🧩Holism

The approach of studying cultures as integrated wholes rather than parts.

🚶Hominin

A member of the human lineage after the split from chimpanzees.

🔥Homo Erectus

An early human species that used fire and spread out of Africa.

🧑Homo Sapiens

The modern human species, originating in Africa around 300,000 years ago.

🌱Horticulture

A small-scale farming system using simple hand tools.

🗣️Informant

A community member who provides cultural knowledge to a researcher.

👪Kinship

The system of social relationships based on descent and marriage.

📖Kinship Terminology

The set of words a culture uses to classify relatives.

🐚Kula Ring

A ceremonial exchange system of shell valuables in the Trobriand Islands.

🗨️Language

A system of symbols and rules used for communication within a culture.

🌳Lineage

A descent group tracing ancestry from a common ancestor.

💭Linguistic Relativity

The idea that language shapes how speakers perceive and think.

🪨Lithic Technology

The manufacture and use of stone tools by early humans.

✨Magic

Ritual practices intended to influence events through supernatural means.

🏺Material Culture

The physical objects and artifacts created and used by a society.

👩Matrilineal Descent

A kinship system tracing ancestry through the mother's line.

🏥Medical Anthropology

The study of health, illness, and healing across cultures.

🪨Mousterian

A stone tool industry associated with Neanderthals.

📜Myth

A traditional sacred narrative explaining origins and natural phenomena.

🪨Neanderthal

An extinct human species that lived in Europe and western Asia.

🐫Nomadism

A way of life involving continuous movement rather than permanent settlement.

🦴Paleoanthropology

The study of ancient human ancestors through fossils and artifacts.

👀Participant Observation

A method where the researcher joins daily life while observing it.

🐐Pastoralism

A subsistence strategy based on herding domesticated animals.

👨Patrilineal Descent

A kinship system tracing ancestry through the father's line.

👩‍👨‍👦Polyandry

A form of marriage in which one woman has multiple husbands.

👨‍👩‍👧Polygyny

A form of marriage in which one man has multiple wives.

🎁Potlatch

A ceremonial gift-giving feast practiced by Indigenous Northwest Coast peoples.

💎Prestige Economy

A system where status is gained through generous giving rather than accumulation.

🐒Primate

A mammal order including lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans.