Activity

Grade 3.1 Pre-Test

11 - Understanding Culture, Society & Politics
1st Semester, SY 2020-2021
Module 3. Significance of Biological, Cultural & Sociopolitical
Processes
Introduction

As societies respond to the threats and challenges posed by the environment, they develop culture.
The development of culture through time, called cultural evolution, led to the transformation of
different societies and political systems, a process called sociopolitical evolution. Sociopolitical
evolution happens when societies develop new forms of economies and acquire new technology.
This transformation produces major levels of sociocultural and political development, namely,
hunting and gathering, horticultural and pastoral, agricultural, industrial, and then post-industrial
societies.

As a Conpereynian, you are knowledge-centered, and able to use meaningful information to make
sense of the world, and ultimately learn how to cope with global demands. Thus, after this module,
you are expected to be able to:

3.1 Analyze the role of culture in human 3.2 Analyze the significance of cultural, social,
adaptation. political and economic symbols & practices.

1 Discover & Discuss

DIRECTIONS: Before the Lesson. Place a check mark () on the Before the Lesson Column if you
agree with the statement and a cross mark () if you disagree. After the Lesson. Go back to this
activity after you have read the lesson. Place a check mark () on the Before the Lesson Column if
you agree with the statement and a cross mark () if you disagree.

Before the After the

Statements
Lesson Lesson
Agriculture is the oldest and most ancient type of economic
subsistence.
The pyramids are an example of immoveable tangible heritage.
The homo species which first created stone tools were the homo
erectus of the Oldowan Industry.
Cave paintings, ornaments and musical instruments were first
witnessed in the species homo habilis.
Giving gifts during birthday celebrations would be an example of
balanced reciprocity.
Chiefdoms usually rely on foraging for economic subsistence.
Horticultural economic subsistence is primarily focused on
tending domesticated herbivores for food.
Museums are tasked to conserve and exhibit the material
heritage of societies.
Agriculture defines Neolithic societies.

The Role of Culture in Human Adaptation

 Lesson Proper
People depend on their ideas, customs, tools and learned behaviors to survive.

Technology – a part of the human beings’ culture and a driver of cultural change, this refers its ability
to make and craft tools to compensate for how limited human bodies are and has become the human
beings’ main method of adaptation.

Table 3.1
Animal Activity
All mammals breastfeed. Since a
human is a mammal, humans
have to breastfeed.
Humans, as predators, need to
compete with other animals to
hunt for food.
Problem/s Technology as Solution
 Lack of milk Processed milk formula
 Sickness or death of the
mother
 In modern times: the mother
has to work
 Humans lack physical Spears and arrows
advantages compared to
other predators (ex. the speed
of a cheetah, the power of a
lion)

We humans are very weak creatures, but we’re also very smart. We have been capable of
transcending the natural characteristics we have been born with through the use of adaptations,
tools, and practices that we have created. These collections of adaptations we call culture, and
through our culture we have not been able to survive but to dominate the earth and other animals
as we know it.

Paleolithic Cultures

We can look at how the most significant human technology started by analysing how humans used the
primary material during prehistoric times. This material is known as stone.

These cultures are sorted out by a timeline, of how they developed biologically as homo species and
improved the use of rocks as technology.

OLDOWAN INDUSTRY Tools developed: crude stone tools using the method of percussion flaking.
Percussion flaking produces two tools with different functions: a core tool (used for general purposes)
and a flake tool (used as a knife). The industry was used by Homo Habilis.

ACHEULIAN INDUSTRY Tools developed: hand axes that

were bifacial, sharper & stranger through percussion flaking.
Also made core tools such as choppers, cleavers, and
hammers as well as flake tools like knives and scrapers. The
industry was used by Homo Erectus.

MOUSTERIAN INDUSTRY Tools developed: sharpened and

smaller flake and core tools. Methods refined: Acheulian’s
bifacial tools through percussio n flaking and the
Levalloisian technique. The industry was used by Homo
Neanderthalensis .
The size of an Acheulian handaxe.

AURIGNACIAN INDUSTRY Tools developed: finer blades and sharper flake tools like that of the
Mousterian industry. Materials refined: started using other materials such as flint, animal bones and
antlers to create tools. The presence of art: materials and tools used for decorative or pleasure
purposes such as beads, figurines and bracelets. The industry was used by Homo Sapiens.

MAGDALENIAN INDUSTRY Tools developed: microliths from flint, bone, antler, and ivory; barbed
harpoons. Methods used: the application of heat and fire on the materials before the flaking process.
Other achievements: figurines, tents made of animal skin. The industry was used by Homo Sapiens.

The Paleolithic age demonstrates that early human beings have cultural practices, unique and useful
to humans, which are the bases of our cultural domination today in comparison with other animals.
This age presents human beings as tool-makers, demonstrating their flexibility and adaptability to
their different environments. The slow and gradual control that humans tried to force over their
environment for their survival needs has been a process of centuries.
The Neolithic Revolution

This is the late Homo age characterized by a rapid transformation in technology related to plant and
animal domestication, including tools such as sickle blades and grinding stones. The story of Neolithic
society begins in the Old World in Mesopotamia, especially in the region in the Old World called the
Fertile Crescent. Domestication first occurred here, first of grains like wheat and barley, and then next,
animals such as cattle, pigs and goats.

Table 3. 2
Characteristic Paleolithic Neolithic
Tools Small and handy for mobile lifestyleIncluded a wider array of small and
bigger tools due to a sedentary
lifestyle
Personal Properties Limited to personal accessories and Included structures (e.g. houses),
small tools that could easily be decorative ornaments, large
carried around containers
Art Small and limited to personal Included the creation of artworks
ornaments, bigger artworks were that required a longer length of
done but not within a long time time and a greater number of
frame (e.g cave painting) people (e.g Stonehenge)
Subsistence Foraging (hunting & gathering) Horticulture and agriculture
Leadership Not rigid: based on age and Semirigid: based on legitimacy
knowledge (religious beliefs, social status)
Social Division None; communal lifestyle Elite vs. the working class
Population Size Small (30-50 people) Large (in thousands)
Political Organization Bands, tribes Chiefdoms, States

CONSEQUENCES OF THE NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION & STATE FORMATION

 Population grows and becomes concentrated in cities.
 More efficient agriculture allows many people to be removed from food production. As a result,
art, music, literature and organized religion can develop and flourish.
 Militaristic expansion and conquest occurs, and leaders wield power over their own populations.
An underclass of poor and often unhealthy people emerges.
 Epidemic disease and famine affect the population, often resulting from dense populations and
issues with food production.

The Legacy of Early Humans to the Contemporary Population

CULTURAL HERITAGE is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or
society that is inherited from past generations. Not all legacies of past generations are "heritage",
rather heritage is a product of selection by society. Cultural heritage can be classified into

Tangible Heritage are material manifestations such as monuments and objects preserved over time
(UNESCO, 2010). Tangible/material heritage could be classified into:
 moveable heritage – could be removed from their sites and transported to museums for
safekeeping and maintenance. (ex. Juan Luna’s paintings)
 immoveable heritage – often left to the elements of nature which makes them vulnerable to
decay and corrosion. (ex. Banaue Rice Terraces)

Intangible Heritage are living expressions and traditions that groups and communities inherited from
their ancestors.
The Role of Museums in Preserving Human Heritage

MUSEUMS are institutions that collect, preserve, interpret, and display objects on a regular basis.
They are often repositories of archeological finds that allow people from the contemporary period to
reconstruct the culture and environment of their ancestors. Museums are convenient as people do
not need to travel to archeological and heritage sites.

The Importance of Museums 1

1. Museums document daily life. Recording everyday life within a culture is one of the most
important pieces of preserving it. With the rate at which cultures are disappearing, careful
preservation of daily life is the only hope a heritage group has for recovering its culture. Daily life
encompasses rituals, religion, foods, art, and any other facets that make a culture unique.

2. They educate others on local cultures. In order for a culture to be respected and survive
globalization, those of the dominant culture must be educated about minority cultures and their
way of life. The best way to do this is through a respectful display of local culture in a museum.

3. They display alternative perspectives on history. Many mainstream history courses and books
are biased, focusing on the perspective of the dominant culture and ignoring the thousands of
minority cultures with fascinating history to be told. Museums display histories, timelines, and
perspectives you may have never heard before, potentially altering the mind-sets of people who
have simply never been educated outside the mainstream culture.

4. They connect those of different backgrounds. Two types of people will visit museums in search
of information on other cultures: People with that heritage, and people interested in learning
about that heritage who come from a different background. Museums focused on heritage and
culture brings people together, creating a network of support for different minorities and groups.
It is support networks like these that prevent cultures from disappearing and languages from
dying.
The Role of Economic Organization in Human Adaptation

In ancient times to our modern period, various economic processes accompanied the societal
processes that were changing as the world was changing. All societies are also economic
organizations, in that all societies have to provide for the needs and wants of their people given the
scarcity of the resources they have, Throughout history, these economic processes have evolved in
terms of complexity, but all of these could be observed in ancient societies as we observe them in
our modern societies.

1
New Jersey Maritime Museum. https://njmaritimemuseum.org/the-importance-of-museums-preserving-local-culture/
TYPES OF ECONOMIC SUBSISTENCE. What have people done to provide for their needs & wants?
Foraging This is the most ancient type of economic subsistence where people were
dependent on hunting and gathering for food, and thus were moving from one place to
another to look for new food sources.

Pastoralism This is a type of economic subsistence in which people depended on tending to

domesticated herbivorous herds of animals for food. These people can still be nomadic, or
stay fixed in one place for a while and then move because of seasonal patterns (ex. during
winters)

Horticulture This is a type of economic subsistence by which people practice small-scale

farming and domesticating animals for food.

Agriculture This is a type of economic subsistence by which people practice large-scale

farming and where the population is fixed because the economic subsistence guarantees
more food security, leading to the birth of “civilization”.

Industrial/Digital A type of economic subsistence by which there is a surplus of food, and

food production is done not just for reasons of necessity, but for reasons of profit. The
resource use is extensive and expanding.

CONSUMPTION & EXCHANGE. What have people done to provide for their needs & wants?
Reciprocity You give something away, as you can expect something in return. This is an
exchange of commodities, based on receiving and returning the favor. This is done because it
strengthens bonds between social relationships like families, friends, and tribes and so on.
generalized reciprocity gift giving without any expectations of immediate return. (ex. your
dad and mom taking care of your basic needs)
balanced reciprocity expecting immediate return from any given favor. The value of
commodities exchanged is equal. (ex. getting 2 white rabbit candies for P 2)
negative reciprocity unequal relations between what is being given and what is returned.
The value of commodities exchanged is not the same. (ex. selling a Fake Apple iPhone for
the same price as the original)

Market Exchange This is when there is an exchange of commodities that is based on the
laws of supply and demand. The more people have demand for a certain commodity, the
market would respond by either producing more, or making the price of commodities higher.

Redistribution This is when the resources of

individuals are collected by a central
system/institution and are then redistributed to
the people it is concerned with.
taxes the people pay a part of their income to
the government, and the government
distributes it back as public services.
charity rich/well-off people pay donate to
charity institutions and charity institutions
provide aid to poor people.
tribute commoners pay valuable commodities
(ex. grain, gold) to the chief and the chief and
his family gain it to spend personally or to Jejomar Contawe draws mixed reactions
govern, then he redistributes part of it back to with his graduation slogan.
the people.

Table 3.3 Modes of Livelihood, Consumption and Exchange 2

Foraging Horticulture Pastoralism Agriculture Industrial/Digital

2
Barbara Miller. Cultural Anthropology, 7th Edition. Pearson (2017)
 Mode of Consumption Mode of Consumption
Minimalism Consumerism
Finite needs Infinite Needs
Social Organization of Consumption Social Organization of Consumption
Equality/sharing Class based inequality
Personalized products are consumed Depersonalized products are
consumed
Mode of Exchange Mode of exchange
Reciprocity Market exchange
Social Organization of Exchange Social Organization of Exchange
Small groups, face-to-face Anonymous market transactions

Primary Category of Exchange Primary Category of Exchange

The gift The sale
How did human beings group/organize themselves to facilitate survival in the past and in the present?

The Role of Sociopolitical Groups in Human Adaptation

BANDS are political organizations usually made up of 20-50 people related to each other based on
kinship ties. They are egalitarian and thus have little to no formal leadership. In other words, the
decision when to move and when to stay is usually based on group consensus rather than one
governing official calling the shots. To get food, bands depend on hunting and gathering, as such,
they are nomadic.

TRIBES are political organizations that are based on

kinship ties and are often composed of many families
(clans). They are less mobile than bands and tended to
be pastoral and horticultural. Power is passed
however, to a person who has special skills with
regards to a specific economic activity.

CHIEFDOMS are political organization that is based on

one leader who has absolute power over several
communities, and who is backed by laws, councils
and (supposedly) the gods. The Lumad IPs continue to oppose at least
three mining tenements that were approved
STATES are the most formal of political
by the government and cover around 17,000
organizations; it is one of the hallmarks of
hectares in the Pantaron mountain range.
“civilization”. The rules are written down and
formalized and people follow them. Political power is
centralized in a government (which contains many levels and covers a big territory) which may
legitimately use force to regulate the affairs of its citizens.

Theories about the Origins of the State 3

The state is a hierarchical and centralized decision-making organization which governs over a specific population.
The state emerged in Neolithic societies. These are some theories on why the states were formed.
1. Irrigation theory. The administrative needs of maintaining extensive irrigation systems may have been
the cause for state formation.
2. Circumscription theory. The state emerged when competition and warfare in conflict areas lead to the
subordination of defeated groups, who will be forced to submit to the control of the most powerful
group.
3. Trade theories. The organizational requirements of producing exportable items, redistributing
imported items and defending trading parties will foster state formation.
Table 3.4
  BAND TRIBE CHIEFDOM STATE
 

3
Miller, Cultural Anthropology.
Activity 3.4
3.2 Think
Post-Test
Like an Anthropologist
Number of People Dozens and up Hundreds and up Thousands and up  Tens of thousands and
(12-50) up 

Settlement Pattern Mobile or nomadic Nomadic or sedentary Fixed, two or more villages  Fixed, more than two
Activity 3.3 Fill-In Chart (fixed); 1 or more villages or cities 
villages

Basis of Relationship Kin  Kin, descent group Kin, rank and residence  Class or residence 
(clans, phratries)

Ethnicities and Language 1 1 1  1 or more

“Egalitarian”, Egalitarian or Big Centralized, hereditary, Centralized, and the

Government decisions are made man (authority only The chief has absolute government has many
by the entire on one tribe/single power and controls religion levels because of the
group. community. and politics in many territory. Has a legal
communities). system.

Food Production Hunting and Horticultural or Horticultural and pastoral Agricultural

gathering pastoral

2 Deepen

It is reasonable to assume that stone tools were not the only tools that the Homo used, given that
other materials were available for tools and a wider variety of uses existed than the probable
function of core tools, flake tools, and scrapers.
This exercise asks to do a mini-experimental study by imagining that you area living in an open
woodland environment like that of that archaic Homo. Imagine your daily life, including how you
obtain food and where you sleep at night.
Guide Questions
 Make a list of the activities you would  Assume you have 10 tools in your tool kit. Three of
perform over a them
24-hour period and what tools you might need for are made from stone: one core tool and two flake tools.
those activities. What are the other seven tools? What is the likelihood
 What materials in the savanna would that these other seven tools would be preserved in the
provide useful tools for performing these activities? archaeological record?

Suggested references: hraf.yale.edu; khanacademy.org

Use a 1-whole sheet of paper/short bond paper/yellow pad to fill in this chart.
CATEGORY Foraging Pastoralism Horticulture Agriculture Industrial/Digital
Survival
Strategies/Skill
s Needed
Tools Used to
Survive
Diet
Lifestyle
Examples of
Societies

3 Demonstrate
Activity 3.5 Personal Stories of Heritage

DIRECTIONS: Determine whether the following would be categorized as a characteristic of

Paleolithic or Neolithic societies. Draw a + for Paleolithic and an X for Paleolithic on the blank
provided before each number. (10 pts)

______ 1. hunters and foragers. ______ 2. small populations in bands.

______ 3. city-states. ______ 4. with social hierarchy and indicators.
______ 5. religious temples. ______ 6. nomadic.
______ 7. written language. ______ 8. the use of agricultural tools.
______9. Aurignacian Industry. ______10. the invention of fire.

DIRECTIONS: Write the letter of the correct answer on the space provided before each number.

______1. The earliest known homo species is the:

a. homo habilis. b. homo sapiens. c. homo erectus. d. homo africanus.
______ 2. The Acheulian stone tool industry was characterized by:
a. tools made from flint and bone. b. the Levalloisian technique.
c. stone axes. d. small ivory figurines.
______ 3. The tools people make and use, the clothing they wear and the buildings they live in are defined
as:
a. material culture. b. symbolic culture.
c. maladaptive culture. d. biological culture.
______ 4. Venus of Hohle Fels, the bone flutes, the Lascaux cave paintings were all created by the:
a. homo habilis. b. homo sapiens. c. homo erectus. d. homo africanus.
______ 5. If you have an organic small-scale strawberry farm and have five black pigs and there white cows.
What type of subsistence is she envisioning?
a. foraging. b. pastoralism. c. horticulture. d. agriculture.
______ 6. If former slaves are paid their wages from years of unpaid labor using government taxes. What
type of economic process is this?
a. generalized reciprocity. b. negative reciprocity.
c. balanced reciprocity. d. redistribution.
______ 7. How would we classify Miag-ao Church as a cultural heritage?
a. material and moveable. b. material and immoveable.
c. non-material and immoveable. d. non-material and moveable.
______ 8. The existence of social stratification and distinctions between who is elite and who is commoner
was first observed by anthropologists in what kind of political organization?
a. bands. b. chiefdoms. c. tribes. d. none of the above.
______ 9. The government getting taxes from people & reallocating these taxes into public services is an
example of:
a. redistributive practice. b. generalized reciprocity.
c. donation. d. non-material and moveable.
______ 10. What is NOT TRUE of bands?
a. Bands are the smallest of all the political organizations.
b. Relationships in bands depend on generalized reciprocity.
c. Bands rely on foraging and hunting for their economic subsistence.
d. Bands reside in fixed villages and are reliant on agriculture.
Directions: It is us human beings that determine whether a practice, a place or a thing is worth
preserving or not. Your activity is to think of something that is worth preserving in your community
right now—whether it is a practice, a place or a thing, as long as it is something of value to you, or
your friends or your family. To do this, create a one-page essay, with photograph/s that account for
the practice, place or thing along with a 2-3 minute audio recording about what this cultural/natural
heritage means for you, your family or your friends.
Just choose one to make a 1-page essay, take photos of, and do an audio recording for.
Type of Heritage Examples
Tangible moveable (ex. clothes, a camera, a phone)
Tangible immoveable (ex. a house, a park/plaza)
Intangible (ex. a movie, a song, a ritual)
Natural (ex. a beach, a hill)
Suggested references: https://museumonmainstreet.org/stories/search

RUBRICS
Criteria Superior (54-60 points) Sufficient (48-53 points) Minimal (1-47 points) Unacceptable (0 points)

Depth of Response demonstrates Response demonstrates a Response demonstrates a Response demonstrates a

Reflection an in-depth reflection on, general reflection on, and minimal reflection on and lack of reflection on and
and personalization of personalization of cultural personalization of cultural personalization of cultural
personal cultural heritage. heritage. heritage. heritage.

___/20

Required Response includes all 3 Response includes all Response is missing some Response excludes essential
Components components and meets or components and meets all components and/or does not components and/or does not
exceeds all requirements requirements indicated in the fully meet the requirements address the requirements
indicated in the instructions. indicated in the instructions. indicated in the instructions..
instructions.

___/20

Structure Writing and audio Writing and audio recording Writing and audio recording is Writing and audio recording
recording is clear, concise, is mostly clear, concise, and unclear and/or disorganized. is unclear and disorganized.
and well organized with well organized with good Thoughts are not expressed in a Thoughts ramble and make
excellent organization, logical manner. little sense..
organization/sentence/par sentence/paragraph
agraph construction. construction. Thoughts are
___/20 Thoughts are expressed in expressed in a coherent and
a coherent and logical logical manner.
manner.

Total

__/60

Summary
In this module, I learned that…
Contemporary human populations stand in stark contrast from our ancestors both in biological and
cultural characteristics.

Sources & References