Summary

I have discovered so many new things throughout this experience. It has been a fun experience and I have enjoyed every moment of it. Experiencing the new  cultures has been a brilliant experience. I have learnt about birds from different countries. I have learnt about Australia, Chile and Zimbabwe and discovered things I never knew before. I have already summarised a lot of my journey anyway. The places are amazingly diverse and all very different.

The Animals

I choose the animals I was going to use very carefully so they would be easier to compare and contrast as it would be hard with an antelope and a spider. But all the birds had great problems with human disturbances as well as other things. The humans weren't always the greatest problem. They all had very different ways of catching and eating their food. The Zimbabwean bird fly across the surface of the water with its well adapted beak catching any fish that touches it. The Australian bird was completely different as it spent as much time as possible on the ground scavenging for food of any sorts and wasn't very picky. Whereas completely differently again the Chilean bird caught its food as if it was a duck and waited for it to come close then dive under the water catch it and bring it back up to eat it on the surface of the water. Another thing they had in common was the fact that they needed very specific habitats to live and breed in. These habitats were all becoming more human filled and therefore destroyed. I loved seeing the interesting little things the birds did and how different but similar some aspects of their lives were.

The Tribes

This will be focusing mainly on how what they believed and how they worked out to survive in the weather. The Zimbabwean tribe have land by the river so that they have a water supply nearby. They also have the hottest temperatures to deal with they have learnt to do this by living in smaller villages rather than bigger groups. The Australian tribe also live by the water but they have cooler temperatures and less space so they live in one or two big groups of huts. The Chilean tribe are spread out a lot further than the rest and therefore it changes mattering on where you go and see them. THe tribes have all got a certain way of life that works for their climate and situation which makes them all very different. This is shown in the beliefs as well. Spirits were a constant throughout the different belief systems but that was about the only thing that was. Most of their beliefs come from things around them such as the Australian tribe will live with a lot of snakes and so it makes sense for their creator of the universe to be based on something they are used to and understand as well as picture. I don't think I have a favourite tribe as the were all so different and liked them all in certain aspects and not so much in others.  

The Countries

None of the countries were very crop centered, that had more to do with the climates. They all had a temperate, tropical climate which makes it hard to grow crops all year round. They all had mining as part of their main industries. This shows that they all have precious rocks and ores. The soil must have chemicals in it for creating these types of rocks. This puts the countries at a bit of a loss as they will need to import a lot of the food they eat. This is where Australia's cattle herding helps them out as they make a great deal of money of exporting it whereas the other two don't have anything other to offer other than stones and metals. This explains the great difference between the unemployment rate and people living the below the poverty line. It also means that there are more safe jobs in Australia which explains their longer life expectancy. They are all pretty diverse in ways of religion and such like. It would be easier to live in Australia than anywhere else but if you had the money you could probably live quite safely in all the different countries. 

Leaving Australia

This is the end of my journey but I am going to be comparing and contrasting the countries facts and such like, the tribes and the animals. So while I am now going home I still get to reflect upon the trip and everything I have learned. 

Animals in Australia

In Australia 54 of species of mammals are endangered (20% or 312 animals in total), 98 species of birds (13% or 793 animals in total), 52 species of reptile (about 797 animals in total) and 15 species of amphibians (about 208 animals in total) are endangered. But I am focusing in on one species of bird called the Bush Stone Curlew. 


This is a Bush Stone Curlew. These birds are amazing at camouflage which makes them incredibly hard to spot. It is around 60 cm in height. It lives most of its life on the ground and is very reluctant to fly but can do if necessary. It has a very distinctive call which is more of a wailing and makes a weer-lo sound. It is mainly heard at night. They eat a wide range of food form large insects to small mammals to seeds, pretty much anything they can find in the leaves and stones where they live. They live up to about 30 years old and once mated will live in an area of about 25 hectares. The Bush Stone Curlew will lay two eggs at a time in a simple scrape in the ground. Chicks can get killed by foxes, dogs and cats which means they struggle to create a new generation. They live mainly in low grassy woodland where the colour of the feathers mean they blend into the background and are less likely to be killed. The main threats to them are loss of habitat because of farming and weeds, which means the suitable areas then have to split even smaller and then don't have enough food to sustain life for them and their chicks if the eggs have survived being trampled on or eaten. No one knows how many of this bird is left in the world.
It would be sad to see such a wonderful creatures die out. I was talking to the people who are tracking some of these birds and they were getting all emotional about them as they are such unique creatures and has such a versatile diet. I have enjoyed finding out about the three different animals on this journey and will  be comparing them later on.

Tribal people in Australia: Gumbaynggirr people

The tribe I met today were called the Gumbaynggirr tribe. The map above shows how small their land is but this doesn't reflect on the size of the tribe. They are one of the largest tribes in New South Wales. They have been there for many thousands of years. They were first discovered by Clement Hodgkinson in March 1841. Overall there is about 10,000 to 18,000 people in the tribe. In 1986 the elders of the tribe started a scheme to revive the traditional language of the Gumbaynggirr tribe called Muurrbay. This also began the tribes co-operative culture. They started this scheme to revive and strengthen traditions, culture and self-esteem.  

They believe in a thing called the Rainbow Serpent. The Rainbow Serpent is seen by most as the creator God. They believe the Serpent controls the cycle of seasons and the importance of water in human life. They believe it is the giver of life unless angry when it becomes a destructive force. They also believe that at the start the world was created by great spirits and totems in human and animal form under the control of the rainbow serpent, and that they molded and formed the earth. They believe  that after that the Rainbow Serpent appeared and created huge ridges, mountains and gorges. They believe it is the ultimate creator of everything in the universe.

It was amazing to meet these people an see how their lives had changed and developed. It was yet another amazing civilization.

First day in Australia

 I have made it to my final destination. I am now in Australia, and yes it is that time again time for the facts. The population of Australia is 22.32 million people. The population growth has been 0.85% and the average life expectancy is 80.5 years which is big difference from the other two. The unemployment rate is 5.2% and the population below the poverty line is unknown. Australia has a wider range of religions than anywhere else on my journey, as shown below.

The main industries in Australia are: mining, industrial equipment, transport equipment, food processing, chemicals and steel. The country makes and grows the following items: wheat, barely, sugarcane, fruits, cattle, sheep and poultry. The land use in Australia is arable 6.15%, permanent 0.04% and other 93.18%. Australia has a few natural hazards such as cyclones, droughts and forest fires. There is 11.66 million telephones, 16.48 million mobile phones, 25.5 million radios, 10.13 million televisions, 14,189,544 internet connections and 450 airports. I can't wait to see what the next few days brings.

Leaving Zimbabwe

Now I am moving on to Australia and the last leg of my journey. I'm very sad that it is soon to be over but am really looking forward to seeing even more new cultures when I get there. I have really enjoyed Africa and its small challenges as well as the large ones and am just grateful to have been able to have made the trip at all. I am also very happy that so far my previous research and contact with people has been pulling through and I have been able to see and meet everything and everyone I have hoped to.

Animals in Zimbabwe

There is about 77 different types of endangered animals in Zimbabwe. These include the African Skimmer


This is an African Skimmer. They are distributed throughout most of Africa except form the very South and the North West. Overall there is about 10,000 to 17,000 of these animals left which in the area that they live is a very few animals. The conservationists are not sure as to why the African Skimmer is dying out. But some believe it is because of degradation of wetland habitats and over-exploration and human disturbance. It mainly eats small fish it catches these by skimming across water with its mouth open as shown above in the picture. They need calm water to do this hunting which makes it hard for the birds to find places to live which is why the species is spread so far across Africa. They build their nests on sandbanks were they lay their 2 to 3 eggs over a couple of days. The eggs are generally laid between March and June in the West and East of Africa. The beak of this bird is designed for it's unusual way of hunting. So the longer bottom bit can go in the water and scoop up the fish when it comes along. 
It has been a pleasure to find out about this threatened bird and how it is so specially adapted to it's way of life. Its life is very structured as it has to have certain conditions to survive.     

Tribes in Zimbabwe: Chewa people

The Chewa people are spread throughout Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe. This map shows where they live in Africa. These people live in a subtropical climate were in the lowlands the temperatures range between 21 degrees and 29 degrees. The first recorded kingdom of these people goes all the way back to 1480 and yet they are still very traditional. Today I met some of the tribal warriors. They are very distinctive because of their language, called Chichewa, special tattoo's and possession of secret societies. Their economic welfare is from slash and burn agriculture growing corn and sorghum. They live in compact villages spreading other the indicated area above. The villages are run by a hereditary headman who is advised by a council of elders. The Chewa beliefs on creation are that they are created by God called Chiuta or Chaunta on a mount called Kapirintiwa during a thunderstorm. They believe that you are in contact with spirits and animals. The spirits choose to get in contact with living people. They also believe that if you are dancing then you are in constant contact with the spirits. The thing I will remember most will be how distinct the Chewa people are compared to the Mapuche people who just looked very similar to the stereotypical tribe.    

First Day in Zimbabwe

It is considerably hotter in Zimbabwe then it was in Chile like ten degrees hotter. Zimbabwe is quite a politically problematic country. They have a population of about 12.3 million. Of these people about 72% live below the poverty line. In Zimbabwe the average life expectancy if you pass 5 years old is 51.4 years. They have an unemployment rate of 80%.



 These are the main religions. Syncretic is a mix between Christian and Indigenous beliefs. They had a population growth of 0.62%. In Zimbabwe they have a lot of natural hazards, these include recurring droughts, floods and severe  storms. The land use in Zimbabwe is: 8.24% arable, 0.33% permanent and 91.43% other. A great amount of the other 91.43% is quarries as Zimbabwe is a gold mine for a lot of metals including gold. The industries in Zimbabwe are: coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, clay, metallic and non metallic ores, steel, wood, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing, footwear, food stuffs and beverages. They make and grow: corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts, sheep, goats and pigs. The country has only 317,00 telephones, 423,600 mobiles, 1.14 million radios, 370,00 televisions, 820,000 internet lines and 404 airports.
I am looking forward to venture further into this beautiful countries landscape and wilderness to meet another tribe and try to find another endangered animal.

Leaving Chile

This is my last day in Chile I am catching a plane later to Zimbabwe where I am going to find another tribe and animal. I am really enjoying this adventure and am enjoying meeting the new people and seeing how their cultures are different from the one I am used to at home in the Scottish Borders. Chile is a very diverse country with some problems but the good I saw always outweighed the bad. I got to try tribal life and discover some of their beliefs. The bar is very high and I don't envy Zimbabwe as they, unknown to them, try to better the experience. Now I say my goodbyes to Chile and move on to my next challenge in Africa the second of the continents on the Tropic of Capricorn. I will reflect more deeply on the subjects at the end where I compare the countries, their people and their animals.

Animals in Chile

While I am in Chile I am hoping to encounter some endangered animals. I had my first one of these encounters today. It was a white chinned Petrel. 
 
Today I met some conservationists who were out in a search for this bird to do a 'head count' of how many they still had in their area. I only spent some of the day with them so I don't know the total they counted, but they were telling me that overall in the world there are only about 3 million of these birds left. They told me about what the main problems and reasons as to the birds falling numbers. The biggest problem is that the white chinned petrel has some characteristics that mean that they end up in prime fishing spots at the wrong times, so they end up being by-catch. They have no real safe place or time as they have been reported all year round as being by-catch somewhere. They have started cutting this down by creating bird-scaring lines, streamer lines and night-set lines and these have all been having a good outcome. They have cut down the number of the birds become by-catch by 14,700 from 2003 to 2009. What the conservationists were saying was that the birds have a very diverse living area. This makes it hard to prevent by-catching of the white chinned petrel. So at the moment we are going to have to deal with cutting down the numbers in important places such as breeding habitats and so on. 
I was very privileged to have met those conservationists today as they have told me great problems that many endangered species are having in Chile. This really opened my eyes to greater problems. In my other countries I am also going to look at different endangered species and compare but mainly contrast the problems different climates and places can create in animals lives. 

Tribal people in Chile: The Mapuche People

In my journey around the country of Chile, I wanted to meet a tribe who have their own style of life. Before I left I did some background information checks and discovered a tribe called the Mapuche people. They are spread right across the middle of the country of Chile and are broken down into little groups with their own names.

But I decided to look at them as a whole. The Mapuche people all have the same beliefs even if they are rather spread out.

They have Machi ceremonies for warding of evil, for rain and for cure of diseases. The Mapuche people have an extensive knowledge of Chilean medicinal herbs, certain people who have this knowledge are called Machitan.

Most Mapuche people are being forced into labour so they can get food and less than 3% of them have a higher than primary school education. They struggle form problems such as poor housing, malnutrition, illiteracy, alcoholism, tuberculosis and a high rate of infant deaths.

They speak Spanish as well as their own language called Mapudungun. This language is become more of ancient history as the tribal people have to start trading more with the rest of the country. Very few children growing up will be taught Mapudungun now as they mainly comunicate by Spanish.
I know this because today I met my first tribe of this journey. They are a rather welcoming tribe and invited me into the tribal village. This consisted of mud huts and great, big spaces for tribe meetings and such like. When I had gained there trust they told me about one of theri many beliefs, a story which I am now going to tell to you.
The Mapuche people believe in things called the Ngen spirits. These are the spirits of nature. The word ngen translates to mean owner. They believe the Ngen spirits mange, govern and arrange the different features of nature. Nature, because they do this, takes care and protects the spirits. They are very important as they keep order and make sure The Mapuche don't break the laws of admapu. Admapu are the rules of the mapuche traditions. THere are different Ngen spirits such as for rain and trees. So when the tribe want something, such as an end to the drought, they must respect it and give an offering to the particular Ngen spirit.
This is a very interesting belief and I will look at other creation/nature belies in the other two countries on the Tropic of Capricorn, and will compare them at the end in another post.  

First day in Chile!!!

The first impressions of Chile are amazing the heat maybe a bit to hot but the rest is lovely. Now background information on Chile. It's climate is desert/Mediterranean. The population is 17,269,525.It's main land use is 2.62% arable, 0.43% permanent crops, and other takes the rest with 96.95%.

The population growth is 0.94%. The amount of the population below the poverty line is 18.2%. The unemployment rate was 8% in 2005. The main religions are Roman Catholic and Protestant.

The main industries in Chile are copper, other minerals, food stuffs, fish, iron and steel, wood, transportr equipment, cement and textiles. They grow and make the following resources: grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches, garlic, asparagus, beans, beef, poultry, wool, fish and timber. The country has 5.6 million internet connections, 3.15 million televisions, 5.18 million radios, 3,318,300 phone lines, 9,566,600 mobile phones and 363 airports.  

The Journey Begins

I am about embark on a journey around the Tropic of Capricorn. I'm going to be focusing mainly on lifestyle changes around the Tropic of Capricorn, in the countries of Chile, Zimbabwe and Australia. As well as touching on the subjects of animals and tribal people.The journey will take me traveling around the world and will give me new experiences exciting and scary. Over all I'm very excited and am looking forward to the new experiences and the differences I will find. There are some bits, such as meeting the new tribes, that worry me but I will overcome those when I get there. My first country is going to be Chile. When I am there I am hoping to focus on the Mapuche people and some of their beliefs. As well as the endangered species of the White Chinned Petrel. After that I'm hoping to head to Zimbabwe where my focus will be on the Chewa people and their beliefs on spirits. Then moving on to the animal called the Eurasian Curlew. Finally heading over to Australia where I'm hoping to find and look at the Gumbaynggirr people and their beliefs on the 'Rainbow Serpent'. Then moving on to look at and try and find the endangered animal called the Katydids.I have done some background research such as facts and am hoping to do a conclusion round up post at the end. I'm really looking forward to this opportunity to meet loads of different people will try and post again soon.