Glossary

Term	Description
ritual	behavior that has become highly formalized and stereotyped.
sharecropping	working land owned by others for a share of the yield.
shifting cultivation	(swidden, slash and burn) a form of plant cultivation in which seeds are planted in the fertile soil prepared by cutting and burning the natural growth; relatively short periods of cultivation on the land are followed by longer periods of fallow.
slash and burn	a method of farming, also called swidden agriculture, by which fields are cleared, trees and brush are burned, and the soil, fertilized by the ash, is then planted.
social stratification	the ranking of subgroups in a society according to wealth, power, and prestige..
sociocultural anthropology	a branch of anthropology that deals with variations in patterns of social interaction and differences in cultural behavior.
subsistence practices	the methods a society uses to obtain its food and other necessities (e.g., foraging, pastoralism, horticulture, and intensive agriculture). The term \"subsistence pattern\" is often used interchangeably with subsistence base
totem	a mythical clan founding ancestor. Totem origins are so far back in time that they are often believed to be non-human. Totems are used as symbols of clans. When they are believed to be particular kinds of animals or plants, killing or eating them is usually not allowed. Totems are also referred to as \"totemic emblems\" . The \"totem poles\" made by the aquatic foraging Indians of Vancouver Island in Western Canada were often graphic representations of their totems and of supernatural beings.
tundra	treeless regions with permanently frozen soil. Tundra environments are found in the subarctic regions of the world and in some high mountains
unilineal descent	tracing kinship only through a single line of ancestors, male or female--i.e., descent links are traced only through ancestors of one gender. See also patrilineal descent.