Hunting and Gathering Essay - 2889 Words

Hunting and Gathering As a food procurement system, hunting and gathering, or foraging, seems to most of us Westerners a very primitive means of survival. Living in our rapidly developing and ultra-materialistic culture, it is easy to forget that simplicity can be good. Compared to our mass-producing industries and complex economies, we look at â€Å"exotic† foraging cultures and wonder how they can ever survive. When in fact, hunting and gathering has been the most reliable method of subsistence for human beings since the dawn of man, and has played an essential role in the evolution of Neanderthals to Homo sapiens (Bates, 1998: 44). Despite its longevity, foraging could not be utilized in most 20th century cultures due to such factors as†¦show more content†¦Even with this, many foraging cultures can obtain more resources than are needed for subsistence, the surplus of which can be traded between groups or with the industrial world for goods not otherwise available to them. Hunter-gather ers are neither primitive, nor completely isolated from more developed cultures. Many Alyawara men even own cars (O’Connell, 1987: 83). Though they are not completely isolated, they are also usually not constantly in contact with the other cultures. This and other ecological factors play an important role in maintaining their way of life. The Alyawara are an Arandic-speaking group who reside in Central Australia. They occupy much of the area surrounding the Sandover River, northeast of and adjacent to the Aranda territory. This area of mostly grassy plains has a generally warm and dry climate, with an average rainfall of about 250-300 mm. Traditionally, the Alyawara lived in small, widely-scattered groups with a few related families, totaling about 15-40 people. Their subsistence was once based entirely on hunting and gathering, which was perfectly suitable for groups with such a low population density. Throughout the past century, however, they have gradually shifted away from hunting and gathering as they assimilated more into the Euro-Australian economy. Their semi-permanent settlements are much the same as they were, though they now average about 90 people and up to as much asShow MoreRelated Hunting and Gathering vs. Agriculture Essay732 Words   |  3 Pagespopulation pressure, some people adopt agriculture to fulfill their need. This essay, will discuss the positive and negative aspects of life in hunting and gathering societies compared to the agricultural societies based on Martin Harris’ article â€Å"Murders in Eden† and Jared Diamond’s article â€Å"The Worst Mistake in the History of Human Race.† Hunting and gathering is the longest-lasting lifestyle for most of human history. 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