April 25, 2005

subsistence

While out initial question of subsitence was vast in its idea, the readings have given me a specific question to focus on. We initially felt that subsistence can be boiled down to the ways in which the Tohono O'odham people gather food, secure water in an environment such as the desert, and build shelters to protect their environment. Knowing what I have learned from the readings and the previous courses in Native American religions, I am interested in the religious aspect of all three of these things. While we consider these mundane necessities, I am interested in focusing on the belief systems around them. In addition, the topic of post-contact in relation to all three of these is important. Where are younger generations deviating from these traditions and where are they keeping the same ones. Our broad topic has great overlap with other topics which will make for interesting research and benefit the entire group.

Posted by kingjh at April 25, 2005 09:52 AM
Comments

for Haynes and Justin:
I really am curious about those cattle, and how livestock stuff figures into subsistence NOW, what part cattle play in the mix of strategy for individuals and for the O'odham generally. What can the census stuff tell us about ownership, management, etc.?

While I'm sure that there are religious dimensions to subsistence (and even surer that there used to be even more), what you can mostly observe is the mundane reality of the present --what people DO to feed themselves, how they extract a living from a particular array of resources, what choices they make among alternatives.

Posted by: Hugh at April 25, 2005 04:26 PM

Haynes, I too plan to explore the belief systems around life's necessities, particularly food and water (shelter is slightly less important in my eyes). Your emphasis on post contact deviation is spot on, and it will compliment my focus on pre contact life in the desert. However, Hugh does make a great point that we will experience the mundane everyday life of the O'odham people first hand, and this should also play a role in our paper. Good work.

Posted by: Justin at April 28, 2005 02:05 PM