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Household and kin provisioning by Hadza men
Brian M Wood1, Frank W Marlowe
1Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. brian.wood@yale.edu
Human Nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)
|July 2, 2013
Summary
Hadza men
Area of Science:
- Human evolutionary ecology
- Hunter-gatherer subsistence strategies
- Behavioral ecology
Background:
- Understanding male foraging and food sharing is crucial for evolutionary anthropology.
- Previous studies on Hadza hunting focused on status competition, with limited data on provisioning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the causes and consequences of men's foraging and food sharing among Hadza hunter-gatherers.
- To test hypotheses regarding household and kin provisioning versus status competition.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of foraging and food sharing data collected from Hadza individuals between 2005 and 2009.
- Statistical modeling to assess the relationship between hunting success and household food consumption.
Main Results:
- Hadza men provisioned wives, children, and kin, with married men with children at home foraging most frequently.
- Successful hunters provided significantly more food to their families, with fruit sharing increasing with marriage and children.
- Hunting success strongly correlated with increased household food availability, supporting provisioning hypotheses.
Conclusions:
- Family provisioning, not status competition, is a more viable explanation for Hadza men's foraging and hunting success.
- Male foraging and food sharing patterns are consistent with kin and household provisioning strategies.
- These findings fill critical gaps in understanding the Hadza subsistence economy and male reproductive strategies.
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