Human Geography By James Rubenstein

1. Human GeographyBy James Rubenstein • Chapter 4 • Key Issue 2 • Why is Folk Culture Clustered? S. Mathews

2. Isolation Promotes Cultural Diversity Folk customs observed at a point in time vary widely from one place to another, even among nearby places. S. Mathews

3. Examples of Distinctive Folk Art in the Himalaya • Tibetan Buddhists • Hindus in the south • Muslims in the west • Southeast Asian animists in the east S. Mathews

4. Cultural Regions in the Himalaya S. Mathews

5. Tibetan Buddhists in northern region Idealized divine figures, such as monks and saints. Some of the figures are depicted as bizarre or terrifying, perhaps reflecting in the inhospitable environment. S. Mathews

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8. Hindus in the southern region Scenes from everyday life and familiar local scenes. Paintings sometimes portray a deity in a domestic scene and frequently represent the region’s violent and extreme climatic conditions. S. Mathews

9. Snakes have long been popular subjects of Hindu art. S. Mathews

10. Alam Shah closing the dam at Shishan Pass S. Mathews

11. Muslims in the West Show the region’s beautiful plants and flowers, because Muslim faith prohibits displaying animate objects in art. In contrast to the Buddhist and Hindu, Muslims do not depict harsh climatic conditions. S. Mathews

12. Abstract, geometric forms that translated into the architecture of mosques. S. Mathews

13. Geometric forms in the ceiling of a Mosque S. Mathews

14. Sistine Chapelin the Vatican City(Christian Art) S. Mathews

15. Animist from Myanmar and Southeast Asia. Create symbols and designs that derive from their religion rather than from local environment. S. Mathews

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17. The distribution of artistic subjects in the Himalayas shows how folk customs are influenced by cultural institutions like religion and by environmental processes such as climate, landforms, and vegetation. S. Mathews

18. Influence of the Physical Environment • Examples exist of peoples who live in similar environments but adopt different social customs. • Examples exist of peoples who live under different environmental conditions but adopt similar social customs. S. Mathews

19. Examples of Environment Influence on Clothing • Residents of arctic climates wear fur lined boots to protect from the cold. • People in the tropics may wear no shoes, because heavy rainfall discourages their use. • Dutch farmers wear wooden shoes because they are waterproof. S. Mathews

20. Two necessities of daily life • food and shelter • demonstrate the influence of • cultural values and the environment • on development of unique folk culture. S. Mathews

21. Distinctive Food Preferences Geographer Vidal de la Blache regards clothing and weapons more subject to modification than the dietary regime. S. Mathews

22. Soybeans as Examples of Food Preference Adaptation • Excellent source of protein. • Widely grown in Asia. • Toxic and indigestible in the raw state. • Edible if cooked thoroughly. • Fuel for cooking is scarce. S. Mathews

23. Soybeans as a Food Source • Bean Sprouts (germinated seeds). • Soy Sauce (fermented soybeans) • Bean Curd (steamed soybeans). S. Mathews

24. In Europe • Preference for quick-frying foods in Italy resulted in part from fuel shortages. • Abundant wood supply in Northern Europe encouraged the slow stewing and roasting of foods over fires, which also provided heat for homes. S. Mathews

25. Food Diversity S. Mathews

26. Although food customs are inevitably affected by the availability of products, food consumed in neighboring cultural groups often reflect distinctive traditions. S. Mathews

27. Ethnicity of Transylvania Before WWII • 4 million Hungarians • 4 million Romanians • 500,000-600,000 Saxons • 50,000-75,000 Jews • 20,000-25,000 Armenians • Thousands of Szeklers S. Mathews

28. Soups Consumed by the Poor In Transylvania • Romanians ate sour bran soups from cracked wheat, corn, brown bread, and cherry tree twigs. • Saxons simmered fatty pork in water, added sauerkraut or vinegar, and used fruits. • Jews preferred soups of beets and sorrel. S. Mathews

29. Soups Consumed by the Poor In Transylvania continued • Armenians made soup out of curdled milk and ground vegetables. • Hungarians added smoked bacon and thickened the soup with flour and onion fried in lard. • Szeklers substituted smoked goose, or other poultry for the bacon of the Hungarian recipes. S. Mathews

30. Food Attractions and Taboos People may desire or avoid certain foods in response to perceived beneficial or harmful natural traits. S. Mathews

31. Taboo • A restriction on behavior imposed by social custom. S. Mathews

32. Examples of Food Taboos • Abipone Indians of Paraguay eat jaguars and bulls to make themselves strong. • The mandrake was thought to enhance lovemaking in Mediterranean climates. • The Ainus in Japan thought that otters would make one forgetful. • Europeans first thought potatoes caused typhoid and tuberculosis. S. Mathews

33. Environmental factors to the Prohibition against Hogs To the Hebrew, pigs were unsuited to pastoral nomadism, and the meat spoiled quickly in hot climates. To Muslims in Arabia, pigs competed with humans for food and water, without offering compensating benefits like wool, or milk. S. Mathews

34. Annual Hog Production S. Mathews

35. Environmental Reasons for the Hindu’s prohibition against Beef A large supply of oxen are needed to pull plows. Religious sanctions have insured an increasing population of cattle. S. Mathews

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38. Insects as Food • Americans avoid eating insects, despite their nutritional value. • In Thailand, giant water bugs are deep fried as snack foods. • Americans consume insects in canned mushrooms and tomato paste. S. Mathews

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40. Trays of tasty insects at the night market, Hat Yai, Thailand S. Mathews

41. Folk Housing The house is a product of both cultural tradition and natural conditions. A reflection of cultural heritage, current fashion, functional needs, and the impact of the environment. S. Mathews

42. Distinctive Building Materials • Wood when forest are available. • Bricks of dried wet mud, when trees are in limited supply. • Also used are resources such as stone, grass, sod, and skins. • Drywall for interior wall is used to save money. S. Mathews

43. Distinctive House Form Form often reflect religious values. - East wall is sacred in Fiji - Northwest wall in China is sacred - Walls and corners are also noted in parts of the Middle East, India, and Africa S. Mathews

44. Houses in Madagascar • The main door is in the west (the most important direction). • Northeast corner is most sacred. • North wall for honoring ancestors. • Important guest enter room from the north and sit against the north wall. • The bed is placed against the east wall, with the head facing north. S. Mathews

45. In the south-central part of Java, the front door always faces south, in the direction of the South Sea Goddess, who holds the key to Earth. S. Mathews

46. Houses in Laos • Beds are arranged perpendicular to the center ridgepole of the house. • People sleep with their heads opposite their neighbors. • A child, living next door, sleeps with his or her head toward the parent’s feet. S. Mathews

47. Housing in Laos S. Mathews

48. Houses of the Yuan and Shan of Thailand • All sleep with their heads toward the east. • Staircases must not face west (the direction of death and evil sprits). S. Mathews

49. Housing in Thailand S. Mathews

50. Housing and Environment • Pitched roofs in wet and snowy climates to facilitate runoff. • Windows face south in temperate climates to take advantage of the Sun’s heat and light. • In hot climates, window opening may be small to protect the interior from the heat of the sun. S. Mathews