Unit 1 Peoples and Places INTRODUCTION People and

Unit 1: Peoples and Places INTRODUCTION

People and Places looks at the interaction between the peoples of South-East Asia and their various environments across time and space. People shape and are shaped by the places where they live. The lessons in this unit allows to appreciate the diversity of South-East Asian landscapes through the history of people in diverse environments.

People and Places Objectives v Examine history of interaction between People (communities) and their Places (environments) v Highlight shared environments across the region and shared experiences interacting with them v Draw attention to how people in Southeast Asia shape and are shaped by the places where they live

Presentation Structure • I. Introduction to Unit I and Core Content • II. Sample Lesson Plans • III. Strategies for Customization

I: Unit I and Core Content • A. Trans-Regional Crossroad – 2 zones: mainland, insular – Foothills of the Himalayas, north-south mountain ranges – Crossroads of the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean

(I: Unit I and Core Content ) • B. Variation in Southeast Asia – Many languages, diverse practices – Spiritworship/Supernaturalism + world religions – Multiple Ethnicities/Races

(I. Unit I & Core Content) • C. Monsoon Climate – Tropical warm weather with regular monsoon seasons – NE Monsoon and SW Monsoon – Different fauna and flora emerge in this monsoon zone

(I. Unit I & Core Content) • D. Landscapes Types* § Lowlands: river-valley systems, plains, wetlands, and tropical forests § Highlands: plateaus, hills, and mountain ranges. § Coastlands: seas, deltas, marshes, and mangrove forests * Each available throughout the region, w/ the exception of Laos (no coastland)

Lowlands, Highlands, and Coastlands

(I. Unit I and Core Content) • E. Community Formation – Trade and agricultural cycles connected to seasonal rains, flooding rivers, coastal winds – Communities orient themselves to trade, agriculture or both – Different types of communities form according to socio-economic orientation

(I. UNIT I & Core Content) • (E. Community Formation) – (Different types of community develop) • Lowland Agricultural-Economic Centers • Port-Cities, commercial orientation

(I. Unit I & Core Content) • F. Shared Regional Patterns – Shared material culture develops – Shared worldviews develops – Shared lifestyles develops – Shared patterns of social relations

Welcome to Unit 1: Peoples and Places The unit is composed of 6 independent lessons. Given the diversity of topics, background information for the lessons is provided in their respective lesson kits.

Overview Geography • Highland, lowland, and coastal communities lived in different environments. • They have different nationalities, borders languages, religions, and ethnicities. • However, they also shared experiences. Environmen t Material conditions Meteorology

L on s s e 1 L on ess 3 son s e L 5 n 6 son s e L 2 so Les son s e L 4

(I. Unit I & Core Concepts) Java Plains Bagan Plains

(I. UNIT I & Core Concepts) Highlands SEA

(I. UNIT I & Core Concepts) Coastlands Philippines Coastlands Thailand

(I. UNIT I: Core Concepts) • Key Concepts § Southeast Asia has similar landscapes and environments (Places) § Southeast Asians interact with landscapes and environments in similar ways § Southeast Asians share similar histories of adaptation and interaction § Shared ways of adaptation and interaction connect communities (People) across the region

II. Lesson Plans • LP I. Irrawaddy Flood Plains: The Kingdom of Bagan • Lowlands/Dry Zone of Myanmar • 11 th – 14 th centuries • Rice Agricultural economy • River-Irrigation system Bagan during the wet season

(II. Lesson Plans) • (LP 1. Irrawaddy Flood Plains) – Objective: How can an environment such as a dry zone support a major civilization? – Key Idea: Understand the relationship between environment and culture. – Sample Activity: Inscription

(II. Lesson Plans) • LP 2. Balinese Rice Plains: Religion & Rice – Lowlands, wet-rice terrace farming – Village controlled Balinese watertemple-network to manage water and social relations – Hindu-Buddhist folktales, myths and agriculture

(II. Lesson Plans) • (LP 2. Balinese Rice Plains) – Objective: Demonstrate awareness of beliefs connected to wet-rice agriculture – Key Idea: social relations and agriculture practices connected to religious practices – Sample Activity: Read myth of Dewi for evidence about social relations

(II. Lesson Plans) • Lowland Comparisons and Strategies § Comparison between centrally controlled temple irrigation in Bagan and village temple water management in Bali § Role of Buddhism in Bagan and role of Hinduism in Bali demonstrate different environments but similar function of temples in relation to food production § Teachers might think about a familiar lowland agricultural example from their home country and compare with either Bali or Bagan.

(II. Lesson Plans) • LP 3. Northern Thai Highlands: The Kingdom of Lanna – Smaller highland kingdom 13 th 18 th centuries – Agriculture and Overland Trade oriented – Multiple ties to different centers

(II. Lesson Plans) • (LP 3. Northern Thai Highlands: The Kingdom of Lanna) – Objective: Relationship between population size, environment, an society – Key Idea: Challenging environments produced different solutions for food production – Sample Activity: Mountain vs. Plains role play (for food).

(II. Lesson Plans) • LP 4. Highland Houses: Honai and Tongkonan – Homes built according to indigenous beliefs of Torajan people – Homes built in connection to cardinal directions – Both homes for extended families

(II. Lesson Plans) • LP 4. Highland Houses: Honai and Tongkonan – Objective: Address how cultural values are expressed materially – Key Idea: Highland environment requires certain house; also points to values – Sample Activity: Photo comparison of homes in Honai and Tongkonan

(II. Lesson Plans II) • Highland Comparisons and Strategies § Comparison of Lanna case study with Honai/Tongkonan points to how highland life creates different responses for kingdom and families § The two lessons provide different examples over time and space of how social or political relations are affected by the environment § Teachers might choose a highland kingdom or home from their own country or choose to examine the nature of the house in their own highlands for comparison

(II. Lesson Plan) • LP 5. West Coast Malay Peninsula: The Kingdom of Malacca – Founded early 16 th century – Service trade between China and India; establishes network of sub-ports – System of taxation, port duties, and protection

(II. Lesson Plans) (LP 5: West Coast Malay Peninsula) – Objective: Understand the development of coastal communities – Key Idea: Coastal city-ports thrived due to their strategic location – Sample Activity: Map exercise (examine why Malacca was so strategic)

(II. Lesson Plans) • LP 6. The Coral Triangle Coastlands: The Sama/Bajau – Sea-farers live on their boats and amongst the different islands of SEA – Hunter-gatherers on water, played an important role in trade networks – Social life dictated by water

(II. Lesson Plans) • LP 6. The Coral Triangle Coastlands: The Sama/Bajau – Objective: Understand how the environment influences Bajau people’s worldview – Key Idea: seascape shapes water-farers’ view of the world – Sample Activity: examine account by Bajau case study and examine his view of fishing

(II. Lesson Plans) • Coastland Comparisons and Strategies § Compare Malacca with Coral Triangle case studies for perspective of coastland experience in the past and in the present; one at the level of a kingdom and at the level of the individual or family unit § Students can think about how orientation towards the sea effects way of life (commercial) and mobile lifestyles § Teachers might study one of their own coastal port cities or local sea-folk and compare that history to Malacca or the Coral Triangle peoples

III. Strategies for Customization • Incorporating into the classroom § Identify a people and/or place from your own country residing in a highland, lowland, or coastland in the past or present § List the specific features of the chosen place in your own country and its history of community formation § Identify key beliefs, rituals, or celebrations of the chosen people connected to this place in your own country § Note distinctive ways people adapt to the environment or reshape the environment; compare with a case study in Unit I

(III. Strategies for Customization) • Example – Choose the Mekong River Plain – Identify a people or community that is a part of your own country’s history/ethnography – Note the features of the environment (Mekong) and the people’s lifeways – Compare with the Bagan and/or Bali