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Whether or not you know what the subsistence strategy ‘Hunting and Gathering’ (H&G) actually means, you have been exposed to many examples of this lifestyle. Growing up in America, most of us learned about Native Americans back in elementary school, of which most Native tribes practiced the H&G way of life. More recently, TV series such as Man Vs. Wild, Dual Survival, and Survivorman demonstrate a form of H&G, albeit only for a very short time.
Although there are only a few examples of this lifestyle existing today, it was the ONLY way people lived before agriculture came into existence. So in order to answer the question of whether this H&G lifestyle is better than the ones American and other Western societies (Europe, Australia, Canada, and other 'Modern' cultures) utilize today, I need to first take a closer look at and understand What does being a Hunter-Gatherer Mean?
Wikipedia.org defines Hunting and Gathering as a “nomadic society in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals.” Although this is true, I would like to dissect this definition and create a more specific and detailed understanding. I want to look closely at the following aspects:
A) What is meant by 'Nomadic Society'?
B) What is the food they ate? The quality? How much of what?
C) How was the food obtained?
A) Nomads in Europe?
Until I became I little more educated on this subject, the word “Nomad” brought only one image to mind:
Although there are only a few examples of this lifestyle existing today, it was the ONLY way people lived before agriculture came into existence. So in order to answer the question of whether this H&G lifestyle is better than the ones American and other Western societies (Europe, Australia, Canada, and other 'Modern' cultures) utilize today, I need to first take a closer look at and understand What does being a Hunter-Gatherer Mean?
Wikipedia.org defines Hunting and Gathering as a “nomadic society in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals.” Although this is true, I would like to dissect this definition and create a more specific and detailed understanding. I want to look closely at the following aspects:
A) What is meant by 'Nomadic Society'?
B) What is the food they ate? The quality? How much of what?
C) How was the food obtained?
A) Nomads in Europe?
Until I became I little more educated on this subject, the word “Nomad” brought only one image to mind:
Small groups of people traveling across open areas of land on camelback, horseback, mule train, or other primitive forms of transportation. Sadly, this was the extent of my knowledge on the topic. This made it quite surprising when I learnt that the nomadic lifestyle involves systematic movements wherein mobility becomes a logical and efficient strategy for harvesting scarce resources spread unevenly across wide territories (New Internationalist Magazine). Basically, groups of people methodically travel to different regions in order to obtain food, shelter, protection, and other natural resources necessary for life. Immediately upon learning this, the question popped up--Why did our prehistoric ancestors live this way?
After a lot of research, I think I have found the answer:
Unlike the urbanized society many of us live in today, band societies (AKA kin groups or clans) ranged in size from a mere 10 to 100 people (To learn why population sizes were so small, Read Dunbar's (1993) Article). Later on I will explain why, but H&G people expended less energy and spent less time obtaining food than early farmers did. So considering the ease of foraging in combination with small population size making moving very simple and hasty, it would make sense that our ancestors chose the most efficient way to live, which was in the nomadic society.
So for the purpose of clarifying Wikipedia's definition, it can be updated to read as follows: Hunting and gathering can be defined as small band societies (10-100 members) migrating around a specific region in order to efficiently obtain most or all food from wild plants or animals.
After a lot of research, I think I have found the answer:
Unlike the urbanized society many of us live in today, band societies (AKA kin groups or clans) ranged in size from a mere 10 to 100 people (To learn why population sizes were so small, Read Dunbar's (1993) Article). Later on I will explain why, but H&G people expended less energy and spent less time obtaining food than early farmers did. So considering the ease of foraging in combination with small population size making moving very simple and hasty, it would make sense that our ancestors chose the most efficient way to live, which was in the nomadic society.
So for the purpose of clarifying Wikipedia's definition, it can be updated to read as follows: Hunting and gathering can be defined as small band societies (10-100 members) migrating around a specific region in order to efficiently obtain most or all food from wild plants or animals.
B) How about some thought for food?
The information I am providing you in this blog is something you should have been exposed to before. Most likely you have heard of the ‘Paleodiet’ before. The point of this dietary plan is to eat foods similar to that of humans back in the Paleolithic time period. Although many concepts around this diet are debated, I will be scrutinizing the Paleodiet, or at least the basic theory that by reverting back to our H&G diet, we can be healthier.
One of the main issues with the Paleodiet is that anthropologists and scientists alike cannot know for certain what H&G populations consumed. One thing that is agreed upon (according to Eaton (2006)) is that all diets consisted of protein from meat, carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables, and fats from various sources. There is evidence of some populations even consuming honey from time to time (sugar).
It is important to keep in mind that the wild plants and animals that were consumed were just that, wild. Meat was usually leaner and fruits and veggies were not as sweet and had less sugars. In addition, many plants contained higher percentages of fiber, which slows down the process of digestion and limits how much carbohydrates the body utilizes (Lieberman).
Another important idea to keep note of is that throughout our evolution food was not always available and plentiful, so humans evolved the mentality of eating as much as possible when available (Lieberman). This means that it is inherently human nature to want to stuff your face with food, especially with substances rarely found in nature, such as sugar. Also, people back then had a much wider selection of plants in their diet. This translates into a broader spectrum of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals ingested compared to populations today.
Since It is impossible to know what our ancient ancestors ate for sure, all we can do is look at the situation logically and speculate. With this information, we can once again update the definition: Hunting and gathering can be defined as small band societies (10-100 members) migrating around a specific region in order to efficiently obtain most or all food from a wide range of nutrient rich, unmodified, and sometimes scarce wild plants and animals.
C) Hunting and Gathering...How was it done?
Imagine an average American John Doe had the ability to time travel, and somehow got stuck 40,000 years ago somewhere in Paleolithic Europe. What aspect do you think would be the greatest struggle to survival? I think he would have the most difficulty obtaining food, as our culture has not prepared him to survive in a pure natural environment.
However, what John would eat, how he would acquire it, and the type of people he would come in contact with would vary drastically depending on the area he ended up in. It is important to note that there are many variances between hunter-gatherer groups, changing from region-to-region and season-to-season. So this in turn affected the type of food (both animals and plants) available to eat.
Hunting:
The men of a band usually did the hunting, but women also helped collect meat in certain situations (Wikipedia.org). The type of animal that was hunted and therefore the method of hunting heavily depended upon the animals and plants available in the surrounding region. For example, when gracile big-game animals were being hunted, men would do what is called a “persistence hunt.” In the YouTube video below, the British Broadcasting Channel (BBC) explains this type of hunt in excellent detail.
The information I am providing you in this blog is something you should have been exposed to before. Most likely you have heard of the ‘Paleodiet’ before. The point of this dietary plan is to eat foods similar to that of humans back in the Paleolithic time period. Although many concepts around this diet are debated, I will be scrutinizing the Paleodiet, or at least the basic theory that by reverting back to our H&G diet, we can be healthier.
One of the main issues with the Paleodiet is that anthropologists and scientists alike cannot know for certain what H&G populations consumed. One thing that is agreed upon (according to Eaton (2006)) is that all diets consisted of protein from meat, carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables, and fats from various sources. There is evidence of some populations even consuming honey from time to time (sugar).
It is important to keep in mind that the wild plants and animals that were consumed were just that, wild. Meat was usually leaner and fruits and veggies were not as sweet and had less sugars. In addition, many plants contained higher percentages of fiber, which slows down the process of digestion and limits how much carbohydrates the body utilizes (Lieberman).
Another important idea to keep note of is that throughout our evolution food was not always available and plentiful, so humans evolved the mentality of eating as much as possible when available (Lieberman). This means that it is inherently human nature to want to stuff your face with food, especially with substances rarely found in nature, such as sugar. Also, people back then had a much wider selection of plants in their diet. This translates into a broader spectrum of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals ingested compared to populations today.
Since It is impossible to know what our ancient ancestors ate for sure, all we can do is look at the situation logically and speculate. With this information, we can once again update the definition: Hunting and gathering can be defined as small band societies (10-100 members) migrating around a specific region in order to efficiently obtain most or all food from a wide range of nutrient rich, unmodified, and sometimes scarce wild plants and animals.
C) Hunting and Gathering...How was it done?
Imagine an average American John Doe had the ability to time travel, and somehow got stuck 40,000 years ago somewhere in Paleolithic Europe. What aspect do you think would be the greatest struggle to survival? I think he would have the most difficulty obtaining food, as our culture has not prepared him to survive in a pure natural environment.
However, what John would eat, how he would acquire it, and the type of people he would come in contact with would vary drastically depending on the area he ended up in. It is important to note that there are many variances between hunter-gatherer groups, changing from region-to-region and season-to-season. So this in turn affected the type of food (both animals and plants) available to eat.
Hunting:
The men of a band usually did the hunting, but women also helped collect meat in certain situations (Wikipedia.org). The type of animal that was hunted and therefore the method of hunting heavily depended upon the animals and plants available in the surrounding region. For example, when gracile big-game animals were being hunted, men would do what is called a “persistence hunt.” In the YouTube video below, the British Broadcasting Channel (BBC) explains this type of hunt in excellent detail.
Another type of big-game hunting is ambushing large herds. Although dramatized and involving a gun, the following YouTube clip shows a scene from the movie “Dances with Wolves” demonstrating this type of hunting.
Additional types of hunting include fishing, trapping, and others specific to certain types of prey. Regardless of the type of hunting performed, a lot of physical activity is needed in order to have a high success rate.
Gathering:
Although predominantly done by women, men usually participated in the foraging process as well (Marcus et al.) The amount of fruits, vegetables, roots, legumes, etc. that were collected depended on how much was available in comparison with the amount of wildlife available to hunt.
Fortunately, tool technology made acquiring plants easier, but it still required a lot of physical labor. Also, plants needed to be carried, processed, and cooked (which required getting firewood). Keep in mind that fruits and veggies back then did not have the same nutritional value as they do today, and were much less sweet.
Though there are a lot of anthropologists arguing about the amount of time and energy spent actually getting meat and plants, it is highly agreed upon that H&G required less hours a week than farming did and definitely less time dedication than in modern societies (Lieberman). As a result, there was a lot more leisure time, and people of the Paleolithic had more time to relax. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a pretty awesome way to live. Only now, finally, can I create a complete definition of what it means to be a Hunter and Gatherer. Hunting and gathering can be defined as small band societies (10-100 members) impacted by high infant mortality rates and continuously migrate around a specific region in order to efficiently hunt and forage for most or all food from a wide range of nutrient rich, unmodified, and sometimes scarce wild plants and animals. This lifestyle requires more physical activity, but demands fewer hours and results in large amounts of leisure time.
Now that we understand what it means to live in a Hunting and Gathering Society, we can use this as a baseline to identify the changes that Agriculture has brought about, both to our society and our bodies.
However, I'm sure there were many health issues associated with the H&G lifestyle. In order to properly determine whether life is better presently or pre-agriculturally, I have to look at the cons, not just the pros. My next post will cover these issues.
Thanks for reading =]
Joshua Varkel
Gathering:
Although predominantly done by women, men usually participated in the foraging process as well (Marcus et al.) The amount of fruits, vegetables, roots, legumes, etc. that were collected depended on how much was available in comparison with the amount of wildlife available to hunt.
Fortunately, tool technology made acquiring plants easier, but it still required a lot of physical labor. Also, plants needed to be carried, processed, and cooked (which required getting firewood). Keep in mind that fruits and veggies back then did not have the same nutritional value as they do today, and were much less sweet.
Though there are a lot of anthropologists arguing about the amount of time and energy spent actually getting meat and plants, it is highly agreed upon that H&G required less hours a week than farming did and definitely less time dedication than in modern societies (Lieberman). As a result, there was a lot more leisure time, and people of the Paleolithic had more time to relax. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a pretty awesome way to live. Only now, finally, can I create a complete definition of what it means to be a Hunter and Gatherer. Hunting and gathering can be defined as small band societies (10-100 members) impacted by high infant mortality rates and continuously migrate around a specific region in order to efficiently hunt and forage for most or all food from a wide range of nutrient rich, unmodified, and sometimes scarce wild plants and animals. This lifestyle requires more physical activity, but demands fewer hours and results in large amounts of leisure time.
Now that we understand what it means to live in a Hunting and Gathering Society, we can use this as a baseline to identify the changes that Agriculture has brought about, both to our society and our bodies.
However, I'm sure there were many health issues associated with the H&G lifestyle. In order to properly determine whether life is better presently or pre-agriculturally, I have to look at the cons, not just the pros. My next post will cover these issues.
Thanks for reading =]
Joshua Varkel
Figure 1: http://manchestermeanders.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/bear-grylls-eats-zebra.jpg
Figure 2: http://www.diasporandarlings.com/wp-content/uploads/Nomadic-Traveller.jpg
Figure 2: http://www.diasporandarlings.com/wp-content/uploads/Nomadic-Traveller.jpg
"Nomads- The Facts." New Internationalist 05 Apr. 1995: n. pag. Web <http://newint.org/features/1995/04/05/facts/>.
"Hunter-gatherer." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Eaton, S. Boyd. "The ancestral human diet: what was it and should it be a paradigm for contemporary nutrition." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society65.01 (2006): 1-6.
LIEBERMAN, D. 2013. The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease. Pantheon Books, New York. Chapter 5, 8, 11.
Hamilton, M. J., Milne, B. T., Walker, R. S., Burger, O., & Brown, J. H. (2007). The complex structure of hunter–gatherer social networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 274(1622), 2195-2203.
"Hunter-gatherer." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Eaton, S. Boyd. "The ancestral human diet: what was it and should it be a paradigm for contemporary nutrition." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society65.01 (2006): 1-6.
LIEBERMAN, D. 2013. The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease. Pantheon Books, New York. Chapter 5, 8, 11.
Hamilton, M. J., Milne, B. T., Walker, R. S., Burger, O., & Brown, J. H. (2007). The complex structure of hunter–gatherer social networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 274(1622), 2195-2203.