Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
us from the greater apes, and lays the foundations for our pursuit of civilization and our
attempts to better understand our role and meaning of life in our universe. The reverse
corollary also holds, that to understand modern man, we need to recognize that modern man is
a product of his physiology, anatomy, intellect, psychology, communication skills, language,
foods, culture, religious beliefs, transportation, economy, and tools that were developed to
support his hunting process behavior and that agriculture, manufacture, industrialization and the
information age are in turn products of this unique behavioral hunting-gatherer pattern.
In the shadows of Kamhlabane, the Shangaan were still hunting with the aid of scrawny
African dogs that looked a lot like Australian dingoes. This was very effective hunting with
dogs and has eliminated most antelope with the exception of some duiker, and most others have
been hunted out. The larger escapees from the Kruger Park or hippos and crocodiles, were not
hunted. Of note, the wheel was never developed in Southern Africa for use in transportation or
hunting and pastoralists used a forked borough from a tree to drag behind oxen for transporting
water containers or corn from the fields (see earlier photograph). This resulted in deeply
ploughed ruts along the walking paths in the area and during heavy rainfalls became fast
flowing streams leaving later dongas behind.
Meals were shared socially within the clan, particularly the meat, among all members, but
meat accounted only for a third of the diet. Women and children would go and pick up nuts
from mongongo (or manketti, Schinziophyton) trees, which were plentiful, baobab seeds, nut
oils, and dig up tubers and other plants. It was only for about one month of the year that nuts
were not available. Hence, if humans built up fat reserves during good months, they could
easily withstand a month of reduced food supply as long as they had water. In fact the San and
Khoi Khoi bushmen are so well adapted for this that they store fat in their buttocks, called
steatopygia, somewhat like camels can store fat in their humps, for times of need. Tobias
referred to other attributes. Hence, our modern problem with obesity is a likely residual
survival mechanism for dealing with lack of food for a period or having to brave harsh winters
when seals, fish or caribou were not available or rowing over cold energy sapping oceans or
rivers, and our ability to nearly absorb all fat we eat.
Under this system, the healthy men in their 20s and 30s hunted, children had a fairly
leisurely time, and the elderly were respected and stayed at “home” minding the smallest
children, the ill, and were called upon to cut up large kills. Indeed, teenagers often had little
role in the hunting or gathering, and spent much of their time visiting other clans. This
movement contributed to maintaining genetic diversity and building language skills, apart from
what was needed for hunting. The challenges of growing up modern teenagers may reflect a
different past behavior. At any time, up to a third of the people were visitors from other clans,
“just over for a chat.” It is thus not surprising our modern addiction of talking on cell phones,
getting together to share dinners or meeting at bars. It is deeply part of the unique human
experience as oppose to a non-human animal; same as us versus them.
The core of the clans was the nuclear family of husband, wife, and children and the
relationship of the men to other men and their in-law families. Men who were capable hunters
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