A New Culture

By Nic Carlson
Cultural Anthropology 4/27/2010

Nic Carlson Cultural Anthropology Jim Woods 9 a.m.

Breaking news!!! A new culture has just been discovered off the coast of Chile in South America. The once thought to be abandoned island of Hunuco has recently proven to hold an indigenous tribe called the Abookoo Tribe. The island of Hunuco is located about 200 miles off the coast of Chile and is about 75 square miles in size. Due to the islands thriving ecosystem, the soil has proven ideal for growing crops and the open grass plains allow for the managing livestock. Llamas and alpacas are domesticated to use as tools for the tribe. The Abookoo tribe domesticate cattle, sheep and goats for their source of meat. This tribe practices mixed farming. Mixed farming is when a culture grows crops and breeds animals for meat. They use llamas and alpacas to pack luggage and farm equipment such as shovels and hoes. They use the incredible alpaca fiber to make soft clothing such as socks and sweaters. This tribe is extremely friendly and has shown no sign of violence. The members of the Abookoo Tribe are extremely skilled farmers. They grow many different types of potatoes and many other vegetables along with wheat and maize. They are experts at fishing as well. An Abookian fishing pole is about 12 ft. long and is made of strong alder wood. The population of the tribe is about 50 Abookian. All of them share the same location and a common ancestor. It is important to keep the tribe population steady because if there are too many people in the tribe, then there could be a resource shortage.

Nic Carlson Cultural Anthropology Jim Woods 9 a.m.

There are many religious stories believed by the Abookoo. One of them is the story of the amazing Yulariam. Yulariam is the maker of the Abookoos crops. According to the story, Yulariam was originally an alpaca. One day while out grazing, mother earth spoke to Yulariam through the grass. Mother Earth told Yulariam that the herd had to move to a different land because the mother could no longer support the herd in that location. She guided the herd to a far off valley where there would be plenty to eat and drink as long as they stayed in the valley and gave the land respect in return. For years the alpacas lived and thrived in the valley. The alpacas slowly started to get tired of eating grass everyday, so they began to wander off a bit to find a different taste of food. This displeased mother earth very much. She isolated the valley from the rest of the land and set the valley on fire. Yulariam felt so sorry for upsetting mother earth that when his body was burned, the sorrow in his heart soaked into the land and allowed for plantation to arise again. Yulariam has blessed the Abookoo Tribe with quality soil which produces plenty of good crops for today and for years to come. However, if the Abookoo Tribe disrespect the land as the alpacas did, they will be cursed by Yulariam and be forced into exile. The members of the Abookoo Tribe have no official government. There is only an unspoken hierarchy. Within the tribe, there is one official known as the Amuri. The Amuri is the so called chief. Although there is no official vote, the Amuri is the most respected member of the tribe. This person is a very generous and giving person. They must be extremely unselfish.

Nic Carlson Cultural Anthropology Jim Woods 9 a.m.

They give gifts when they have nothing to spare and they think of nothing but the well being of the others. The Amuri can be male or female. This significant person makes all of the tribes major decisions such as where to plant food and where to locate the tribe. When a child is born in the tribe, he or she will not be named until they are able to speak the Abookian language. When the child is able to speak like a human, the tribe will hold a naming ceremony to give the child a name that fits. A person may get their name changed several times during their lifetime. As the person passes from a child to a teenager, the parents choose whether or not to change their childs name. As this person enters the realm of adulthood, it is that persons choice whether or not to change their name again. The Abookoo live in huts called Factems. An ordinary factem is made of hard Alder wood lumber and big leaves. The fact has 3 rooms: A kitchen, a dining room, and one bedroom. The entire family sleeps in the single bedroom which tends to be a bit large. Kinship within the tribe can be a bit confusing but this is what makes this tribe unique. When a child is born, it is the fathers sisters husband who takes in the child. The Abookian tribe sees that it is extremely important not to practice incest taboo breeding within the tribe. To avoid this, marriages are appointed as soon as the child is born. The child is preferably appointed marriage to a second cousin. This is called endogamy. The tribe practices monogamy as well, which is a marriage in which both partners have one spouse.

Nic Carlson Cultural Anthropology Jim Woods 9 a.m.

Men and females are treated equally within the tribe. Women hunt and fish just as much as the men do. Children in the tribe are taught at a young age to cook and clean around the hut. As the child gets older, he or she learns to make and use tools. The Abookoo have no need to construct hunting weapons as they have no need to hunt. The use tools such as hammers, knives, pulleys, and machetes. This tribe has proven to be extremely interesting and unique. Anthropologists are going wild to get all this information about this tribe and preserve it. Hopefully we can learn something from the Abookoo tribe that can teach us something about life itself.