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Poster (Stephanie)
By: Stephanie Hattok
Superstructure:
Worship of the Great Spirt
Elder Respect
Medicine Men
Social Structure:
Uncentralized Political System
Egalitarian
Bi-Lateral Descent
Monogamy
Arranged Marriage
Nuclear-Family, Neolocal Residence in Mobile Tipis
Multiple Households in Groups of Conjugal, Extended Families
Infrastructure:
Horticulture: Corn, Squash, Beans, Tobacco
Hunting: Bison, Skunk, Fish, Fowl, Grazing and Small Animals
Gathering: Wild Fruits, Roots, Sugar Maple, Eggs from Foul, Nuts and Acorns, Tea
Gift Exchange
Generalized Reciprocity Within Tribe
Balanced Reciprocity Outside of Tribe
Environment: Temperate Grassland
Conjugal, Extended Families of Less Than 50 People
Total Population: Approx. 10,000
Written Paper To Go Along With the Poster:
The poster expresses the Kocoum in great detail. It includes information from the sections on the wiki that describes our superstructure, social structure, infrastructure, environment, and demographics in the form of the barrel model. There are symbols found on the poster that represent pieces of our culture, but much of the information is in short written form. 
Our superstructure, or religious beliefs and core ideals, includes: worshiping the Great Spirit, respecting the wise elders of the tribe, and the use of medicine men. The medicine men are one way to communicate to the Great Spirit, but we also contact it by way of music. This is why a drum is found on our poster. It is the focal point of our ceremonies because its rhythmic pounding opens up the connection to the Great Spirit.
Our social structure is composed of our political system, social organization, kinship, family, and household. We, the Kocoum, are an uncentralized political system. We are egalitarian with bi-lateral
descent. This separates us from many other cultures. Men and women all equally valued and there are not distinguished levels of economic wealth. The symbols of man and woman set with an equal sign are found on our poster to proudly represent our egalitarianism. Without a leader or written laws that many other cultures rely on, decisions are made by the group. We typically believe in arranged monogamy. The married couple creates their own nuclear family and neolocal home, a mobile tipi (which is represented on our poster). These nuclear families stick together in groups or bands of extended, conjugal families. This is why you see two feathers on our poster. They symbolize the saying, “birds of a feather flock together.” We are dependent upon one another for survival and therefore work well together and avoid conflict and ostracism. These extended families work together in their infrastructure, which includes subsistence and exchange. We are foragers but also grow some small crops, depending on the season. Our horticulture is primarily composed of corn, squash, beans, and tobacco. We hunt bison, skunk, fish, fowl, and grazing a
nd small animals. We gather wild fruit, roots, sugar maple, eggs from fowl, nuts and acorns, and tea. The corn, berries, and buffalo on our poster simply represent our types of subsistence. We, the Kocoum, believe in gift exchange. Gift exchange within our tribe is considered generalized reciprocity. The value of gifts and the time of repayment are not measured. This is very different from many cultures – some require payments in markets for goods, others only trade one item for another. They care more about themselves and what they will get out of the deal. We feel that generalized exchange brings our tribe closer together, we help each other out without expecting something equal in return. Everyone’s needs are fulfilled. Outside of our tribe however, we do practice balanced reciprocity. 
The temperate grassland is our home. This is depicted by the tea-stained landscape background and tall grass on the poster. The Indian Blanket flowers also represent our environment. The small bands of conjugal, extended families on this land are composed of less than 50 people. Our total population can be assumed to be around 10,000, but it is hard to tell without any written documentation. Many may question why we do not attempt conquering more land and people or why we do not try to build an economy and make more wealth. With the way that our culture is structured, we are perfectly content with our lifestyles. The land and Great Spirit offer us everything we could possibly want, and we only take what we need. We have no desire for wealth and many belongings because it would only slow our mobility. We do not believe anyone is better than anyone else. And, by sharing goods, no one goes without. We work hard, but our simple life also leaves time for family and ceremonies. We are stable and happy.
snhattok |
Latest page update: made by snhattok
, Nov 16 2008, 5:43 PM EST
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Keyword tags:
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| enw2714 | poster | 1 | Nov 19 2008, 5:14 PM EST by snhattok | ||
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Thread started: Nov 16 2008, 8:55 PM EST
Watch
Wow, Stephanie. This looks nice. I like the birds of a feather symbolism too. Thanks for all your hard work. Are you an art major or some sort?
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| Amanda25 | Color Scheme | 0 | Nov 11 2008, 7:54 PM EST by Amanda25 | ||
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Thread started: Nov 11 2008, 7:54 PM EST
Watch
i vote for the reds and browns, but if you can add in the greens and straw colors without it getting too cluttered that'd fit well too!
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| ag6215 | Color Scheme | 0 | Nov 6 2008, 4:12 PM EST by ag6215 | ||
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Thread started: Nov 6 2008, 4:12 PM EST
Watch
I personally like Red, so I'd vote for the red one also. I Agree it has a little more indian feel. But roaming the grasslands, I can see where Green would be good also...but I'd vote for the red.
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