Definition

1. Noun:
   • A hunting and gathering tribe is a social group or community that sustains itself primarily by hunting wild animals, fishing, and collecting naturally growing plant foods such as wild fruits, nuts, and vegetables. This way of life typically requires a nomadic or semi-nomadic existence, as the group moves to follow food sources and seasonal availability.

Usage

• The term hunting and gathering tribe is used to describe a specific type of human society based on its primary economic subsistence strategy. It is often discussed in anthropology, history, and archaeology to contrast with agricultural or industrial societies.
• Example: "Anthropologists studied the last remaining hunting and gathering tribe in the region to understand pre-agricultural social structures."

Examples

• Noun:
  • Before the development of agriculture, most human societies were organized as hunting and gathering tribes.
  • The lifestyle of a hunting and gathering tribe is intimately connected to a deep knowledge of the local ecosystem.

Advanced Usage

• The concept is central to discussions about human evolution and social organization. Hunting and gathering tribes are often characterized by egalitarian social structures, shared resources, and low population density compared to sedentary societies.

Variants and Related Words

• Hunter-gatherer (noun): An individual member or the collective term for a society that practices hunting and gathering. This is a more common modern synonym.
  • Example: "Hunter-gatherer societies have a detailed understanding of their environment."
• Forager (noun): A person who searches for wild food resources. This term can be synonymous with a member of a hunting and gathering society.
• Nomadic tribe (noun): A tribe that moves from place to place. While many hunting and gathering tribes are nomadic, not all nomadic tribes rely solely on hunting and gathering (some may be pastoralists).

Synonyms

• Hunter-gatherer society
• Foraging society
• Band society (a specific, small-scale social organization common among hunter-gatherers)

Related Concepts

• Subsistence strategy: The method a society uses to obtain its food and resources; hunting and gathering is one such strategy.
• Nomadism: The practice of moving from one place to another rather than settling permanently, a common trait of hunting and gathering tribes.
• Paleolithic: The archaeological period often associated with hunting and gathering societies.

Noun

1. group that supports itself by hunting and fishing and by gathering wild fruits and vegetables; usually nomadic