RELS 227 Chapter Notes - Chapter week 4: Vine Deloria Jr., Ella Cara Deloria, Lewis H. Morgan
30 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
Studying the indigenous peoples of north america through the lens of anthropology. This chapter provides a framework for understanding the indigenous peoples of north america from an anthropological perspective. The key element in all definition of anthropology is that the focus is on humans. This includes all aspects of human life, including culture and biology, past and present. Culture is a core concept in anthropology, and may be defined as the learned and shared things that people have, think, and do as members of a society. Each of the major indigenous groups in north america, for example, such as. Cherokee, navajo, mohawk, and hundreds of others are considered to be distinct cultures. Elements of culture need not be mutually exclusive. For example, neighboring indigenous groups in north america may have many similarities, but differences in language or slight nuances in technology, behaviour, and thoughts may be enough to distinguish different cultures. Culture is learned; it is not instinctive.
