← Back to catalogue
Research draft

hunter-gatherer

vr.tr.hunter-gatherer · XCT.STA

Let an agent explain the hunter-gatherer way of life and its diversity, describe contemporary and historical peoples respectfully in their own terms, distinguish ancient genetic population labels from living peoples, and present research and debates with attribution.

Thing Registry Cross-cutting context

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent explain the hunter-gatherer way of life and its diversity, describe contemporary and historical peoples respectfully in their own terms, distinguish ancient genetic population labels from living peoples, and present research and debates with attribution.

A way of life in which people obtain food by hunting animals, fishing and gathering wild plants rather than by agriculture or herding, practised by all humans before the development of farming and continued today by some peoples who describe themselves in their own terms, and studied through ethnography, archaeology and ancient genomics, where labels such as Western, Eastern and Caucasian hunter-gatherers denote ancient genetic populations rather than living peoples.

What it is for: Subsistence by hunting, fishing and gathering.

It can be explain the way of life; describe peoples respectfully; distinguish genetic labels; present research.

Distinguishing features

Wild food subsistence

Mobility and diversity

Deep prehistory

Contemporary peoples

What it looks like

Not physical; a way of life.

How it is recognised

Subsistence from wild resources

Contemporary peoples, prehistory, ancient genetic populations

Pastoralists herd animals; farmers cultivate; many peoples mix strategies

Related models

is a kind of - category

way of life

is related to - many hunter-gatherer peoples are Indigenous

Indigenous peoples

is related to - a subsistence activity

fishing

is related to - anthropological study of subsistence

exploration

In practice

Families and kinds

contemporary hunter-gatherer peoples

prehistoric hunter-gatherers

ancient genetic populations such as Western and Eastern hunter-gatherers

fishing and fowling specialisations

mixed subsistence societies

Standards and regulation

Indigenous rights frameworks

Research ethics for ethnography and ancient DNA

Land and hunting rights law

Failure modes and hazards

Romanticising or primitivising peoples

Confusing ancient genetic labels with living peoples

Ignoring self-designations

Also called

Himba peoplefowlerCaucasian Hunter-GathererWestern hunter-gathererEastern Hunter-GathererScandinavian Hunter-Gatherer

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Also registered as vr.tr.hunter-gatherer

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Understand What the way of life is.

Anthropology.

Concept

Concept and diversity.

Concept

Concept.

  1. What is the hunter-gatherer way of life, and how diverse are its forms across environments? definition
  2. Is a living people, a prehistoric society or a genetic population meant? boundary

Peoples

Contemporary peoples.

Peoples

Peoples.

  1. Which contemporary peoples practise hunting and gathering, how do they describe themselves, and how do they engage with modern states? provenance
  2. Is the presentation respectful and attributed? boundary
Prehistory Prehistory and genetics.

Science.

Archaeology

Archaeology.

Archaeology

Archaeology.

  1. What does archaeology reveal about prehistoric hunter-gatherers and the transition to farming? provenance
  2. Which entry fits the Neolithic transition? action

Genetics

Ancient genetic populations.

Genetics

Genetics.

  1. What do labels such as Western, Eastern, Scandinavian and Caucasian hunter-gatherers mean in ancient genomics, and how should they be distinguished from living peoples? provenance
  2. Which findings are contested? boundary
Society Rights and debates.

Attribution.

Rights

Rights.

Rights

Rights.

  1. What rights issues affect hunter-gatherer peoples today, including land and hunting rights, with positions attributed? provenance
  2. Is the presentation neutral? boundary

Debates

Anthropological debates.

Debates

Debates.

  1. What debates exist about egalitarianism, affluence and the category itself, with positions attributed? provenance
  2. Which entry fits anthropology? action
Learn Research and teaching.

Education.

Research

Research ethics.

Research

Research.

  1. What ethical standards govern research with hunter-gatherer peoples and their ancestors? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

Teach

Teaching.

Teach

Teaching.

  1. How can hunter-gatherer societies be taught without stereotypes? action
  2. Which misconceptions arise? provenance

What the second pass must settle

  • Should specific peoples be separate entries?
  • How should ethnographic resources be linked?
  • How should ancient DNA population labels be presented?