hunter-gatherer
Nomadic food seeker
A hunter-gatherer is a member of a society that obtains food by hunting wild animals and foraging for plants rather than by farming or raising livestock.
This subsistence pattern characterized all human societies until roughly 10,000 years ago: Hunter-gatherer bands typically moved seasonally following game and plant availability.
The term often appears in anthropological and historical contexts discussing human evolution and the shift to agriculture.
Earliest archaeological era
- MesolithicMiddle stone era
- NeanderthalExtinct archaic human species
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
- evolutionSpecies changing over generations
megafauna · mammoth · mastodon · Lascaux · Altamira · ancient
Social group sharing ancestry
- kinshipState of being related
- clanRelated group sharing ancestry
- subsistenceMinimal means of living
- matrilinealDescended through maternal line
rituals · shamanism · totemism · ethnography · ethnobotany · egalitarian · animism · communal
Small fleshy fruits
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
- tubersUnderground plant storage organs
- nutsSeeds in shells
- seedsPlant embryos in casings
mushrooms · fungi · herbs · fruits · wildcrafting · acorns · honey · grubs
Monitoring location over time
- trappingCatching with concealed devices
- spearPole with sharp point
- bowRespectful forward inclination
- gameOrganized play or sport
prey · ambush · stalking · butchering · meat · hides · snares · blowgun
Movement to new territory
Minimal means of living
- self-sufficiencyIndependence from outside aid
- resourcefulnessAbility to solve problems creatively
- fire-makingStarting a controlled blaze
- adaptabilityAbility to adjust readily
endurance · cooperation · sharing · resilience · navigation
Paleolithic
Earliest archaeological era
- MesolithicMiddle stone era
- NeanderthalExtinct archaic human species
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
evolution · megafauna · mammoth · mastodon · Lascaux · Altamira · ancient
tribe
Social group sharing ancestry
- kinshipState of being related
- clanRelated group sharing ancestry
- subsistenceMinimal means of living
matrilineal · rituals · shamanism · totemism · ethnography · ethnobotany · egalitarian · animism · communal · reciprocity
berries
Small fleshy fruits
seeds · mushrooms · fungi · herbs · fruits · wildcrafting · acorns · honey · grubs · insects
tracking
Monitoring location over time
game · prey · ambush · stalking · butchering · meat · hides · snares · blowgun · bolas
migration
Movement to new territory
subsistence
Minimal means of living
- self-sufficiencyIndependence from outside aid
- resourcefulnessAbility to solve problems creatively
- fire-makingStarting a controlled blaze
adaptability · endurance · cooperation · sharing · resilience · navigation
- prehistorystone tools, Neolithic, Stone Age, caveman, cavemen
- homesteadinghomesteading, self-sufficiency, off-grid living, off-grid, chicken coop
- societiescivilization, secret societies, nation, literary societies, tribal society
- subsistencefood, hunger, starvation, basic needs, sustenance
- Mesolithicflint tools, bone tools, middens, lithics, postglacial
- Paleolithichand axe, handaxe, stone tools, flint, Neanderthal
hunter-gathererfarmer
One who cultivates land
agriculturalist · pastoralist · herder · cultivator · rancher
hunter-gatherercity dweller
Urban area inhabitant
urbanite · industrial worker · bureaucrat · industrialist · citizen
gather, hunt, gathering, hunter, hunting, hunted, hunters, gatherer, huntsman