Hunters and Gatherers: Population Control Mechanisms (3/11)

Hunters and Gatherers: Population Control Mechanisms

Early Suppositions on Group Size Maintenance

• Discussion on how hunter-gatherers maintained small group sizes.

• Early explanations considered and questioned:

  • Violence as a Population Control Factor:

  • Belief that violence was prevalent and contributed to population culling.

  • Phrase referenced: “Nature is red in tooth and claw.”

  • Results in labels like "savages" for hunting and gathering societies due to ethnocentrism.

  • Environmental Oscillation:

  • Suggestion that environmental changes, famine, or seasonal migrations led to starvation and population decline.

  • Quoted researcher: Robert Lowy.

Ethnographic Evidence Challenging Early Opinions

• Contrary findings from anthropological fieldwork:

  • Interactions Between Bands:

  • Evidence indicating low-to-no violence during contact between different bands.

  • Reason for peaceful interactions: Band-level Exogamy - the practice of marrying outside one’s group to establish social ties.

  • Marrriageable Partners:

  • Bands seek interband marriage partners to strengthen connections rather than engage in conflict.

Key Terms and Concepts

• Exogamy:

  • Definition: The practice of marrying outside one’s social group.

• Endogamy:

  • Definition: Marriage within one’s own social, ethnic, or religious group.

• Importance of recognizing both terms in context:

  • Examples include religious, geographic, and cultural endogamy.

Evidence of Hunter-Gatherer Lifestyle

• Diet and Workload:

  • Marshall Sahlins’ findings in “Stone Age Economics”:

  • Average work time: 20 hours per week.

  • Leisure activities prevalent (dancing, gossiping, cooking).

  • Described as the “Original Affluent Society”:

  • Definition: A society with sufficient resources and leisure time due to a sustainable lifestyle.

Mechanisms for Population Control in Hunter-Gatherers

1. High First-Year Infant Mortality Rates

• Universal characteristic across hunting and gathering societies:

  • Example: High first-year infant mortality rates, averaging 20%, sometimes up to 50% due to diseases or circumstances.

  • Nearly 1 in 5 infants die in their first year.

  • Comparison with modern contexts (U.S. mortality at 0.2%).

  • Emotional toll and implications for population dynamics.

2. Dietary Factors and Exercise

• Low-Fat Diet:

  • Characteristics of hunter-gatherer diets: low in sugar, high in lean proteins.

  • Absence of domesticated animals; reliance on wild game.

• Exercise:

  • Daily activity includes:

  • Women: Average of 15 kilometers (~9 miles) walked daily while gathering food.

  • Men typically engaged in hunting activities.

• Results in low body fat, affecting fertility, specifically in women.

  • Menarche (first menstrual cycle) often delayed.

3. Amenorrhea and Birth Spacing

• Different reproductive phenomena observed:

  • Menarche: Initial onset of menstrual cycles occurring later (around 17 years old rather than earlier ages).

  • Amenorrhea:

  • Temporary cessation of menstruation due to high physical activity and low body fat, impacting reproduction.

  • Impacts on overall fertility across a woman’s reproductive career due to decreased ovulation days.

  • Correlation with athletes in modern contexts (e.g., female athlete triad).

4. Cultural Practices: Postpartum Taboo

• Postpartum Sex Taboo:

  • Prohibition on sexual activity for about one year following childbirth.

  • Cultural practice observed in all hunter-gatherer societies, aiding in birth spacing.

  • Allows for focused maternal-child bonding and recovery post-birth.

Overall Conclusions from Population Control Mechanisms

• All four mechanisms must coexist to explain how hunting and gathering societies maintain population stability.

• Interbirth Intervals: Average interval of 47 months (~4 years) between successful live births; necessary for the survival of infants and mothers.

  • Noted importance of spacing births:

  • Young children need care; carrying multiple offspring would exceed caloric intake and capabilities of mothers.

  • Resource management and sustainability are key to their reproductive success.

This document provides a comprehensive exploration of the mechanisms behind population control and social structures within hunter-gatherer societies, based on anthropological insights. The terms, concepts, and specific cases illustrate how these societies have effectively managed their population dynamics through practices and lifestyles that differ radically from modern norms.