Discussion Board
Book: Anthropology: What Does It Mean to be Human? 3rd edition
Robert H. Lavenda, Emily A. Schultz
Question #1 (Cultural Construction of Human Needs: Banana Leaves)
You read in Chapter 11 about the role of banana leaves in the Trobriand islands. How are banana leaves an example of the cultural construction of human needs? Provide examples to support your argument.
Question #2 (Cultural Ecology)
Chapter 11 discusses the role of cultural choices in the rise and fall (i.e. "collapse) of civilizations on pages 336-337. Using your readings on choice and geographic determinism, attempt to answer the question "Why do we portray ancient societies - especially those with indigenous descendants - as successes or failures?"