Anthropologists study foraging societies because it is the oldest form of adaptation to the environment for human beings to survive. To learn the fundamental origins and traditions of a culture, anthropologists have to study its history and what aspects of life have passed on through generation to generation. Foraging is one such characteristic that still continues, though in very few regions of the world. No doubt, these regions and tribes are special points of interest to many anthropologists. At one point in time, all mankind survived by foraging. So, those who still make their living this way are showing us a real image of what life was like for our ancestors, something most of us have lost all contact with.
The amazing endurance and adaptability of the human being is something I think we can learn from people who still live by foraging. Even in the harshest conditions on Earth, humans have been able to survive by developing their hunting skills, studying animal behavior, using their limited resources wisely, and migrating seasonally to food-rich areas. People like this truly understand what the essentials of life are; and the practice of ningiqtuq (sharing) is an amazing outcome of close cooperation and dependency among each other’s family groups.
Endurance and adaptability are definitely key components in how the foragers survive. Most of us these days are brought up in houses that have heating, AC, and water at our disposal from a refrigerator or our tap water. Whereas the foragers must travel miles for a sip of water, or just be without it for days at a time. These people are truly amazing. I completely agree with your thoughts of the essentials of life, and wonderful it is that there are still people like our ancestors out there practicing in the same ways they did hundreds of years ago.
ReplyDeleteIt is clear to see that our ancestors were born with almost animal like traits, the ability to stalk and elk, chase a wild boar, or even bring an elephant crumbling to the ground. These traits have over time washed away or become latent in ourselves, but in some cultures like the Inuit, the adaptations have not caused them to rid of this animal like behavior. In cultures where foraging still exists, they can STILL stalk a wild animal and kill it in order to eat, dress, and make tools. It's neat how they spend their days hunting for the food that they need to keep hunting, and when they are not hunting or eating they are sleeping or teaching their young how to be part of that culture.
ReplyDeleteAdaptability is definitely a key component in how foragers survive. As Abbey said now days in all of our homes war are fortunate to have heating, AC, and water. Foragers didn't have it as easy as us and I feel that because of them we are able to have this luxury. I have always wondered how people survived the way they did. When you really sit down and think about it now days, we are handed so many luxuries that we just don't appreciate what we have in life. Foragers are truly some amazing people.
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