MaterialWorld

Editor's Notes

• #2 S The following slides feature the homes and possessions of twelve families whose environments and lifestyles differ from each other in significant ways. Material World photographer Peter Menzel traveled to various countries and invited families to be photographed for this project. Each family that agreed to participate was asked to place all of its possessions in front of the family home. This created the scene we see in each family’s “Big Picture.” The photographs provide a revealing glimpse into the families’ daily lives. They also reveal information about the societies in which the families live and their most important values. As you go through the following slides, think about the similarities and differences between the various families and their environments and cultures. In what ways can you relate to each family’s experience? What are the most striking differences between your life and theirs?
• #3 S
• #4 S Bhutan is a tiny, mountainous country nestled between India and Tibet. Its people practice Buddhism and live a very traditional lifestyle. Most people farm and live in small villages. In an effort to preserve the country’s traditional characteristics, the Bhutanese government allows relatively few tourists to enter the country each year. The Bhutanese people have a low life expectancy, a high rate of infant mortality, and high levels of infectious disease. In recent years, however, Bhutan has made significant advances in longevity and curtailing disease: for example, life expectancy has gone up nearly 12 years in the past decade alone, and increased access to safe water and sanitation has reduced the spread of infection-based illnesses. Government programs have made plastic pipe available for bringing water from unpolluted sources to people’s homes and have also mandated the use of pit latrines in place of “going bush.” Bhutan still has to deal with environmental degradation that has resulted from large livestock herds that overgraze, as well as a rising demand for wood to be used for fuel. The following slides present a photograph of the Namgay family and their home in the small village of Shinka, Bhutan.
• #5 S (Give students approximately one minute to view the image, then move on to the following slide.)
• #6 S Brown and green are the dominant colors. Bhutan is still an agrarian country, and therefore much of it is covered in farmland (brown) and pasture (green).
• #7 S The family does agricultural work, including laboring in the field and tending to their cattle. We can see the cattle to the right of the house. We can see some farming implements to the left of the family in this picture. Since the fields lie all around the house, the family does not need to travel far from their home to do their work. This family owns five acres of land. The main work involving some travel from home is collecting firewood. The uncle walks into the hills each morning to collect wood so that the family can cook meals.
• #8 S Most houses in Bhutan are traditional structures built of compacted earth. Thus, the house appears “earth colored.” It is made from easily acquired materials available locally. A house may last only 20 or 30 years, but because it is built of earth and wood it readily recycles itself into the land.
• #9 S The animals live under this part of the house. Traditionally in Bhutan, animals live on the ground floor; the second floor holds the kitchen, prayer room, and sleeping rooms; and the top floor is used to store food for both the family and the animals. Because flies breed in the animal manure on the ground floor, and the house’s windows have neither glass or screens, flies can become very bothersome during the warmer months. This causes a health problem that the government has tried to address by requiring that families no longer keep animals under the house, but instead place them in a separate corral or barn.
• #10 S The items above and below the window are harvested bunches of wheat and mustard stems for the animals. The bundles—or sheaves—are beaten to extract the seeds, which are then pressed to get grain for flour or mustard oil for cooking. The remaining plant stems are then fed to the animals.
• #11 S In front of the family, we see offering bowls, a statue of the Buddha, a prayer book, and other items important to the family’s Buddhist religion. Most of the objects are made of metal, which the family would have needed to buy or acquire outside their home rather than make themselves. They appear in the foreground of the photograph because the family considers them their most valued possessions. (Teacher’s note: the photographer asked the family to choose the most treasured items from their house and put them in a prominent place for the photo.)
• #12 S These are dried red chilies. This is an important Bhutanese food, eaten with most meals along with rice and whichever fresh vegetable might be in season. They are quite hot, but their spiciness adds a lot to the red rice, cheese, and vegetable dishes that the family eats every day.
• #13 S No modern technology as we know it appears in or around this house. We see no television, radio, or even a refrigerator. This indicates that the family lives in a very traditional way, probably much as families in this area have lived for many centuries. This photograph was taken in 1994. The family’s village got electricity in 2001, but the family still has no television or modern appliances because they cannot afford them. However, they do have light bulbs and a radio.
• #14 S There are many obvious differences between life in Bhutan and life in the United States. Almost everyone in the United States has a number of modern technological appliances in their home. Few people in the United States rely on agricultural subsistence for their livelihood. Most Americans practice Western religions, such as Christianity and Judaism, and therefore have different types of religious symbols then this Buddhist family does. In Bhutan, most rural homes still do not have electricity so families do not watch television. Newspapers do not reach the villages, so most people receive the news either over the radio or by word of mouth. Many families in Bhutan have little contact with the outside world.
• #15 S People in the photo [foreground]: Nalim (53, family matriarch and wife of Namgay), Zekom (9, daughter of Nalim and Namgay), Bangum (also called Kinley, 21, daughter of Nalim and Namgay), and Namgay (57, family patriarch and husband of Nalim); [background] Sangay (wife of Sangay Kandu) holding Tandin Wangchuck (7 months), Sangay Kandu (husband of Sangay), Sangay Zam (12, daughter of Sangay Kandu and Sangay), Chato Geltshin (12, son of Sangay Kandu and Sangay), Geltshin (9, son of Sangay Kandu and Sangay), Choeden (16, daughter of Sangay Kandu and Sangay), Chato Namgay (14, monk, son of Sangay Kandu and Sangay), and Drupchu (50, brother of Nalim).
• #16 S Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. Its northern shore lies only 90 miles south of the southern tip of Florida. In the 19th century, Cuba was a Spanish colony and a major sugar producer, primarily because of the significant number of African slaves who worked on the plantations. During the Spanish-American War in 1898, the United States helped the Cubans win their independence from Spain — although the U.S. military occupied Cuba until 1909. Though technically a democracy, for most of the first half of the 20th century Cuba was ruled by a series of dictators. In 1959, Fidel Castro led a successful revolution and transformed Cuba into a socialist state. Under Castro’s leadership, Cuba has developed the best health and education systems in Latin America, but has also experienced repression and suffered economically from a debilitating trade embargo by the United States, whose government considers Castro an enemy. You will now meet the Costa family of Havana.
• #17 S
• #18 S The family lives in the capital city of Havana. The houses sit very close to one another, which indicates that this is a densely populated urban area. If we look above the rooftops on this street, we can see evidence of buildings on other blocks.
• #19 S These buildings appear quite old. We can see a good deal of chipped paint, particularly on the building to the far left. The house in which the family resides, number 9015, looks like it has a fresh coat of paint, but the roof does not look new. The buildings appear dilapidated partly because the families’ that live in them don’t have the money to fully maintain them, and partly because of Cuba’s humid tropical climate. Many buildings like this in Havana are also very old: some date back to the era of Spanish colonization, which began in the 16th century and continued for almost 400 years.
• #20 S We can see two televisions, two refrigerators, two sewing machines, several fans, at least one radio, and two cars in the background. These appliances and vehicles appear rather old compared to what most people have in the United States. In Cuba, a communist country, it’s not as easy to find and purchase new appliances or cars. The government regulates the quantity and price of goods sold and rations what each family can purchase. Modern technology can also be quite expensive, and few people in communist countries—especially in relatively poor ones like Cuba—have the disposable income to buy more than the bare necessities.
• #21 S The Costa family almost certainly has close contact with its neighbors. With houses this close together—all with front porches—and on a street this narrow, it seems inevitable that neighbors would get to know each other.
• #22 S We can see at least three generations in this picture. The grandparents sit in chairs to the left of the parents and children. We also see aunts, uncles, and cousins. The picture therefore shows two sets of parents with their children. This is called an extended family, meaning not just the immediate family (traditionally the father, mother, and children) but also grandparents, aunts, and uncles living together as well. In Cuba, extended families commonly reside together—largely for cultural and economic reasons. The grandparents might take care of the children while their parents work, or other family members might take care of older relatives who can no longer take care of themselves. Also, several families living together can pool their money and reach a higher standard of living than they might have if they lived in three separate homes. Think about the reasons why it might be cheaper for an extended family to live together. (Note to teacher: The people on the left are neighbors watching the process of making a family portrait with all the family’s possessions outside the house. The people in the background are also neighbors.)
• #23 S We can see some palm trees in the far background, at the end of the street, and planted in a pot next to the sofa where part of the family sits. Palm trees grow in warmer subtropical climates. Cuba has a warm and humid climate. We can also tell that it was warm on the day this photo was taken because the family members are wearing short-sleeved clothing.
• #24 S Left to right, front row: Euripedes Costa (husband of Angelina, father of Eulina, Ramon, and Orlando), Angelina Allouis (wife of Euripedes, mother of Eulina, Ramon, and Orlando), Eulina Costa Allouis (42, daughter of Euripedes and Angelina and mother of Iris and Javier), Iris (daughter of Eulina), and Javier (son of Eulina). Back row: Sandra Raymond (wife of Ramon, mother of Lisandra and Favio), Lisandra (16, daughter of Sandra and Ramon), Ramon Allouis Costa (son of Euripedes and Angelina, husband of Sandra, father of Lisandra and Favio), and Favio (6, son of Sandra and Ramon). Far back: Orlando Costa Allouis and his wife and two children (who were not part of the original Material World picture because they didn’t live nearby at the time). Although the house seems to have gotten smaller as the children got bigger, part of the reason may be the increase in material possessions as well. New possessions in the Euripedes house: television, fan, two large chairs, sofa covering, dining room set, telephone, blender, dish washer, gas stove, wall clock, and wall hanging. New in Eulina’s House: gas stove, ceramic deer, television, VCR, television stand, black and white television, and wall hanging. New in Ramon’s house: television, boombox, leather briefcase (Sandra’s), dining room set, wireless phone; couch, chairs, low white table, and two new dogs.
• #25 S Mali is a West African country with enormous mineral resources and a vibrant culture that has produced unique sculpture, music, and architecture. Despite these assets, the people of this sparsely populated and impoverished country have a much lower life expectancy and a higher infant mortality rate than people in most other countries. From the 13th to the 16th century, Mali was a wealthy kingdom that served as a crossroads between northern Islamic and southern African cultures. The French colonized this region in the 1880s and ruled it until 1960. In the following slides, you will learn about the Natomo family of Kouakourou, Mali.
• #27 S The family has very few possessions compared with the average American family. Most of the possessions are related to food preparation. The only modern technology we can see is a radio at the feet of the man on the left. While this family is poor by Western standards, they are economically average for the rural village in which they live.
• #28 S This house is made of mud, including the roof. In this desert environment, it’s not easy to find enough wood to build a house. The family’s village lies on the Niger River. Earth and water are readily accessible here, so most people here build their houses out of mud bricks and then plaster them over with more mud. The thick earthen walls provide good insulation, keeping the buildings relatively cool in the hot, dry climate. The vast majority of houses in Mali are built of mud.
• #29 S Nothing in this photo would lead us to believe that this home has electricity. In fact, the entire village lacks electricity. The only common examples of modern technology in the village are battery-powered radio boomboxes, on which men enjoy listening to soccer games and music. The village today has a few televisions; people use car batteries to power them and then recharge the batteries with small solar panels.
• #30 S Rural life revolves around traditional ways of getting food : farming, trading, and fishing. Even the tall bat-like implements and round wooden bucket-like containers are food related. The mortar (the long bat-like object) is used to pound grain in the pestle (container). The person who does the pounding (traditionally a woman or girl) processes the grain into porridge. The family doesn’t need a lot of plates and utensils, because they eat with their hands from a communal bowl or pot.
• #31 S This woman is winnowing grain, which she has just pounded with the big wooden mortar and pestles.
• #32 S This is the kitchen. The family cooks and eats here. We can tell this because there is a cooking fire close to the entryway. We can also see sticks on the roof and in the right-hand part of the photo; these sticks provide fuel for the cooking fire. The family also uses this part of the house for hanging clothes to dry. People often wash clothes in the river, then set them out to dry either on the riverbank or on wooden poles (as we can see in the right foreground of the photo).
• #33 S This is a fishing net. The father fishes in the nearby Niger River and brings home his catch to help feed the family. He often fishes with a neighbor in his boat.
• #34 S These people are sleeping on the roof of their house. This picture was taken in the early morning (6:30 am, right before the sun came up), so they have not yet awoken. The fact that people sleep on the roof suggests that it’s too warm to sleep inside the homes; people choose instead to sleep on the roof, where it’s cooler. The photograph was taken during an extremely hot time of year. The people sleeping will probably not remain so for long, since the sun will soon begin to get very hot.
• #35 S The family in the photograph sleeps in this white tent. The tent helps keep them cool and also prevents insects from biting them while they sleep. The white cloth of the tent is actually mosquito netting. Many people in the village have had malaria that they contracted from mosquito bites. The tent therefore not only provides comfort but also protects the family from disease.
• #36 S Front row, left to right: Fourou (12, daughter of Fatoumata and Soumana), Mamadou (10, son of Pama and Soumana), Fatoumata (10, daughter of Fatoumata and Soumana), Mama (8, son of Fatoumata and Soumana), and Kansy (4, son of Fatoumata and Soumana). Back row, left to right: Soumana Natomo (46, husband of Pama and Fatoumata), Pama Kondo (35, wife of Soumana and co-wife of Fatoumata Toure), Mama (13, son of Pama and Soumana), Kontie (16, son of Pama and Soumana), Pai (18, daughter of Pama and Soumana), and Fatoumata, (33, wife of Soumana and co-wife of Pama) holding Tena (4 months, daughter of Fatoumata and Soumana). New possessions: The family’s only new material possessions since 1993 are a few pieces of clothing, arranged in front of them on the roof of their earthen house; a plastic teapot; and a new storage room in the market area. Part of the courtyard has been repaired and replastered in the years since the first picture. Since the original photo was taken in 1993, Soumana Natomo has gained greater importance in the community’s administration due in large part to his quiet demeanor and gentle disposition—good qualities for an arbiter of village affairs. Pama Kondo, his first wife, is a grain trader who works alongside Soumana; they have built this into a business that supports the family of 15 people (including three extended family members who now live with the family).
• #37 S Kuwait is a small country on the Persian Gulf that lies adjacent to Saudi Arabia and Iraq. After World War II, Kuwait became very wealthy from its petroleum industry, and its economy flourished throughout most of the 20th century. Today, many Kuwaitis live in mansions and have servants, who outnumber their employers by a ratio of three to one. However, Kuwait still suffers from the effects of the invasion by neighboring Iraq in 1990. The Kuwaiti desert now contains land mines, and Iraq burned many of the country’s oil fields. The retreating Iraqi forces set more than 700 oil wells on fire, creating one of the world’s biggest environmental nightmares. Kuwait found its financial resources depleted and now faces an uncertain future. The country still has vast oil resources and a relatively tiny population. The following slides feature the home, possessions, and neighborhood of the Abdulla family, who live in Kuwait City.
• #39 S The house has a red tiled roof and arched doorways and windows. From the outside, it looks similar to many new homes in the American suburbs. It appears to have a patio and covered walkway in the area behind the small gate in the right foreground. We can see a large satellite dish on the roof. The family and their servants sit on top of the neighborhood pumping station in a vacant lot across the street from their house.
• #40 S The cars look relatively new and are shiny and clean. The family needs cars to get around Kuwait City, but they may not actually need four vehicles. They probably have four cars because they can afford them, and perhaps it is standard in their community to have several cars. The fact that they have four newer cars indicates that this family has a much higher economic standard of living than the families you have seen from Bhutan, Cuba, and Mali. (Teacher’s note: The family has two adult daughters. All the adults drive, including the women, unlike in neighboring Saudi Arabia, where women are forbidden to drive. The Kuwaiti government finally granted women the right to vote and run for office in 2005—but only if they promise to observe Islamic law.)
• #41 S The family keeps this sectional sofa in a large room in the basement, where they hold parties and family gatherings. This indicates that parties and family functions are a very important part of their life. The basement also has a swimming pool, but it suffered damage during the Iraqi invasion and was empty at the time this photo was taken.
• #42 S Kuwait lies in a desert and is very hot — particularly in the summer. The palm trees indicate that the country has a warm climate, and the lack of many other large trees or areas of vegetation suggests that Kuwait has a desert environment. The houses’ light color reflects sunlight, helping to keep them cool. The Kuwaiti desert is also flat. The highest point in Kuwait is a hill that sits only about 1000 feet above sea level.
• #43 S These are water towers and tanks used to store desalinated seawater for city use (in the case of the towers) and personal use (in the case of the tanks). Kuwait has no rivers or lakes, so it is very hard to find freshwater above ground. The country has some groundwater (water that lies underground) with a salt content low enough to drink. Most of Kuwait’s drinking water comes from Persian Gulf seawater that has been desalinated (had the salt removed) in special plants. The desalination process requires a lot of energy. Kuwait uses oil and gas to power the desalination plants.
• #44 S Lying at the southern tip of the African continent, South Africa has vast mineral wealth and is famous for its gold and diamond industries. It is also known for its system of apartheid, which was repealed in the 1990s. Apartheid legally segregated South Africa’s population, placing black, “colored,” and Indian people into separate categories inferior to whites. The people of South Africa still have to deal with the ramifications of apartheid, and many racial struggles continue to this day. The Qampie family pictured in the following slides lives in Soweto, a neighborhood of Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city. Soweto developed as a group of South African townships (areas in which non-white South Africans were forced to live in order to separate them from whites). Soweto’s townships are overwhelmingly black, and it is one of the poorest areas of Johannesburg. The name “Soweto” comes from “South West Township” (the first two letters of each word).
• #46 S Johannesburg is surrounded by hills and mesas. Many of the mesas are actually slag (waste) heaps from gold mines. Nevertheless, the natural landscape is hilly.
• #47 S Johannesburg has a Mediterranean climate, with mild temperatures most of the year and very hot weather in the summer (similar to the climate in much of California). The palm tree in the upper right indicates that the country has a mild climate. However, the winters in South Africa can get quite chilly because the country lies so far below the equator—in fact, it’s actually closer to Antarctica than it is to the equator. This picture was taken on a rainy day. The sky is cloudy, and we can see a woman carrying a red umbrella. The grass is also very green, which in a Mediterranean region suggests recent rainfall.
• #48 S The fences completely surround each house and have small spikes on their tops to deter potential intruders. The fence in the foreground (in the lower left of the photograph) has barbed wire on top. Soweto is not a safe place. Families make sure to stay inside their homes after 8:00 p.m. because it’s dangerous to be outside at night. Although not particularly high, the fences provide the houses with some security. Most of the fences don’t have barbed wire, which would offer more protection.
• #49 S The windows have bars on them. Like the fences, this is a security measure designed to keep out intruders. The Qampie’s neighbors also have bars on their windows.
• #50 S We can see many people walking down the street. They don’t appear to be in a hurry or seem afraid of being outdoors at this hour. This indicates that people feel much safer in the daytime, although Soweto is still a relatively dangerous place night or day.
• #51 S This Qampie family appears to be relatively middle class and is certainly more wealthy than many black South Africans who live in the slums of Soweto and other townships across the country. The family has a small but relatively neat-looking house. They own several pieces of wood furniture, a refrigerator, a TV, a radio, a white tablecloth, and some other amenities that would not likely be seen in the poorest homes.
• #52 S There are no cars in the photograph. This reflects the neighborhood’s economic and safety levels. Many families are probably too poor to own cars, and cars parked on the street would not be secure from theft. However, the houses don’t appear to have garages, so the few who own cars usually park them in their yards. Most people in this neighborhood get around by walking or, when traveling across town, by train.
• #53 S These are cooling towers for a coal-powered electrical generating plant. They indicate that Johannesburg is an industrialized city that gets at least some of its power from coal. South Africa gets 87% of its power from coal-burning plants. The country also has two nuclear power plants at Koeberg, which lies near the city of Cape Town. (Teacher’s note: Though these houses have power, most do not have indoor toilets, showers, or hot water. However, most do have running cold water in the kitchen sink.)
• #54 S The center of a vast empire in the 13th century, Mongolia today is a sparsely populated country that lies between China and Russia. Mongolia aligned with the communist politics of the Soviet Union during most of the 20th century, but became a democracy in 1992. Since then, Mongolia has gradually adapted to a market-based economy, gaining some of its benefits but also suffering the accompanying problems of increasing unemployment and falling output. Almost one-third of Mongolians are nomadic or semi-nomadic, moving around the land in search of pasture for their herds of livestock. Another third of the population lives in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. Many people on the outskirts of the city live in traditional dwellings but commute to city jobs — including the Regzen family, whom you will meet in the following slides.
• #56 S Until modern times, most of Mongolia’s people (called Mongols) were nomads who moved from place to place seasonally in search of pasture land and water for their herds of animals. Their tent-like house — called a ger (also known as a yurt ) — is easy to take down, pack up, and set up again in another location. Even as more and more people began to move into urban areas and remain stationary, people continued to use gers, even though fixed houses are now the norm. (Teacher’s note: After this photo was taken, the father built a more permanent winter house on this site from the wood and old railroad ties you can see to the left of and behind the ger .)
• #57 S Mongolia has a desert landscape without many trees. This part of Mongolia is rather hilly, but some other parts are very flat. Most of Mongolia is high, cold, and dry, with long cold winters and short summers.
• #58 S It’s autumn. We can see that some of the few trees visible in the photo have turned autumn colors, indicating that they’ll lose their leaves in anticipation of a cold winter. The family wears sweaters or long sleeves, so it’s probably not a hot day. Winters here can get very cold. We can see some snow on the hills in the distance. This fell during a September snowstorm five days before.
• #59 S Since gers are only a temporary type of home, they don’t generally have plumbing. It’s possible that the other (more modern) houses in town don’t yet have running water either, but they would be more likely to have plumbing than the ger . On the other hand, the ger does have access to electricity, and as a result the family can enjoy watching television. The television is the father’s most valued possession. The family also has an electric hot plate and an electric kettle for boiling water.
• #60 S This is a statue of the Buddha, which she inherited from her grandfather. It therefore serves a religious purpose and is probably an integral part of the family’s Buddhist worship.
• #61 S For a special treat, the family ate the sheep you see standing to the right of the ger . They boiled the sheep’s bladder, which they had filled with its blood and tied off.
• #62 S From left to right: Batbileg (12, son), Regzen Batsuuri (44, father), Oyuntsetseg (38, mother), and Khorloo (17, daughter). By this time, the family had moved to a Soviet-style apartment, which they shared with an old lady and another tenant. The only new possession they had acquired since the earlier photograph was a color TV set. In the 1990s, the family took advantage of new economic opportunities: the father built a house next to the ger with materials stockpiled over a number of years, and his wife opened a small pharmacy with her former colleagues from the state-run pharmacy where she had worked before. It was a heady time for the family, and their extended family also lived with them in the house/ ger compound at the edge of the city. However, Oyuntsetseg and her co-workers had taken a loan to help support their private pharmacy. They ended up borrowing too much and didn’t understand the concept of compound interest. The debt built up, and when they couldn’t pay, Oyuntsetseg’s family lost everything they had accumulated, including their ger and their house. The family of four now lives in a small apartment. They now have the running water they’d dreamed of, but they don’t own the apartment, renting one room from an 83-year-old Russian immigrant named Tanya, who also lives there. Oyuntsetseg now runs a 24-hour pharmacy in another rented room nearby.
• #63 S Japan has undergone enormous changes in the past century, moving from a rural, agricultural country to a highly industrialized one. Most of this development occurred after World War II. Today, most residents of this mountainous island country live in densely populated urban areas on the coast. In many ways, the life of a typical Japanese family resembles that of a typical American family. Families in both countries enjoy technological conveniences, such as computers, at home, and enroll their children in various recreational activities in addition to school. The Japanese, however, have retained some elements of their traditional culture, including Japanese food. Japanese families live in much smaller dwellings than the average American family, due in large part to the population density and the high cost of property As you go through the following slides of the Ukita family’s home, consider the similarities and differences you notice between Japanese and American families and houses.
• #65 S Though this street isn’t as noisy and congested as other ones in Tokyo, it still is in an urban environment. The houses sit very close together but they’re single-family homes rather than apartment buildings, suggesting a lower population density than in many other parts of Tokyo. We cannot see any cars driving or people walking on the street, suggesting that the house lies in a rather quiet setting. This is a very typical residential neighborhood built around a subway station. The streets are very narrow and almost resemble alleys.
• #66 S These are men’s suit jackets and ties. They might lead you to think that the father has a professional job that requires him to dress up for work. In reality, however, he only wears the suits during his hour-long commute to work, where he then changes into a company uniform. He spends his workday loading and moving boxes in a warehouse.
• #67 S We can see a number of modern technological conveniences, including a washer/dryer, a color TV, a video game player, an electric piano, a microwave, a refrigerator, and a minivan. These amenities suggest that the family has a high standard of living and enjoys the same types of conveniences that most middle-class Americans enjoy. We can also infer that the family likes to relax indoors by watching TV and playing video games.
• #68 S The girls sleep in these small bunk beds, indicating that they share the same room rather than having their own rooms. This might imply that the house is too small for each girl to have her own bedroom; however, the house does have a second bedroom that the family uses as a laundry room or for guests.
• #69 S This is a rice cooker. Most Japanese families have them, since rice makes up a very important part of the Japanese diet.
• #70 S Left to right: Mio Ukita (17, daughter), Sayo Ukita (mother and wife), Maya Ukita (14, daughter), and Kazuo Ukita (father and husband). New possessions include two single beds from Sayo and Kazuo’s room, blankets and sheets, washing machine, rice cooker, electric water pot, cordless phone, vacuum cleaner, gas stove, table, porcelain elephant, globe, 3 clocks, teapot, white pottery, selection of books, VCR, hula hoop, massage chair, Othello game, car, new desk, two CD players, many CDs, well over one hundred comic books, Walkman, stuffed animals, two mobile phones, plastic organizer drawers, futon, chair, clothes valet, computer, full-length mirror, vanity and stool, exercise stepper, rocking chair, and air cleaner. Sayo Ukita and her husband Kazuo continue to live in the manicured suburb of northwest Tokyo called Kodaira City. Their daughter Mio is a first-year university student, concentrating on biology (her first field experience, in May, involved milking a cow). Daughter Maya, 14, attends the eighth grade and still plays the piano. The family has replaced a great deal of their belongings since the original picture was taken. Their dog Izumaru has died, but they did not replace him. Mio has a new laptop for school, and both girls have mobile phones. The Nintendo game player is still hooked up to the family’s extra television set in the dining room, but it is not used as often as it had been when the girls were younger.
• #71 S Originally settled by Norwegians in the ninth century, Iceland has become a highly developed country with some of the world’s top rankings in such categories as life expectancy, per capita income, and health-care spending. This island nation is blessed with natural energy sources in the form of rivers flowing down its slopes and 200 volcanoes. The hydroelectric and geothermal power that these two resources create help the country meet almost all of its energy needs. This abundance of natural energy contributes to Iceland’s high standard of living and clean air. Iceland’s economy includes fishing, manufacturing, and service industries. The Thoroddsen family, whom you’ll meet in the next few slides, lives in Hafnarfjör ð ur, a town on Iceland’s southwest coast not far from the capital city of Reykjav í k.
• #73 S The town of Hafnarfjör ð ur has a thriving fishing port. We can see the fishing boats behind the house, and we can tell that open water lies beyond the harbor. The buildings in the background probably support the fishing industry.
• #74 S Iceland has cold winters, and we can see snow in this picture. The presence of the boats in the water suggests that the water doesn’t freeze during the winter months. In the summer, the land becomes green.
• #75 S We can see that the sky is quite dark, and the lights are already on in the house, cars, boats, and elsewhere. Iceland lies far north, at a latitude very close to the Arctic Circle. The city of Hafnarfjör ð ur, where the Thoroddsen family lives, is located at about 64° north. At this latitude, winters are very dark. We can therefore tell that this photograph was taken in the wintertime. In fact, the date was December 15, 1993. On that day, the sun did not come up until nearly 11 am, and it set before 4 pm.
• #76 S The sloping roofs allow snow to slide off rather than collecting on top of the house. The house is compact and rectangular shaped, helping to keep the interior warm. Heat will rise to the upper story, where the family most likely sleeps. Although this house has a chimney, it’s rare for houses in Iceland to have fireplaces, because wood is scarce. Instead, the geothermal activity underground provides the heat for houses.
• #77 S They appear to highly value their cellos, since they hold the instruments with them in the photograph. They also seem to value their rug and the horses (although perhaps the family views the horses as members of the family rather than as “possessions”). (Teacher’s note: The mother especially likes to ride the horses. The family keeps them in a stable several miles away because their relatively small yard is not big enough.)
• #78 S The youngest boy and the mother probably play their cellos during their spare time. Family members probably also spend time caring for and riding the horses. We can see two televisions and several children’s toys, including dolls, stuffed animals, and toy airplanes. (Teacher’s note: The father also enjoys music and is a very good piano player. The mother provides most of the care for the horses.)
• #79 S Björn Thoroddsen, his wife Margret (Linda) Gunnlaugsd ó ttir, and their children outside their house in Hafnarfjör ð ur, Iceland, near Reykjav í k. The family is standing in the same order as they did for the family portrait for Material World in December 1993. Left to right: Sif Hauksd ó ttir, 28; Björn Thoroddsen, 57; Gestur Björnsson, 21; Th ó rdis Björnsd ó ttir, 17; Margret (Linda) Gunnlaugsd ó ttir, 52; and Gunnlaugur Bj ö rnsson, 23.
• #80 S Thailand is the only country in southeast Asia that was never colonized by a European power. Its government, a constitutional monarchy, has remained relatively stable compared to those of other southeast Asian countries. Its economic indicators increased significantly in the last part of the 20th century, although growth slowed due to an economic crisis in the late 1990s. 95% of Thai people are Buddhist, and Buddhism is central to many parts of Thai culture. The next slides introduce you to the Kuankaew family of Ban Muang Wa.
• #82 S The family lives in a small village. The field behind the house indicates the house sits in a rural setting. The most noticeable difference between this family’s home and a typical American house may be the fact that the house has dirt in the place of a front yard or driveway. In addition, though it’s difficult to see, the house is built on poles. It has no air conditioning, but its elevation allows it to catch more breezes, thus making it cooler. The field behind the house is a rice field. The family harvested this rice (by hand) a few days after this photo was taken.
• #83 S We can see a motorscooter, but no car. Family members can probably walk many places that they need to go, but they use their motorscooter for longer distances. They may not be able to afford a car, and most families in this area probably do not have cars. In addition, motorscooters use less gas, which is expensive. It may be easier to get around on a motorscooter anyway, since the roads in Thailand are not always paved and generally not maintained as well as the roads in the United States. The family’s 14-year-old daughter takes a school bus during the week but uses the scooter to go to school functions on the weekend.
• #84 S Yes, this home does have electricity. We can see the electrical wires in the upper-right part of the photo. We also can see two electric fans, a hair dryer, an iron, an electric hot plate, a refrigerator, and a television. The presence of electricity suggests that although families in rural Thailand farm and retain an agricultural lifestyle, they have some of the modern conveniences that Westerners take for granted.
• #85 S Each member of the family — particularly the mother and children — are dressed in neat, modern-looking outfits. The mother appears quite stylish. The children wear their school uniforms. The family members probably put on their best clothes for this photograph. Their appearance indicates that they have enough money to buy clothes for special occasions and for school. They do not wear these same clothes when working on the farm, but the children do wear these same uniforms to school every day.
• #86 S This is a mosquito net. The children sleep under the net to keep the mosquitoes and other insects out. This net is mainly used at night because that’s when mosquitoes are most active. Using mosquito nets helps residents of Thailand (and other tropical regions) prevent diseases such as malaria.
• #87 S These bowls contain water. Most crawling insects cannot swim and therefore drown in the water. Think of it as a moat for crawling insects—especially ants.
• #88 S We can see a dog in the foreground, some chickens under the basket on the right, and two water buffalo in the background on the right. The dog is a family pet, but it has no name—the Thai people don’t name their pets. The family raises chickens for food. They use the water buffalo to pull a plow and do other work in their rice field. The presence of livestock indicates that the family has a traditional agricultural lifestyle, rather than an urban one. They rely on the animals that live with them for their livelihood as well as for a major part of their diet, instead of depending completely on other people to produce the food they consume.
• #89 S The boy is playing a handheld video game. This implies that the culture is changing from a completely traditional one, in which electronics would have not existed, to a more industrialized one, in which electronics become increasingly widespread. Despite this, this family still has a relatively traditional lifestyle compared with their urban counterparts and most Westerners.
• #90 S Called Western Samoa until 1997, Samoa is a small country in the South Pacific. The country is comprised of nine volcanic islands. Traditional Samoan culture revolves around fishing and farming. Samoans retain many of their cultural traditions, but the pressures of modernization have had an impact on their culture and lifestyle, particularly with regard to the introduction of modern technologies. Almost all Samoans are Christian, and churches play a very important role in modern Samoan life. The following slides will introduce you to the Lagavale family of Poutasi village.
• #92 S The house has no windows, doors, or even walls, allowing the maximum amount of fresh air to pass through. This helps keep the family cool. The sloping roof allows rainwater to easily run off. If you look directly below the eaves, you can see the blinds that have been pulled up to let the light and air in. During heavy rain, these blinds can be closed.
• #93 S Family members have almost no privacy in this house. Samoan culture is highly collective and does not place a high value on privacy. Most activities are communal, and family members might take offense if a relative demanded their own private space.
• #94 S They are wearing clothing made primarily from lightweight cotton fabric. The men and the woman on the left are both wearing skirt-like garments. The men’s skirts are called lava-lava. These are basically pieces of fabric that a person wraps around their waist. This style keeps the wearer cool and comfortable and is easy to wash in a bucket and dry on the line. The men wear Western-style t-shirts and polo shirts, indicating the availability of these items at local stores.
• #95 S The oldest daughter, sitting on the left, holds an electric radio-cassette player, so we know she likes to listen to music. We can also see a soccer ball and some tennis balls on a mat in front of the house to the right.
• #96 S The family raises pigs to eat, particularly for celebrations and special occasions. They eat chicken and probably beef as well, and perhaps eggs from the chicken. A lagoon outside the home provides eels and other fish; we can see the canoe they take into the lagoon in front of the house, with a mat covering one end. Tropical fruit is plentiful, and the family often uses coconuts in sauces and other parts of a meal. Although we can’t see it in the photograph, Samoans also eat a good deal of taro root, which is somewhat similar to a potato.
• #97 S She is sitting on mats she has woven. The top mat is made from pandanus leaves (from the tropical pandanus tree), and the bottom one is made from coconut leaves. Surrounding her are the dried leaves she will use to make more mats. These are her most prized possessions. We can see other mats (probably ones that she has made) lying on the ground in front of the house. Some of the family sleep on these handmade mats, but some sleep in the mosquito-net-covered beds in the background, which have foam mattresses, not mats.
• #98 S Mexico is the world’s largest Spanish-speaking country. The country is in the process of rapid industrialization, which has lead to vast disparities between the affluent and poor members of Mexican society. Nevertheless, a growing number of working-class Mexicans have made their way into the middle class. Mexico has become increasingly urbanized, with about 75% of Mexicans currently living in urban areas. The Castillo Balderas family, featured on the next few slides, lives in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city.
• #100 S The family lives in a neighborhood some distance from the center of Guadalajara. We can see the sprawling city behind the family’s immediate neighborhood. All the houses here look very similar, and we don’t see any tall buildings or cathedrals that might indicate the center of a large city. This neighborhood, called Buenos Aires, began as a squatter camp where migrants from the countryside lived illegally. It became a more permanent neighborhood once its residents began to get regular work. Today, Buenos Aires is a working-class neighborhood that suffers some typical urban ills, such as violence and poor infrastructure. The father built the house in which the family lives. At the time he built it, the neighborhood did not have sewers or running water to each home, but these improvements were expected soon.
• #101 S The courtyard serves as a sanctuary in which the children can play safely. It might be unsafe for them to play on the streets of this rather rough neighborhood. Carmen, the mother, keeps her washing machine in the courtyard because this is where water is available. She hangs the family’s clothing on lines in the courtyard and on the roof, keeping it out of reach of potential thieves.
• #102 S The family has a television and two stereos. The television is on the sofa with the family. One stereo sits in a cabinet toward the back of the courtyard, and the other lies closer to the foreground in the courtyard’s center. The entire family regards the television as one of their most valued possessions; they enjoy spending evenings watching television together after a long day of work and school. They also enjoy listening to music.
• #103 S These are large water bottles. They suggest that the family drinks bottled water rather than tap water, which implies that the tap water in this neighborhood is not healthy to drink. It’s likely that the family uses the tap water to cook and clean but only drinks water from the bottles.
• #104 S Although the family lives in a working-class neighborhood that used to be a squatter camp, their lifestyle and possessions indicate that they are not among the poorest of Mexicans and may be increasing their economic status. Their television and stereos indicates that they have some extra income to spend on entertainment items. They also have a relatively modern stove and oven. Although they may have less furniture than the typical American family, they have more than a very poor family would have (e.g., three beds, two couches and a love seat, a china cabinet). They also have china and some other nonessential items more commonly owned by middle-class than by poor families.
• #105 S The United States is the third most populous country in the world and has the world’s largest national economy. It is also an extremely culturally diverse nation. About three-quarters of Americans identify themselves as Christian, but people in the U.S. practice many other religions as well. Americans are accustomed to change, and present-day challenges for many Americans include coping with strains between religious values and secular ideals, finding ways to curb the expansion of crime and other social ills, and solving the country’s increasing environmental problems. Although it’s difficult to define the “typical” American family, the Skeen family presented on the following slides is fairly representative of a large portion of the American middle class.
• #107 S This is a ranch-style house with a two-car garage. It resembles many houses found in American suburbs and medium-sized towns. This house is located on a cul-de-sac in Pearland, Texas, a suburb of Houston.
• #108 S She holds the family Bible, open to a page with a picture of Jesus. This indicates that the family is Christian. Because the mother has chosen to hold the Bible for the photograph, the family clearly places high value on their Bible and on their Christian faith.
• #109 S The family has three vehicles: a pickup truck, a minivan, and a dune buggy. Most American families have at least two cars or trucks. Rick, the father, probably takes the pickup truck to his job working for a telephone company, and Pattie, the mother, probably takes the minivan to her teaching job. They probably also use the minivan to drive the children to various activities. Rick enjoys hunting, so he probably takes the pickup truck on hunting trips. The dune buggy is a recreational vehicle used for off-road excursions.
• #110 S Rick likes to hunt; we can see two stuffed deer heads mounted above the garage. Someone in the family plays guitar, and at least one member of the family plays piano; we can see these instruments at the far right of the picture. On the twin bed to the left of the sewing table, we can see a football, a basketball, a soccer ball, and a baseball mitt with a baseball. There’s also a football helmet on another bed. We see several bicycles on the front lawn. The family has two televisions, a stereo, and a computer (although the computer is hidden behind Rick’s head). As mentioned in the previous slide, the dune buggy is a recreational vehicle. Many families in the U.S. have recreational items like these ones. You might even have many or most of these objects in your home. Hunting and driving dune buggies are more popular in some parts of the country than in others, but the other sports are ubiquitous pastimes for American youth. Most of the families from the other countries had televisions and stereos or radios. Most also had some type of sporting equipment, particularly soccer balls. We may think of these items as typically American, but they’re actually extremely common throughout the world, except in the poorest countries and households.
• #111 S Teacher’s note: Here are some additional questions you may wish to ask your students: Would you want to take all your family’s possessions outside the house for a photograph? Would you be worried about rain? About breaking something? That others would possibly judge you by what you have? Do you judge others by the number and value of their possessions? If not, what criteria do you use to make judgments about people? If your family were caught in a war situation and you were starving, how would you survive? What would you eat? Would you resort to eating pets—or even people—if you had to?