Day In The Life Of A Hunter-gatherer

4 Pages 951 Words

You’ve traveled all the way back to the Paleolithic period, all to discover what a day in my life is like. Well be sure I will not disappoint you. From what we eat to how live, I will be sure to tell you everything. Let’s get started.

My people are what you call Hunter-Gatherers. We survive by hunting and gathering our food. We live in what are called “Bands.” These usually consist of 15-20 people, all of which are usually related either by blood or marriage. We don’t have any type of government or hierarchy like other civilizations. Instead we believe we are all created equal, and we treat each other in that manner. Our labor is divided among us, usually on the basis of sex, and our elderly are respected and involved in our decision making. The band works as a team, helping each other in times of need. We also lend helping hands to other bands when needed, and sometimes join together in a larger group. We are nomadic, which means that we do not stay in the same place year around. We move in order to take advantage of the abundance of different foods in different areas. Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me take you through a day in my life.

Our breakfast is pretty simple. The outcome of the hunting and gathering of yesterday decides what food we will eat for breakfast today. On a good day we will eat grapefruit, or a mixture of fruits and nuts along with some elk jerky, and of course accompanied by spring water. After breakfast the men will leave for their daily hunt.

There is a great skill to their hunting, for they must know where and when to look for the foods. The men use various tools in hunting for animals. The most common of these tools is the bow. This is the most powerful weapon available. Arrows made of wood with flint blades set in their ends are also used for hunting. Our men hunt for game such as deer, elk, bear, birds, etc. They also fish. Fishing is successful in most cases. Salmon especially ...