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.
Caste is a form of social stratification characterized by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a lifestyle which often includes an occupation, status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion. Although caste systems exist in various regions, its paradigmatic ethnographic example is the division of Indian society into rigid social groups, with roots in India's ancient history and persisting until today. However, the economic significance of the caste system in India has been