Paper 2 - Unit 1.1 → Ethnoarchaeology
Introduction
- It is called as Ethnology, Ethnography and Ethnohistory
- It is the Ethnographic Study of people for Archaeological Reasons
- There are evidences of material culture. Here Material Remains are of More Priority
- Here Simple and Small Scale Societies are studied
- Culture, Behaviour & Practises are Studied and co relate these with past societies and cultures
- Thus we can conclude that Based on Present Conditions Past Societies and Cultures are Studied
- Example is that of Chenchus and Jarawas or Sentinelese and Todas
Contribution of Lewis Binford
- Lewis Binford was studying the Butchering Practises in the Present Hunting Gathering Societies of Eskimos in Alaska. Here he re-evaluated the Archaeological Records
- For Example Lewis Binford’s Study Butchering Practises amongst the Living Hunter Gatherers in Eskimos of Alaska
- This Study gave them the Idea about the way the Archaeological Records may have been formed and the use of such information in creating the hunting patterns of past cultures not only in this part of the World but also elsewhere in the world having striking similarities, in their survival patterns
Discussion and Examples
- Ethnoarchaeology deals with explaining past societies and cultures based upon Body of Generalised Knowledge constructed from Ethnographic Studies of Contemporary Simple Small Scale Societies like Hunting Patterns, Artefacts, Construction / Store. Other Material Things (Tools)
- Sometimes it is also called as Reverse Ethnography : It refers to filling up gaps in history in a sense that archaeologist make inferences from things we can observe and reconstruct about their daily lives
Like, Active Role of Women in Subsistence & Craft Related Activities
- Ethnoarchaeological Studies can also provide insights to the archaeologists about the
- probable social structure
- Religious Beliefs
- Prominent Art
- Hunting Patterns
- Depends Greatly on the Local Env Foraging Strategies have Included hunting or trapping Big Game Animals or even the Smaller Animals including Fishing, even collection of White Plants Food survived from Paleolithic to Modern Times
- The Earlier and Recent Ones had some type of Nomadism
Example : In Drier Parts of Year when resources are limited or exhausted
- How Study of Art & Craft Traditions can help you study past societies
- Examples of Potteries, Rock Cut Art, Tool Making, Use of Metal, Paintings
- Examples of Present World, Their Subsistence, Cultural Patterns, Lifestyle & Elements matching with past cultures
- Example - Shiwalik Man (Rama and Shiva Pithecus) - Present Hunting & Foraging Societies in Higher Reaches of Himalayas and Tibet
- Example - Narmada Man in Tribals of Central and Eastern India like Chenchus and Mankidias still employ hunting gathering and foraging
Conclusion
Ethnographic Survey is the INtegral Part of Ethno Archaeological Studies for Yielding relevant Ethnographic Data of Contemporary, Socio Cultural Patterns.
These Ethnoarchaeological Studies, reconstructs the History, Theory and Predictions, to fill the Gaps present in the understanding of past societies
Paper 1 - Unit 8 - Segment D → Analysis, Interpretation and Presentation of Data
In the Words of C Wright Mills with Ideas, Facts and Figures. Researcher is trying to create a Little World containing all the key elements which enter into the work, Compiling and presenting information in the best possible scientific way so that there is a Reinforcement to the Earlier Studies and a Guidance to the future studies
Three Components of Systematic Research
Data Analysis → Systematic Analysis of Data
- Systematic Analysis of Data Collected is a Scientific Process before the Presentation of Exact Outcome
- The Basic Function behind this is building an Intellectual Platform for Scientific Presentation of Collected Information
- This content analysis is a research technique, for the systematic, Objective & Quantitative Description of the content of Research Data Procured through Interviews, Questionnaires or any other method of data collection
- Facts and Figures are never simple, they involve subjective and objective elements in varying degrees, so must be analysed with scientific data processing including editing, classification, tabulation and other statistical methods like mean, median or mode
- Conclusion : In Simple Words, This Data Analysis is the Competition of Certain Indices or measures along with searching for patterns of Relationships existing among the Data Groups
Data Interpretation
- After Collection and Analysis of Data, Researcher has to accomplish the task of drawing inferences so that report can be prepared
- This has to be done, very carefully and scientifically, otherwise, misleading conclusions may be drawn.
- It is through interpretation only, a researcher can expose the relations and processes underlying the findings
- According to William Emory, Interpretation is concerned with Relationships within the collected data which can be partially overlapping requiring a scientific interpretation
- Hence, Interpretation is a device through which the factors that seem to explain what has been observed by the researcher can be better understood
- So Data Interpretation Leads to Establishment of Explanatory Concepts that can serve as a guide for future research studies and opens new avenues opening new avenues of Intellectual Adventure stimulating the quest for more knowledge
Data Presentation / Data Reporting
After the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, leading to various inferences, generalisations and conclusions, A Scientific Report has to be Published so that it becomes available to others and the collected information can be scientifically studied by other researchers to find out the reliability and availability.
Writing the Report to present the data of the findings is the last step in the research study and requires a set of skills so that the final draft if understandable, scientific, reliable and valid
Paper 1 - Unit 9.2 → Lethal Genes
Lethal Genes are those Genes which can kill the Possessor. Like the Genes of Huntington's Diseases or Haemophilia or Sickle Cell Anemia
There can be death of affected individual either in
- Infancy or Childhood → Sub Lethal
- after attaining the reproductive Age → Semi Lethal
Some Studies Suggest that Nearly 15% of Infant Deaths and 50% of Childhood Deaths in some parts of the world like US are because of Lethal Genes
A Gene Lethal in one Env Condition may not be so in other env condition.
Example: Mutants of Phenylketonuria (Kidney Related Disorder) Due to the Defective Enzyme Phenylalanine Hydroxylase. It cannot be a lethal one in a phenylalanine free diet but can be a lethal one if the amino acid is present in the diet. This is Referred as Conditional Lethal
Lethal Genes can be Bifurcated as
- Dominant Lethal
- Semi Lethal
- Leading to Death after attainment of Reproductive Age
- These are based on Autosomal Dominant Genes like genes of Huntington's Disease
- Sub Lethal
- Death Occurs in Early Stages of Life like Early infancy or childhood
- They always arise out of fresh mutation
- Example : EPILOIA Multiple Skin Tumours
Can Kill its Possessor, even in Heterozygous Conditions
There are Two Types of Dominant Lethal Genes
- Recessive Lethal
- Semi Lethal
- Leading to Death after attainment of Reproductive Age
- Example : Haemophilia
- Sub Lethal
- Death Occurs in Early Stages of Life like Early infancy or childhood
- There are Variations in the death incidences caused by these disorders. Hence sometimes they are also called to be NOT Fully Lethal
- Example : Thalassemia, Sickle Cell Anaemia
Causes Death only in Homozygous Conditions that is when the defective gene is present in both the alleles
There are Two Types of Recessive Lethal Gene