Native American communities are among the most marginalized in the United States. Access to quality education and healthcare are among the areas where these communities lag behind. Their poor experiences underscore America’s failure to safeguard their wellbeing despite the immense contributions that they continue to make the American culture. When one examines the histories of these communities, among the issues that become clear is that the communities have deeply rich cultures. The cultures of North Western Native American communities are particularly intriguing as they highlight the incredible genius of the human mind and the extreme lengths that humanity has gone to ensure its sustenance and survival. Among the key elements of the cultures of these communities is hunting. Their hunting practices show that they leveraged technology to secure their futures and manipulate the environment for their survival.
Labor Organization
A complete understanding of the hunting practices of the North Western Native American communities can be gained through an exploration of how labor was organized. Gender appears to be among the factors that shaped the organization of labor among these communities. Women performed lighter tasks. For example, in the Cheyenne community, the women were charged with the responsibility of tanning the hides of such animals as bisons (Greaves, 2018). They were also expected to dry the meat that had been obtained through hunting. On the other hand, the actual hunting exercise was assigned to men. As regards task assignment on the basis of gender, the Native American communities mirror the practices of modern society. This is to say that these communities are not unique in how they assigned roles since other communities also used gender as the primary basis for determining the function that an individual performed.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Gender is not the only issue that defined the hunting practices of the North Western Native American peoples. Community is yet another issue which inspired these communities in developing their hunting practices. In general, hunting was a communal affair. In his article, Raymond DeMallie (2009) acknowledges the role that the community played. He provides the example of the Sioux community in where “during the Buffalo-hunting period the band was the most important social unit in daily life” (par.5). Here, DeMallie confirms that as was the case with other aspects of their lives, the Native American communities allowed communal ties to shape how they conducted hunting. DeMallie is not isolated in recognizing that the entire community was involved in hunting. He is joined by Norton (2017) who confirms that hunting was a communal affair. The communal hunting provided the members of the communities with camaraderie and support that they needed as they ventured into dangerous hunting grounds. While it is largely true that the communities adopted a communal approach to hunting, it should be noted that the members of these communities enjoyed some level of autonomy (Greaves, 2018). Another critical element of the labor organization was that hunting was designed to accommodate the highly mobile structure of these communities (Natcher et al., 2007).
Technology
Today, technology is defined as the complex tools and processes that allow mankind to perform various functions with higher levels of efficiency. While this definition captures the essence of technology, it fails to acknowledge the basic and primitive tools that the North Western Native American communities relied on for hunting. Historical analyses have revealed that these communities developed a wide range of simple tools that allowed them to adapt their hunting techniques to the changing dynamics of the hunting process. In their article, Park, Hongu and Daily (2016) identify some of these technologies. According to these scholars, bows and arrows are the main tools that the communities employed. They contend that these tools were not original creations by these communities. Instead, the communities were able to develop these tools thanks to outside influences. Park and his team add that the communities preferred the bow and arrow because they were effective for hunting a wider range of game. The animals hunted include deer, turkey and antelope. Apart from these two weapons, the communities also created spears and atlatls (Howard, 2004). One of the key advantages that the atlatls offered is their raw power. However, the effectiveness of this tool was hampered by the fact that it was inefficient owing to its low accuracy levels (Park, Hongu & Daily, 2016). The wide range of tools that the North Western Native American communities crafted is evidence that these communities were sufficiently sophisticated and civilized to develop tools for making work easier.
The discussion above has identified some of the tools that constituted the technologies of the North Western Native American peoples. While these tools served essential functions, it is helpful to examine the technologies that the communities used to craft the tools. Stonework was among these technologies (Tkaczyk , n.d). Using stones, the communities were able to craft knives that were employed in hunting. Furthermore, stones served as weights that were attached to fishing lines (Tkaczyk, n.d). It is worth noting that the applications of stone extended beyond making hunting tools. The communities also used stone to create such items as pestles and mortars. There is no doubt that the Native American communities demonstrated tremendous ingenuity. Leveraging readily-available and simple items such as stones, they were able to craft sophisticated tools which enhanced the hunting experience.
The technologies that a community uses extend beyond the tools that they have developed. Strategies and techniques also make up the technologies. As is clear from the discussion this far, the Native American communities displayed impressive ingenuity. Further evidence of their genius can be seen in how they hunted. For example, according to the National Park Service (NPS), “the Indians caught their fish in net-like obstructions called weirs, which they placed across streams or channels in much the same way as modern pound-netters catch the seasonal runs of striped bass or shad” (par. 3). This technique shows that the communities were able to integrate scientific principles in designing their fishing equipment and techniques. Therefore, it is fair to conclude that while they were rather primitive, the technologies of the Native American peoples were functional and cleverly scientific.
Today, such technologies as refrigeration have made the preservation of food possible. It is true that these technologies represent the tremendous progress that mankind continues to make. Even as this progress is celebrated, it is important to commend such communities as Native Americans for setting the stage for the progress by developing their own technologies to preserve food. These communities developed winter storage (Greaves, 2018). Essentially, this technology involved leaving hunted meat in the open during the winter months. The cold temperatures serve the same purpose as modern refrigerators. It is evident that the North Western Native American communities understood that the solutions to the hurdles they encountered could be found in their immediate environment.
Contribution
Now that the hunting practices and technologies of the Native American people have been explored, the discussion can proceed to examine the contributions that these communities have made. Among the key contributions is that the hunting practices enabled the communities to interact with other communities. For example, in exchange for agricultural products, the hunting communities shared the foods acquired through hunting (Svizzero & Tisdell, 2016). Essentially, the hunting activities of these communities fueled trade and social interactions. Another contribution that the hunting practices made is that they set the stage for the technologies that are in wide use today. For example, as noted earlier, the communities invented a refrigeration method that involved placing meat in snow. The colonialists who visited North America were impressed with the advances that the native communities had made (Mann, 2005). It is therefore possible that the colonialists borrowed some of the practices of these communities.
Conclusion
There is no question about the immense contribution that North Western Native American communities have made to enriching American culture. These communities continue to hold on to their cultural practices, beliefs and heritage. Among the main elements of these communities is the role that hunting played in their economic pursuits. Using tools and technologies that were rather rudimentary, these communities hunted such animals as bisons. To ensure that all members participated in hunting endeavors, the communities established guidelines which defined gender roles. The guidelines also placed emphasis on the need for individuals to join forces with other members of the communities when hunting. What is clear from the hunting practices of these communities is that cultural traditions and beliefs served important functions. The harmony and progress that they witnessed highlight the importance of holding on to one’s cultural heritage.
References
DeMallie, R. J. (2009). Community in Native America: continuity and change among the Sioux. Journal de la Société des Américaniste, 95 (1), 185-205. Retrieved December 11, 2018 from https://journals.openedition.org/jsa/10792
Greaves, R. D. (2018). The first nations of Western North America. ANTH3112.
Howard, C. D. (2004). The ancient missile launcher of aboriginal America. Central States Archaeological Journal, 51 (4), 46-59.
Mann, C. C. (2005). Native intelligence. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved December 11, 2018 from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/native-intelligence-109314481/
Natcher, D. C., Huntington, O., Trainor, S., Huntington, H. P., DeWilde, L., Rupp, S., & Chapin, E. S. (2007). Factors contributing to the cultural and spatial variability of landscape burning by native peoples of Interior Alaska. Ecology and Society, 12 (1), 7.
National Park Service (NPS). (n.d). Indian fishing and hunting. NPS. Retrieved December 11, 2018 from https://www.nps.gov/fora/learn/education/indian-fishing-and-hunting.htm
Norton, H. (2017). ‘Rivers of bones’: rituals of life, death and hunting in the American West. The Guardian. Retrieved December 11, 2018 from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/aug/17/home-on-the-range-communal-hunting-in-the-american-west
Park, S., Hongu, N., & Daily, J. W. (2016). Native American foods: history, culture, and influence on modern diets. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 3 (3), 171-7.
Svizzero, S., & Tisdell, C. A. (2016). Economic evolution, diversity of societies and stages of economic development: A critique of theories applied to hunters and gatherers and their successors. Cogent Communities & Finance, 4 (1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2016.1161322
Tkaczyk, F. (n.d). North Coast Native Americans: survival life-ways. Aderleaf Wilderness College. Retrieved December 11, 2018 from https://www.wildernesscollege.com/northwest-coast-native-americans.html
