Summary Of The Incas

The conventional view of the forest tribes in South America, established since the first accounts in the 16th and 17th C., was that they were a bunch of small bands. Societies either characterized them as civilized or as savages. While most were considered Savage in the pre-Colombian America area, while the Andean region where the Incas were, were considered to be a civilization. This is largely because of their similar characteristics with western societies. They were capable of creating sociological models. In the book it states the question why they might be categorised into this and the answer is that “primitives are generally incapable of achieving good sociological models” (Clasters, Pg.50) The Inca impressed the early scholars, explorers,

Two possibilities exist in order for this to happen: either “the tendency to unification and integration is manifested in the gradual dissolution of these elemental units or a substantial decrease of their structural functions - and the resulting appearance of social stratification; Or else the units hold their ground and gain strength.” (Clasters, Pg. 70)
The first was noticed by the people of the northwestern South America, who consolidated in the Cirum-Carribean cultural area. These regions witnessed the creation of many little states. The Aristocracies in control of these small areas, usually limited to one town, would control the religious and military power. They would have a large amounts of slaves that would be taken into war and would be made to fight against neighbouring

This was due to the centripetal forces that were at play in their structure and it strengthened the structure of the demes. The emergence of the lineage structure, greatly demised the functional value of the subgroups or extended families that constitute the lineage. “The mergence of the lineage structure , by which is, the contaction of the gnealogivcal connections by which its unitary character is affirmed, greatly diminishes the functional value of subgroups or extended families that constitute the linege.” (Clastres, pg. 73)This is what brings into question the Tupi interlineage system of relationships
Transformation of a deme caused by a force creates a mutation in the way that the social structure functions. This results in disequilibrium to occur within the community. At first, when new elements are being brought forth, it takes time for them to settle and to create a system that will once again function at an equilibrium