Ecology and Subsistence for Guaraní Indians

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Discussion
Conclusion
Work Cited

Introduction

The article written by Richard Reed explains how forest development is treated in the culture of Guaraní Indians, who live in the Itanaramí forests in Paraguay. The author explains that Guaraní Indians practice a horticulture subsistence strategy characterized by the use of slash-and-burn agriculture (Reed 70). However, the Guaraní’s use of the slash-and-burn method differs from other horticulture groups because it implies the gradual rotation of farming fields (Reed 108). Thus, by giving the soil an opportunity to recover and the forest the time to grow back, Guaraní Indians allow sustainable production of plant food.

Discussion

The food production strategy influences the group’s social organization in establishing equality between families. Thus, individual families in the group live in different houses, and each family has its own farming field. Furthermore, all family members have their own responsibilities in maintaining the family’s crops. However, Guaraní Indians are not limited to consuming crops from their fields and often hunt together. The results of successful hunts are shared between the family, relatives, and friends. The food production strategy is reflected in Guaraní’s relationship to kinship; families can count on support from relatives, and there are no questions of economic inequality (Reed 1087). Furthermore, the author points that Guaraní’s houses, which initially seemed to be scattered throughout the forest, are connected to each other by small pathways (Reed 107). Therefore, the location of houses emphasizes the close relationships formed in the group built on the foundation of joint food production.

Conclusion

Lastly, the food production strategy is reflected in the group’s approach toward sharing. The Guaraní Indians’ culture prioritizes the importance of sharing and cooperation (Reed 107). Thus, the group does not experience need in a strict economic system, and the money earned by Guaraní is mainly spent on the purchase of goods necessary for all members, such as soap and salt (Reed 109). I find it interesting that the practice of coexistence of men and the forest resulted in the creation of a culture that highly values cooperation between family members and group members in food production.

Work Cited

Reed, Richard K. “Forest Development the Indian Way.” Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology, 14^thed., edited by James Spradley and David W. Mccurdy, Pearson, 2012, pp. 105-114.

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Ecology and Subsistence for Guaraní Indians

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