kurt_cagle
kurt_cagle's JournalSod Houses, Teepees and even Snow Houses
The early pioneer settlers into the Great Plains learned a fair amount from the native population before their numbers pushed that population out into increasingly harsh areas. Moreover, the Plains were generally both grassier and populated with trees, such that the largest Native American settlements were primarily in and around the Missouri river. The Westward expansion of European whites happened to occur during the start of a global warming phase in the 19th century, and the combination of this with slash and burn agriculture destroyed most of the native light forest and grasslands, even as Europeans were giving the native population Smallpox infected blankets that reduced their numbers to 1/10th the previous numbers. Nations such as the Sioux, Apache, Blackfoot and others in this region went from settled agriculturists to nomads, after having adopted the feral Spanish horses less than a hundred years before. This meant that, far from being "one with the earth" and privy to deep secrets from the depths of times, most of the Plains Indians had been forced to adapt themselves to dramatic changes in their way of life over the course of three hundred years as they'd been forced into ever more hostile environments.
Teepees were probably never meant for long term habitation. When millions of bison and buffalo roamed the Plains, many of the earlier Sioux, et al., more likely lived in long houses or earthen berms, while the teepees were tents that made it possible to create temporary bases to hunt and process their kills, before returning to the long houses in the winter, even as the more settled communities grew maize and grains. Warming temperatures and eventually European settlers pushed the bison's habitat westward, and the hunters were forced into longer and longer treks, until eventually they reached a point where they were forced into being truly nomadic (and that only with the arrival of the Spanish horse). It's very likely that tribal populations dropped dramatically during this period, as the various peoples had to learn what they needed quickly or perished trying.
It's also worth reflecting upon the fact that while pioneers did adapt to sod houses, they never really did take to teepees. Instead, they relied upon wagon trains (and then eventually steam trains) to ship wood out into what was increasingly becoming arid grassland. Not surprisingly, as the Plains become true desert even that's becoming impractical, which is why, off of the main highways, the towns that arise during the late 1800s are now being abandoned, except in those areas where oil can be extracted, like Bakken.
Opportunities
It's actually a very positive sign. People jump for a number of reasons, but especially at this stage of the recovery, it's very likely that they have a clear job opportunity to jump to, rather than just burning out. When people are fearful about the prospects of getting a new job, they're going to grin and bear it, no matter how bad. However, if the better opportunity is relatively solid, then they will jump. It also means that wages will likely start to go up relatively soon, as employers start bidding up prospective salaries in order to attract key talent. This opens up positions that are vacated that may not be ideal, but they're there, which in turn ultimately means that that part of the labor force that has had trouble finding jobs has more opportunities as well.
There's another major factor. The economy collapsed in late 2008. It's now 2012. The first Boomers were born in 1943, which means that they are now 69. The Baby Boomer birth rate peaked nine years later, in 1952, which means that there is a demographic peak that is turning 60 this year. Their employability is an increasingly major problem as the positions that are opening are increasingly STEM or medical related, while this generation is overwhelmingly employed in services or the FIRE sector. Not surprisingly, this particular group is disproportionately white, male, and conservative, or the bulwark of the Tea Party. For them, the recession will likely continue for the rest of their "working" lives.
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