The Refuge Tree. When a mother black bear leads her cubs away from a den, her usual destination is a big tree where the cubs can take refuge from danger. Around Ely, that tree is typically a white pine over 21 inches in diameter.
caste. 1. (noun) A stratified system of categorization based on a status conferred at birth (ascribed status) due to an personâs descent in which individuals do not have mobility due to custom or law. Example: JÄti in India. 2. (noun) A group and the individual members of a group within a caste.
History of the Caste System. 1  Caste is defined as a rigid social system in which a social hierarchy is maintained for generations and allows little mobility out of the position to which a person is born (Encarta Encyclopedia). In Sanskrit, the word for caste is Varna which means color.