A Description of the Zulu and Andes Peoples
This is an analysis of the physical and cultural adaptations of the Zulu and Andes Indian people. Whether the description of adaptation or race is a stronger explanatory tool will also be discussed.
Zulu
The Zulu people historically lived in what is now KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (2). The temperature can range on average, from 82 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer to 73 to 52 degrees in the winter. On average South Africa receives approximately 464 mm of rain. The climate of KwaZulu-Natal generally ranges from hot to moderate (1). South Africa as a whole is also relatively close to the equator.
Due to being exposed to a high level of ultraviolet light, the Zulu people have increased melanin production in their skin. This melanin protects the skin from the damage of ultraviolet light, in turn protecting the DNA from damage and the people from maladaptive mutations such as cancer (3).
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| Zulu women (10). |
The traditional clothing worn by Zulu people appears to be relatively light and breathable, leaving a large percentage of the body exposed. This would provide aid in a hot climate by enabling more efficient evaporative cooling, providing relief in the high temperature (4).
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| Zulu men, wearing traditional clothing (10). |
If I were asked to describe the race of the Zulu, I would describe them as Black. This is due to the higher concentration of eumelanin in their skin, and the fact that African Americans who share their skin color are also described as Black (3).
To anthropologists I would imagine that the descriptions of adaptations and the environment of the Zulu would be more useful than simply describing them as Black.
Andean Indians
The Andean Indians live in the Andes mountains at altitudes of 17,100 feet (5). At the high altitudes there is a decrease in oxygen levels, low enough to cause discomfort and illness in people used to lower altitudes.
Due to reduced oxygen levels, the indigenous people of the Andes mountains have developed increased levels of hemoglobin in their blood and a larger lung capacity. Combined, these adaptations lead to more efficient oxygen carriage within the circulatory system (8).
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| Peruvian Indian Woman with red cheeks, correlated with increased hemoglobin and oxygen transport in the blood (8). |
To counter the challenge of oxygen intake, the Andean Indians have also gained cultural adaptations to assist in high altitude survival. The Andean Indians see an increased level of polycythemia, a condition causing thickened blood (6). This illness is strongly correlated with residing in high altitude environments due to the need for more hemoglobin in the bloodstream (7). The downside of this condition is that it can cause fatigue and headaches. The Andean Indians chew coca leaves to remedy these ailments (6). The chewing of the coca leaf is a cultural adaptation against issues caused by high altitude residency.
Coca Plant (9).
The traditional race that best describes the Andean Indians would be Native American or Indigenous South American. This is due to them living in the Americas and there not being any better alternatives.
The words used to indicate races are broad umbrella terms that leave out a lot of detail. The specific adaptations used by various peoples say much more about a person's physiology and culture than their race.
https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031244/https://southafrica-info.com/south-africa-weather-climate/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zulu
https://www.palomar.edu/anthro/adapt/adapt_4.htm
https://www.palomar.edu/anthro/adapt/adapt_2.htm
https://www.britannica.com/place/Andes-Mountains/The-people
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/202075
https://humgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40246-018-0169-z
https://www.palomar.edu/anthro/adapt/adapt_3.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20100910233535/http://www.angelfire.com/planet/dbotany/differences.htm
https://www.flickr.com/photos/waltercallens/albums/72157628277901575/with/6500286433/
Zulu:
ReplyDeleteOkay but can you explain what specific environmental stresses they experience?
Good on your physical adaptation, but you mention this is in response to high solar radiation levels. This should have been included in the first paragraph.
Great explanation on the cultural adaptation.
I generally agree with your choice of race for the Zulu.
Andean:
I appreciate that you discuss the high altitude stress for your environmental section, but the environment includes a lot more factors! What about cold stress? High altitude stress?
Polycythemia is an illness, NOT an adaptation. Adaptations help address a stress and maintain homeostasis in the body. An illness like polycythemia indicates something is wrong, not that a body is adapting to the environment.
You are confusing this with just a normal increase in hemoglobin that is *helpful* to a body in a high altitude environment. That IS adaptive.
"The Andean Indians chew coca leaves to remedy these ailments"
This has been suggested to be a cultural practice that helps with symptoms of high altitude sickness.
I agree with your choice of race, but it's tough to choose a race here, isn't it? Asian population and native American populations share a relatively recent common ancestry, as it was Asian populations that crossed over from Asia to North America some 14,000 years ago (approximately... dates are up to debate). So we definitely see some traditionally "Asian" traits in native American indigenous populations. But they are not longer "Asians". They've been here too long and have evolved their own distinctive features. Perhaps the most logical race would be native American Indian.
"The words used to indicate races are broad umbrella terms that leave out a lot of detail."
I agree, but this doesn't speak to the issue of "explanatory power".
Let's dig a bit deeper into this:
Race is not based in biology but is a social construct, based in beliefs and preconceptions, and used only to categorize humans into groups based upon external physical features, much like organizing a box of crayons by color. Race does not *cause* adaptations like environmental stress do, and without that causal relationship, you can't use race to explain adaptations. Race has no explanatory value over human variation.
Additional note: Good images.
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