Week 2 Blog Post: Environmental Adaptations
1) The Zulu people live in the KwaZulu-Natal provinence of South Africa. It is a subtropical climate with rainy summers but the dry season is not that distinct. The average temperature in the summer is around 82 degrees F with the average temperatures in the winter being 52 degrees. The average rainfall for the year is 43 inches, most of it coming during the summer months. Cloud coverage is vastly different from summer to winter with 50% of the summer months having cloud coverage whereas the winter months have 20-30%. The UV index is consistent throughout the year, usually in the 4-5 range. The elevation of KwaZulu-Natal is at 3,363 feet.
The Andean Indians are found throughout the Andes Mountains located in South America. The average temperatures in the summer months is 59 degrees F compared to an average of 39 degrees F in the winter. From what I can gather, they receive on average of 22 inches of rain throughout the year and receive many more days of sunlight but also receive a high UV index of 6-8 most parts of the year. The highest elevation that Andean Indians are known to have a permanent residence is at 17,100 feet.
2) Zulu women are noticeably lighter in comparison to their male counterparts. One idea that comes to mind is that the Zulu people are grain farmers and herd cattle in grasslands. Men typically do the farming and herding, exposing them to the sun more often when women tend to stay home. The darker skin helps mitigate the damages from the rays of the sun. 
Andean Indians live in a high altitude, in some areas can be as high as 17,000 feet. Because of this, the air is much thinner and can be difficult to breathe. Andean Indians that live in the high altitudes have a lung capacity 70-80% higher than those that live in the lower altitudes. I haven't been able to find information about this, but a hypothesis I have about their physiology is that they have larger nostrils to help them take in as much air possible because of how thin the atmosphere is.
5) Using physical and cultural traits are important in describing a group of people. Even though they may classify under a race, they can still have physical features and practices that differ greatly from one another. Using the environment and its traits can help explain and give insight as to how and why people act, eat, dress, and look the way they do. There is a lot more nuance to explaining the ways of life for people, especially when it comes to the Andean Indians since the Andes Mountains covers so much land mass and has varying terrains and climates, causing people to look and act different from one another.
Zulu sources:
1) https://www.coastkzn.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Climate.pdf
https://elevation.maplogs.com/poi/kwazulu_natal_south_africa.41059.html
2) https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zulu
https://www.quora.com/How-come-many-Zulu-women-are-brown-skinned-like-Caribbeans
3) https://www.tota.world/article/3486/
4) https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zulu
https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/social-science/cultures/anthropology/race/attempts-at-classification
Andean sources:
1) https://www.whatstheweatherlike.org/argentina/andes.htm
https://www.britannica.com/place/Andes-Mountains
2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16764525/
3) https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/aymara-indians-adaptation-and-survival-southern-peru
4) https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/social-science/cultures/anthropology/race/attempts-at-classification
https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/south-american-indians-indians-modern-andes
Zulu:
ReplyDeleteGood description of the environment, identifying the key stresses of solar radiation and possibly heat stress.
So let's dig a little deeper into your discussion of the physical adaptation as there are two things going on here:
Zulu in general have a long term (developmental) genetic adaptation of having more melanin in their skin to protect against solar radiation stress.
But what you are noting is a *different* type of trait, namely a facultative trait of *tanning*. That allows our skin to adapt to a changing environment of solar radiation. The Zulu men have darker skin because they have "tanned" due to their tendency to be outdoors more than the women. Yes, all people, regardless of their base skin color, can tan (except for those with albinism who can't produce melanin).
Yes, clothing is an adaptation to heat stress, but note that the only reason this works is because they have darker skin to protect against solar radiation.
Yes, Zulu are associated with a Nguni ethnicity, but that isn't "race". Race is based upon external phenotypic expressions, like skin color. The most logical choice of race for the Zulu is probably "black".
Andean:
You've pointed out the three key environmental stressors for the Andean population: High altitude, cold stress and solar radiation.
Very good discussion on the physical adaptations to high altitude stress.
It is true that cultures will opt for foods that "fit" in their environment, but you don't really explain the details here. One specific example is the practice of terracing for growing crops. Another is raising alpaca, who are useful for carrying loads, providing food (meat and milk) and fur for clothing.
Yes, "mongloid" could be used to define the race of this population. You could also use indigenous Indian.
Summary: On the right track here, but it goes beyond an issue of "nuance". This is a contrast between being able to explain traits and NOT being able to do so. The environmental approach can explain how and why traits exist. Can you use race to do this?
Race is not based in biology but is a social construct, based in beliefs and preconceptions, and used only to categorize humans into groups based upon external physical features, much like organizing a box of crayons by color. Race does not *cause* adaptations like environmental stress do, and without that causal relationship, you can't use race to explain adaptations. Race has no explanatory value over human variation.