Reproductive Interests and Forager Mobility

Guided by life-history theory, contexts in which reproductive interests (eg, attracting & keeping a spouse) shape forager mobility are examined, using quantitative inter- & intracultural mating distance data. Significant correlations are reported between mating distance & population dens...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current anthropology 1999-08, Vol.40 (4), p.501-524
Main Authors: MacDonald, Douglas H., Hewlett, Barry S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa
Aka
Central Africa
Crosscultural Analysis
Farmers
Foragers
Geographic Mobility
Hunter-gatherers
Hunting and Gathering Societies
Mate Selection
Migration
Population Density
Quantitative analysis
Sex Differences
Sexual Reproduction
Social mobility
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Summary:Guided by life-history theory, contexts in which reproductive interests (eg, attracting & keeping a spouse) shape forager mobility are examined, using quantitative inter- & intracultural mating distance data. Significant correlations are reported between mating distance & population density not only among foragers but also among farmers. Further, in all of the cultures for which data could be found, males on average traveled considerably farther than females in a lifetime, & among Aka foragers of Central Africa, age & sex significantly impacted distances traveled. A descriptive model of forager mobility that supplements existing subsistence-focused models by incorporating reproductive interests at all levels is proposed. Comments by Michael S. Alvard, L. Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Raymond Hames, Henry Harpending, Mitsuo Ichikawa, Robert L. Kelly, Carole A. S. Mandryk, & David J. Meltzer are followed by MacDonald & Hewlett's Reply. 10 Figures, 76 References. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:0011-3204
1537-5382
DOI:10.1086/200047