Examine the nature of landholding in two indigenous societies. 

The question requires that candidates consider the interrelationship between the nature of landholding in two indigenous societies. Candidates may state that the indigenous societies had a special relationship with the land, that was not linked to the notion of private property and that it was usually considered as sacred. Candidates may refer to centralized societies like the Aztecs where the population was divided into clans and each one was allocated with a temple and lands for agriculture purposes. They may also refer to the Inca Empire, where the land was considered a possession of the state and plots were allocated to communities of peasants (ayllus) that oversaw their management and the payment of taxes to the Empire. Throughout the Americas, there were also numerous communities that performed a mixture of hunter-gathering and agriculture activities. In those cases, the access to land depended on the family or the communal use and there were no permanent landholding or territorial claims. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates consider the interrelationship between the nature of landholding in two indigenous societies.