creates

more need for

cooperating bet"een sees



hunting

In hunting societies! sharing

becomes important

for surial



hunting

Females specialize

in collecting



hunting

>4 % of /hunters0

rel# more heail# on collecting

than on hunting

(Martin and +oorhies, 19!)



hunting

In the :ibson <esert! for e.g.!

$+ % of the time

"omen furnish at least

*+ % of the food



hunting

In hunting societies

females sta#

in the home base more



hunting

Female diision of labor

b# age



hunting

=ome base

changes socialization patterns



hunting

<ela#ed maturit# is related to

home base

emphasis is placed on learning



hunting

From the child&s point of ie"

the home base

? a self'contained "orld



hunting

=ome base

allo"s sick to surie



Understanding Physical Anthropology and Archaeology, 8th Ed., p. 117.

Paleopathologists Wil Salo (left) and Art Aufderheide (right)*






IIII. States

III. Chiefdoms

II. Tribes I. Bands

Documents

Political Bands