Behavioral Ecology of Hunter-Gatherers

Paper Summary:

The paper analyzes the Huaorani, Shipibo, Maku, Nukak, Tukanoan, Tanimuka and Yukuna tribes inhabiting the Amazon rainforest region in South America. The author argues that, although these groups inhabit a vast area and do not maintain close contact, there are several major similarities in their respective cultures and behaviors, as seen in the
practice of polygyny, the institution of longhouse as the cornerstone of egalitarian political organization and the symbiotic relationship with the environment. The paper also focuses on two of the differences found among the Amazon foragers that involve the role of women in the longhouse, and the varying degrees of egalitarianism. The paper attempts to explain the main reasons behind the observed similarities and differences. The author concludes the paper by emphasizing that the practices of Amazon forager societies have been developed over centuries in response to their environment and needs, and therefore any intervention in the nomadic lifestyle should be considered very carefully.

Outline:
Introduction
Analysis of Similarities
Analysis of Differences
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"This project was undertaken with a goal to compare and contrast several hunter-gatherer groups in a particular region of the world in order to explain similarities and diversities regarding their specific behavioral, cultural, and physical patterns. Such assessment is of vital importance due to the fact that the number of true forager tribes is rapidly diminishing as a result of the "modernization" and "civilization" attempts of governments and religious organizations, and due to the increasing tribal interaction with the Western world (Hern(a), 31). As a result, many important sources of anthropological knowledge have been lost. This realization highlights the importance of the task of describing and analyzing the remaining hunter-gatherer groups to obtain information that might become unavailable relatively soon."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hern, Warren. "Family Planning, Amazon Style." Natural History 101.12 (1992):30-7.
• ---."Polygyny and Fertility among the Shipibo in the Peruvian Amazon." Population Studies 46(1992): 53-64.
• Jackson, Jean. "The Meaning and Message of Symbolic Sexual Violence in Tukanoan Ritual." Anthropological Quarterly 65.1 (1992): 1-20.
• Low, Bobbi. "Measures of Polygyny in Humans." Current Anthropology 29.1 (1988):189-94.
• Macia, Manuel J. "Multiplicity in Palm Uses by the Huaorani of Amazonian Ecuador." 144.2 (2004):149-159.

More papers on Behavioral Ecology of Hunter-Gatherers:

• Research Paper # 104490 : "Contemporary Hunter-Gatherers"
• Comparison Essay # 109377 : "Evolutionary Psychology vs. Behavioral Ecology"
• Essay # 137755 : "The Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster (a Review)"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: