Popular concepts of hunter/gatherers, especially prehistoric hunter/gatherers would have us believe that they all lived a meagre hand-to-mouth existence, clad in sketchy skins, living in caves, pulling women around by the hair, and grunting to communicate. That’s a caricature to be sure. Hunter/gatherers are defined as groups that got their food from nature. They did not farm or cultivate foods or raise animals for food. They certainly had hard times on occasion, but most “simple” hunter/gatherers only spent 2-5 hours a day getting and preparing food. They spent the rest of their time sleeping, lounging, socializing, gambling, and preparing rituals. They didn’t have many luxuries, but then, they didn’t have many needs either. Their language and social relations were just as complex as yours, if not more so. They did tend to move their camps around a lot due to the limited food that they could find in any one area. And because the moves were generally on foot, they had to carry everything that they needed with them: clothing, water, food, spears, digging sticks, personal things, stones for tools, babies, fire, and carrying bags. Continue reading “All Hunter/Gatherers Are Not the Same!”
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