ANTH 3650 Lecture Notes - Mals, Franz Boas, Ethnography
Document Summary
Studying population, languages, and cultures in north america as they were at ad. 1500: although europeans had been in the north-east part of the continent before this time, their impact on the populations, languages, and cultures of the indigenous peoples had been largely insignificant beyond their local areas. Northwest coast: comprises a relatively thin strip on the pacific coast, area is physically characterized by a rugged, mountainous coastline, a mild and wet climate, and plentiful natural resources especially salmon and cedar. Plateau: drained by the fraser and columbia rivers, both of which contain abundant salmon on annual migrations. It is bordered by the subarctic: abundant varieties of edible plants and animals. Great basin: characterized as a large, arid environment consisting of mountain ranges and more than 100 basins, natural resources are few, producing a relatively low carrying capacity for human populations.