Dynamics of cultural transmission in Native Americans of the high Great Plains.

ABSTRACT: Culture is a phenomenon shared by all humans. Attempts to understand how dynamic factors affect the origin and distribution of cultural elements are, therefore, of interest to all humanity. As case studies go, understanding the distribution of cultural elements in Native American communities during the historical period of the Great Plains would seem a most challenging one. Famously, there is a mixture of powerful internal and external factors, creating-for a relatively brief period in time-a seemingly distinctive set of shared elements from a linguistically diverse set of peoples. This is known across the world as the "Great Plains culture." Here, quantitative analyses show how different processes operated on two sets of cultural traits among nine High Plains groups. Moccasin decorations

SUBMITTER: Lycett SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4221622 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature