Hunter-gatherer

A hunter-gatherer society is in anthropological terms one whose predominant method of subsistence involves the direct procurement of edible plants and animals from the wild (or "foraging"), without significant recourse to the domestication of either. The demarcation between hunter-gatherers and other societies which rely on more managed techniques such as agriculturalism and pastoralism is not a clean one, as many societies typically utilise a range of strategies to obtain the foodstuffs required to sustain their community.

Historical context

The hunter-gatherer economy was employed by all human societies up towards the end of the Palaeolithic period. The transition into the subsequent Neolithic period is chiefly defined by the development of nascent agricultural practices. The spread of agriculture originated in several different areas and periods, starting from approximately 12,000 years ago, and it proceeded at different rates. Many groups continued to practice hunter-gatherer ways of life, although their numbers have progressively declined as a result of pressure from growing agricultural communities. In many instances territories which were formerly unrestricted to hunter-gatherers were encroached upon by the farming settlements of early agrarian communities. In the resulting competition for land use, hunter-gatherer societies either adopted these practices or relocated to other areas. Since the colonial period, genocide has been another common way for colonizers to gain possession of hunter-gatherer territories. The few contemporary hunter-gatherer groups which exist today usually live in areas seen as undesireable for agricultural use.

Related Topics:
Human - Societies - Palaeolithic - Neolithic - Nascent agricultural practices - Spread of agriculture - 12,000 years ago - Agrarian - Land use - Genocide

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