Diffusion And Cultural Diffusion

Cultural diffusion is the method in which a characteristic or idea spreads from place to place. With diffusion there is always a place of origin, referred to as a hearth or node. Hearths appear when people are willing to try something new and have the necessary resources to do so. There are two types of diffusion: relocation and expansion. Relocation diffusion refers to the spread from one place to another through physical movement such as immigration. Expansion diffusion is the spread from one place to another in an additive process. There are three different categories of expansion diffusion: hierarchical, contagious, and stimulus. Hierarchical diffusion pertains to the spread of ideas through people of power to other people or place. Contagious diffusion is a fast spread from one place to another in a way that the flu is spread, from person to person. Lastly, stimulus diffusion is the spread of a certain concept but not the actual characteristic itself. Hierarchical diffusion is still among the most popular form of diffusion but is slowly being taken

It first originated from ball and stick games played in Greece in 400 BCE. With the spread of civilization came the spread of the ideas and characteristics as well. Although there is archaeological evidence of people playing some kind of field hockey it was not played in an organized setting until the 1800’s. In 1872, a man from Nova Scotia by the name of James Creighton moved to Montreal bringing the sport of hockey with him. He brought his sticks and skates and sparked interest from those around him. He first begin to play with others indoor but because the sport was first played with a ball they eventually moved outdoors due to the danger of the ball flying all over indoors. It wasn’t long until Creighton designed a “flat circular piece of wood” later known as the puck that made it possible to play indoors again. Montreal became the hearth or node of Ice