Hunter Gatherer Societies

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One of the most previously wide spread lifestyles on earth was that of the hunter-gatherers. These groups of individuals lived in small bands of people fewer than a hundred people. They adapted to life with multiple risk management strategies such as optimal foraging theory. With this theory they tried to minimize the time and energy spent in searching for resources while maximizes the energy gained from what was gathered. Throughout the culture there is no social stratification but respect was given to those who were able to hunt and gather more than others. But by being generally egalitarian no one was poor or rich. For many hunter-gatherer societies their diverse ecosystem is the deciding factor for their survival. Many cultures alter their habitat for a better chance of survival but the native Inuit people were not able to do such due to the in climate weather. The Inuit, that inhabited Northern America within the Artic region, are almost pure hunters due to the fact that there is hardly any edible plant life. They used their surrounding environment such as snow, ice, and animal skins for all of life’s necessities to survive. The snow and ice provided housing for them while animal skins could be used for clothing. Tools and weapons would be formed from that of animal bones as well as used to hunt and fish for their food. The climate in particular, periods of 24 hour darkness, dictated the survival methods and movements for the Inuit people and left them with hardly any foraging capabilities. Being at the mercy of their environment the Inuit’s survival strongly consisted of fishing and hunting done primarily by the men. This task also took its toll on men in this society because of the harsh winters and left them being outnumbered by women. Foraging was done by the women but they mainly survived off of whaling and fish. The artic climates lead
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