The Systems-hierarchical Paradigm

At the base of the systems-hierarchical model is the physical environment where a society lives. The physical environment consists of the plant and animal life found locally and within the domain of the group. This includes wild animals, domesticated livestock, native flora and horticulturally grown plants. These physical inputs determine a base level of resources for production for the society. The group's population is dependent on the level which these resources can be utilized for sustenance and trade. Environments which are poor in biomass, generally cannot support a large population.

The environment a society lives in dictates the maximum population which can be sustained. Geographical areas with little to offer agriculturally or through hunting and

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This tend to serve as a warning not to separate into bands which cannot protect themselves militarily. Each band is kept busy between the need to continuously gather the food needed for their families and the need to protect their gardens, wives, and territories. The fissioning and warfare keep the bands from developing into more complex social organizations. This has advantages for the bands survival. The smaller size of the band means that each group can exploit the resources which it finds locally at a sustainable level. Any surplus food which is grown is either used by other members of the band or used to cement political alliances between bands. These alliances are needed to allow the members of the band to work in peace and safety from outside warfare. In addition the ritual exchange of gifts and food enhances the groups prestige within the larger tribal context. This effectively prevents a segmented class which is not required to spend full time on food gathering tasks. Without a surplus of production society is unable to progress to greater sociopolitical complexity. Settlement populations will remain small as long as there are no outside pressures to force local lineages to cooperate (Environment, Production,
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Approximate Word count = 4481
Approximate Pages = 18 (250 words per page)