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BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: THE STATE SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION
ANTHROPOS
DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
VOL.
29, No. 3
RUNNING WAS CRITICAL IN HUMAN EVOLUTION
~
An article published in the November 18 issue of Nature
argues that the need
to run long distances
shaped our anatomy,
making us what we
are today.
The article is written by Daniel Lieberman, an anthropologist at Harvard, and
Dennis Bramble, a
University of Utah
biologist. The authors
say "We are very confident that strong selection for runningwhich came at the ex-
pense of the historical
ability to live in
trees-was instrumental in the origin
of the modern human
body form. Running
made us human-at
least in the anatomical
sense."
The authors point
out that most anthropologists have thought
that running was simply a byproduct of the
human ability to
walk-bipedalism or
upright posture. They
believe that anthropologists have down
HUMANS IN THE NEW WORLD
In an announcement
bound to stir up controversy, archaeologists from
the University of South
Carolina have revealed ra~
diocarbon dates from a site
in that st.ate from 50,000
years ago.
Historically, most an-
played running because humans are
poor sprinters compared with other animals. "High speed is
not always important,
" they write, "What is
important is combining reasonable speed
with exceptional endurance."
The authors believe that running was
used by early hominids to run down and
wear out prey, such as
antelopes, or perhaps
to heat scavengers to a
kill.
50,000
thropologists have believed
that the first humans in the
Amerias crossed the Bering
Straits land bridge about
13,000 years ago. Sites in
South America have led
many to believe that humans were in this hemisphere 20-25 ,000 years ago.
YEARS AGO
But early stone tools
.u ncovered at the Topper
site in South Carolina were
associated with materials
that could be radiocarbon
dated, revealing that 50,000
years old date. If true, this
would radically change the
way anthropologists have
looked at the New World.
Nov-DEC 2004
SPECIAL POINTS OF
INTEREST:
•
The me-,. 2
•
Feor is spread by body
languaae---P. 3
•
Minonn9 in anthropol-
oa,-p. 4
•
About w--p. 4
PAGE
ANTHROPOS
2
THE RAC
The anthropologist Marshall Sahlins has sad that all behavior is ridiculous
out of context. This brief study by Patricia Hughes looks at the context in
which one culture uses a kind of draft animal called a rac.
"An Indian anthropologist, Chandra Thopar, made a study of foreign cultures which had customs similar to those of his native land. One culture in
particular fascinated him because it reveres one animal as sacred, much as
the people in India revere t;he cow.
The tribe Dr. Thapar studied is called the Asu and is found on the American continent north of the Tarahumara of Mexico. Though it seems to be a
highly developed society of its type, it has an overwhelming preoccupation
with the care and the feeding of the rac, an animal much like a bull in size,
THE TRIBE DR.
THAPAR STUDIED
IS CALLED THE
Asu.
strength, and temperament. In the Asu tribe, it is almost a social obligation
to own at least one if not more racs. Anyone not possessing at least one is
held in low esteem by the community because he is too poor to maintain
one of these beasts properly. Some members of the tribe, to display their
wealth and social prestige, even own herds of racs.
Unfortunately the rac breed is not very healthy and usually does not live
more than five to seven years~ Each family invests large sums of money each
year to keep its rac healthy and shod, for it has a tendency to throw its shoes
often. There are rac specialists in each community, perhaps more than one if
the community is particularly wealthy. These specialists, however, due to
the long period of ritual training they must undergo and to the difficulty of ·
obtaining the right sacred charms to treat the rac, demand costly offerings
whenever a tribesman must treat his ailing rac.
At the age of sixteen in many Asu communities, many youths undergo a
puberty rite in which the rac figures prominently. The youth must petition a
high priest in a grand temple. He is then initiated into the ceremonies that
surround the care of the rac and is permitted to keep a rac.
DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
PAGE
THE RAC (CONTINUED)
Although the rac may be used as a beast of burden, it has many habits
which would he considered by other cultures as detrimental to the life of
the society. In the first place, the rac breed is increasing at a very rapid rate
and the Asu tribesmen have given no thought to curbing the rac population.
As a consequence, theAsu must build more and more paths for the rac to
travel on since its delicate health and its love of racing other racs at high
speeds necessitates that special areas he set aside for its use. The cost of
smoothing the earth is too costly for any one individual to undertake, so it
has become a community project, and each tribesman must pay an annual
tax to build new paths and maintain the old. There are so many paths
needed that some people move their homes because the ~ paths must be as
straight as possible to keep the animal from injuring itself. Dr. Thapar also
noted that unlike the cow, which many people in his country hold sacred,
the excrement of the rac cannot be used as either fuel or fertilizer. On the
contrary, its excrement is exceptionally foul and totally useless. Worst of all,
the rac is prone to rampages in which it runs down anything in its path,
much like stampeding cattle. Estimates are that the rac kills thousands of
the Asu in a year.
Despite the high cost of its upkeep, the damage it does to the land, and
its habit of destructive rampages, the Asu still regard it as being essential to
the survival of their culture."
FEAR IS SPREAD BY BODY LANGUAGE
A researcher at Harvard argues that a menacing body posture can be as
threatening as a frightening facial expression. Dr. Beatrice de Gelder says
that her study shows that images of aggressive body posturing automatically
affect the emotional part of the brain, preparing the observer to respond to
fear. "When we talk about how humans communicate, we always talk about
things like language. But just like the animal world, we also communicate
through our bodies without our conscious minds being aware of it." Anthropologists have long said that over half of what we communicate is nonoral-information transmitted through gestures and postures.
DEPITE THE
HIGH COST OF
ITS UPKEEP ...
THE Asu STILL
REGARD THE RAC
AS ESSENTIAL TO
THE SURVIVAL
OF THEIR
CULTURE.
3
BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF
PENNSYLVANIA: THE STATE
SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Dr. David Mindethout, E Department cl Anlbropology
Room 150 Centennial Hall
Phone: 389-4859
Fax: 389-5015
Email: dminderh@bloomu.edu
ANTHROPOS, the Anthropology Newsletter is published
six times during the academic year and is mailed to interested students, faculty, administrators, and alumni. It is also
distributed in anthropology classes on campus and made
available on the department's home page. If you would like
to be on the newsletter mailing list, please contact Dr. Dave
Minderhout at the address and numbers on the left.
The Department of Anthropology offers a 36 credit B.A.
WE'RE ON THE WEB
WWW. BLOOMU.EDU/
DEPARTMENTS/ ANTHR0
degree and an 18 credit minor in anthropology. If you would
like to see details, please see any of the anthropology faculty.
ANrnROPOl(X;y IS TI-IE SfUDY OF
HUMANS.
MINOR IN ANTHROPOLOGY
The Department of
Anthropology offers an
18 credit minor in anthropology. The minor
is composed of 6
courses, 3 of which are
required. They are:
46. 200 Principles of
Cultural Anthropology
46 .210 Prehistoric Archaeology
46.220 Human Origins
The other 3 courses
are electives to he cho-
sen in consultation
with an anthropology
faculty member.
To declare a minor
in anthropology, a st\Ident must obtain a
Declaration of Minor
form from the anthropology office or the
Office of Academic
Advisement. The form
must he signed by the
department chairperson, Dr. Dee Anne Wymer, and then returned
to Academic Advise-
ment. Upon completing the minor, a student must file a Verification of the Completion of a Minor form
with the registrar's office. This step is necessary for there to be any
official recognition of
the minor on your records. This form must
also be signed by Dr.
Wymer.
ANTHROPOS
DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
VOL.
29, No. 3
RUNNING WAS CRITICAL IN HUMAN EVOLUTION
~
An article published in the November 18 issue of Nature
argues that the need
to run long distances
shaped our anatomy,
making us what we
are today.
The article is written by Daniel Lieberman, an anthropologist at Harvard, and
Dennis Bramble, a
University of Utah
biologist. The authors
say "We are very confident that strong selection for runningwhich came at the ex-
pense of the historical
ability to live in
trees-was instrumental in the origin
of the modern human
body form. Running
made us human-at
least in the anatomical
sense."
The authors point
out that most anthropologists have thought
that running was simply a byproduct of the
human ability to
walk-bipedalism or
upright posture. They
believe that anthropologists have down
HUMANS IN THE NEW WORLD
In an announcement
bound to stir up controversy, archaeologists from
the University of South
Carolina have revealed ra~
diocarbon dates from a site
in that st.ate from 50,000
years ago.
Historically, most an-
played running because humans are
poor sprinters compared with other animals. "High speed is
not always important,
" they write, "What is
important is combining reasonable speed
with exceptional endurance."
The authors believe that running was
used by early hominids to run down and
wear out prey, such as
antelopes, or perhaps
to heat scavengers to a
kill.
50,000
thropologists have believed
that the first humans in the
Amerias crossed the Bering
Straits land bridge about
13,000 years ago. Sites in
South America have led
many to believe that humans were in this hemisphere 20-25 ,000 years ago.
YEARS AGO
But early stone tools
.u ncovered at the Topper
site in South Carolina were
associated with materials
that could be radiocarbon
dated, revealing that 50,000
years old date. If true, this
would radically change the
way anthropologists have
looked at the New World.
Nov-DEC 2004
SPECIAL POINTS OF
INTEREST:
•
The me-,. 2
•
Feor is spread by body
languaae---P. 3
•
Minonn9 in anthropol-
oa,-p. 4
•
About w--p. 4
PAGE
ANTHROPOS
2
THE RAC
The anthropologist Marshall Sahlins has sad that all behavior is ridiculous
out of context. This brief study by Patricia Hughes looks at the context in
which one culture uses a kind of draft animal called a rac.
"An Indian anthropologist, Chandra Thopar, made a study of foreign cultures which had customs similar to those of his native land. One culture in
particular fascinated him because it reveres one animal as sacred, much as
the people in India revere t;he cow.
The tribe Dr. Thapar studied is called the Asu and is found on the American continent north of the Tarahumara of Mexico. Though it seems to be a
highly developed society of its type, it has an overwhelming preoccupation
with the care and the feeding of the rac, an animal much like a bull in size,
THE TRIBE DR.
THAPAR STUDIED
IS CALLED THE
Asu.
strength, and temperament. In the Asu tribe, it is almost a social obligation
to own at least one if not more racs. Anyone not possessing at least one is
held in low esteem by the community because he is too poor to maintain
one of these beasts properly. Some members of the tribe, to display their
wealth and social prestige, even own herds of racs.
Unfortunately the rac breed is not very healthy and usually does not live
more than five to seven years~ Each family invests large sums of money each
year to keep its rac healthy and shod, for it has a tendency to throw its shoes
often. There are rac specialists in each community, perhaps more than one if
the community is particularly wealthy. These specialists, however, due to
the long period of ritual training they must undergo and to the difficulty of ·
obtaining the right sacred charms to treat the rac, demand costly offerings
whenever a tribesman must treat his ailing rac.
At the age of sixteen in many Asu communities, many youths undergo a
puberty rite in which the rac figures prominently. The youth must petition a
high priest in a grand temple. He is then initiated into the ceremonies that
surround the care of the rac and is permitted to keep a rac.
DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
PAGE
THE RAC (CONTINUED)
Although the rac may be used as a beast of burden, it has many habits
which would he considered by other cultures as detrimental to the life of
the society. In the first place, the rac breed is increasing at a very rapid rate
and the Asu tribesmen have given no thought to curbing the rac population.
As a consequence, theAsu must build more and more paths for the rac to
travel on since its delicate health and its love of racing other racs at high
speeds necessitates that special areas he set aside for its use. The cost of
smoothing the earth is too costly for any one individual to undertake, so it
has become a community project, and each tribesman must pay an annual
tax to build new paths and maintain the old. There are so many paths
needed that some people move their homes because the ~ paths must be as
straight as possible to keep the animal from injuring itself. Dr. Thapar also
noted that unlike the cow, which many people in his country hold sacred,
the excrement of the rac cannot be used as either fuel or fertilizer. On the
contrary, its excrement is exceptionally foul and totally useless. Worst of all,
the rac is prone to rampages in which it runs down anything in its path,
much like stampeding cattle. Estimates are that the rac kills thousands of
the Asu in a year.
Despite the high cost of its upkeep, the damage it does to the land, and
its habit of destructive rampages, the Asu still regard it as being essential to
the survival of their culture."
FEAR IS SPREAD BY BODY LANGUAGE
A researcher at Harvard argues that a menacing body posture can be as
threatening as a frightening facial expression. Dr. Beatrice de Gelder says
that her study shows that images of aggressive body posturing automatically
affect the emotional part of the brain, preparing the observer to respond to
fear. "When we talk about how humans communicate, we always talk about
things like language. But just like the animal world, we also communicate
through our bodies without our conscious minds being aware of it." Anthropologists have long said that over half of what we communicate is nonoral-information transmitted through gestures and postures.
DEPITE THE
HIGH COST OF
ITS UPKEEP ...
THE Asu STILL
REGARD THE RAC
AS ESSENTIAL TO
THE SURVIVAL
OF THEIR
CULTURE.
3
BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY OF
PENNSYLVANIA: THE STATE
SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Dr. David Mindethout, E Department cl Anlbropology
Room 150 Centennial Hall
Phone: 389-4859
Fax: 389-5015
Email: dminderh@bloomu.edu
ANTHROPOS, the Anthropology Newsletter is published
six times during the academic year and is mailed to interested students, faculty, administrators, and alumni. It is also
distributed in anthropology classes on campus and made
available on the department's home page. If you would like
to be on the newsletter mailing list, please contact Dr. Dave
Minderhout at the address and numbers on the left.
The Department of Anthropology offers a 36 credit B.A.
WE'RE ON THE WEB
WWW. BLOOMU.EDU/
DEPARTMENTS/ ANTHR0
degree and an 18 credit minor in anthropology. If you would
like to see details, please see any of the anthropology faculty.
ANrnROPOl(X;y IS TI-IE SfUDY OF
HUMANS.
MINOR IN ANTHROPOLOGY
The Department of
Anthropology offers an
18 credit minor in anthropology. The minor
is composed of 6
courses, 3 of which are
required. They are:
46. 200 Principles of
Cultural Anthropology
46 .210 Prehistoric Archaeology
46.220 Human Origins
The other 3 courses
are electives to he cho-
sen in consultation
with an anthropology
faculty member.
To declare a minor
in anthropology, a st\Ident must obtain a
Declaration of Minor
form from the anthropology office or the
Office of Academic
Advisement. The form
must he signed by the
department chairperson, Dr. Dee Anne Wymer, and then returned
to Academic Advise-
ment. Upon completing the minor, a student must file a Verification of the Completion of a Minor form
with the registrar's office. This step is necessary for there to be any
official recognition of
the minor on your records. This form must
also be signed by Dr.
Wymer.