Hunting Communities Research Articles

Ostrich eggshell beads from Little Muck Shelter, southern Africa: First impressions and regional perspectives

Hunting and gathering communities in southern Africa produced ostrich eggshell (OES) beads for personal ornamentation, trade and exchange, and various forms of symbolism. OES beads convey information related to not only technological processes, but also social histories, making them useful tools for investigating these processes in the archaeological record. In the middle Limpopo Valley, hunter-gatherers produced beads from periods that predated the arrival of farmer societies, before ca. AD 150, until the decline of the Mapungubwe capital, AD 1300. Their analysis may therefore lead to insights into local economies, craft activities, trade and exchange, and social roles. However, no study in the middle Limpopo Valley has sufficiently investigated these beads and their status within forager society. In this paper we study the manufacture of OES beads from one of the excavated forager-occupied shelters in the valley, Little Muck. This study is the first of its kind from a hunter-gatherer context in the region. It shows that Little Muck’s beads were standardised but produced in varying frequencies across temporal periods, and made following different production strategies. Use-wear analysis hints that some of the beads were pigmented and possibly altered using heat treatment. As an initial foray into a forager bead assemblage of the region, this study demonstrates the value such an approach may yield, and it aids in guiding future attempts. It also compares Little Muck’s bead assemblage with those from other sites across a much wider region where such studies have taken place. The findings demonstrate similar patterns to other parts of southern and eastern Africa, but also illustrate local shifts in bead production that follow changes in local socio-political dynamics.

Yurok–wildlife relationship through the context of Traditional Ecological Knowledge

AbstractVarious aspects of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) continue to be integrated in the wildlife conservation and management discourse; however, there may be challenges in cross‐cultural understanding of the complex social‐ecological systems that make up the fabric of TEK. In a 2‐phased approach, we implemented research to better understand an Indigenous perspective of human–wildlife relationship. In phase 1, we conducted 16 semi‐structured interviews with Yurok and Yurok‐affiliated people about the relationship of Yurok people with wildlife and Yurok community hunting values. In phase 2, we conducted a secondary analysis of a subset of 10 interviews from phase 1. Permissions were obtained from the Yurok Tribe, under the project's previously established Institutional Review Board process, to access archived interview data for subsequent research relevant to the original research goals. We identified the following themes: Yurok conceptualizations of wildlife, cultural understanding of animals as people, animal harvesting protocols, cultural guidelines that maintain wildlife populations, and consequences for not following cultural guidelines as related to hunting. We explored how the terms wildlife and wildlife management are difficult to interpret within the context of Yurok TEK, as wildlife, in the same meaning as Western wildlife management, does not exist in the Yurok cultural paradigm. A fundamental, multifaceted aspect of the Yurok–wildlife relationship through a TEK context is the concept of animals as people, which we discuss in relation to Yurok spirituality. As Indigenous Knowledge continues to be recognized in scientific discourse, there may be opportunities to reconceptualize, Indigenize, and shift approaches to research, wildlife and wildlife habitat management, and conservation. Results of our study may support Yurok Tribe wildlife managers, Western‐trained biologists, and others in their considerations of Indigenous Knowledge in wildlife management and conservation.

Community membership as a driver of climate action: From rural hunters to progressive activists

In this paper we show how community membership can motivate climate activism in two very different contexts: for politically conservative hunters and fishers in the western United States, and for progressive climate activists in the US and UK. In the first context, we describe how members of the right-wing hunting community emphasize their collective identity through shared ways of communicating, and as a result, encourage climate activism and challenge the political polarization around climate action. In the second context, we illustrate the importance of feelings of community to experiencing positive mental health effects from climate activism and maintaining the desire to continue participating in activism. This research suggests that, by highlighting collective identities, activists can challenge political polarization and promote climate action even among historically right-wing groups. Furthermore, climate activist groups should cultivate a strong sense of community to ensure that members experience mental health benefits, not detriments, from their engagement in climate action.

The Great Outboard Debate: Negotiating Materiality and Dispossession in a Southeast Asian Marine Hunting Community

ABSTRACT: Lamalera is a small coastal community in the Lesser Sunda region of eastern Indonesia whose cosmology and livelihoods are rooted in hunting large marine prey, including toothed whales and large ocean fishes. In the past decade Lamalera's hunting practices have become embroiled in an international authenticity debate about technology, traditional belief, and conservation, fixating on the incorporation of outboard motors in hunts. Combining theories of material religion and the dispossession of indigenous peoples, this article makes two arguments. First it argues that the movement to outboards should be understood as an adaptation in the materiality of a sacred practice rather than the unraveling of tradition or decline of authenticity as has been proposed. Second, the article argues that the discourse of authenticity itself impacts the community in harmful ways, both by requiring Lamalerans to defend themselves, which has internal social costs, and by detrimentally reframing the important work that the community has done to keep their sacred practices alive in the midst of challenging circumstances.

State Monopolization of Fur Hunting in the Far Eastern Republic in 1920–1922: Perspective of N.A. Mikhailovsky, Head of Fishing Department

The article discusses the state fur monopoly in the Far Eastern Republic (1920–1922). N.A. Mikhailovsky was the head of the Sub-Department for Fisheries and Hunting at the Ministry of Agriculture. His scientific approach to fur monopoly was rather unusual for the bureaucratic nomenclature of those days. The author performed a comprehensive analysis of N.A. Mikhailovsky’s views on the nature of the fur monopoly, the experience of its implementation in the Far Eastern Republic, the consequences of the poor implementation methods, and the ways the commercial and raw material economy used to get out of the crisis. The research relied on the principles of objectivity and historicism, with historical-genetic and formal-legal methods. N.A. Mikhailovsky could foresee the disastrous outcome of the hastily adopted legal provisions as the sudden drop in fur legally harvested by the Central Union of Cooperatives led to smuggling. However, he did his best to improve the legislative procedure of state monopolization. N.A. Mikhailovsky faced the difficult foreign policy situation in the frontier and the domestic economic crisis. He had to act at the limit of his departmental capabilities, trying to overcome the resistance of the controlling organs, e.g., the Ministry of Industry and Trade. He made a number of very careful attempts to bring to the authorities the situation with gangs that smuggled the fur "counter currency" abroad. During 1921 – early 1922, he proposed a number of measures to rationalize the system of commercial fur harvesting while maintaining a limited state monopoly. As a result, the government took the correct legislative strategy to establish productive relationships with the local hunting communities.

Social-psychological factors influencing risk perceptions of chronic wasting disease on social media

ABSTRACT Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion-based disease that poses an imminent threat to New York State (NYS), but many NYS hunters do not perceive it as a salient issue or follow recommended practices to prevent its spread to NYS. This study sought to identify the social-psychological factors underlying the efficacy of social media interventions to increase risk perceptions of CWD in NYS. We conducted an online survey experiment with 2760 NYS hunters and found that perceived similarity of an information source on social media and hunters’ biospheric values and descriptive norms increased risk perceptions of the threat of CWD to deer and deer hunting in NYS. We also found that biospheric values and knowledge increased risk perceptions of behaviors contributing to the spread of CWD to NYS. We encourage regulators to collaborate with opinion leaders in the hunting community to disseminate CWD prevention messages on social media to maximize message efficacy.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of duck harvest distributions in the Central and Mississippi flyways, 1960–2019

AbstractGeographical distributions of waterfowl exhibit annual variation in response to spatiotemporal variation in weather conditions, habitat availability, and other factors. Continuing changes in climate and land use could lead to persistent shifts of waterfowl distributions, potentially causing a mismatch with habitat conservation planning, wetland restoration efforts, and harvest management decisions informed by historical distributions. We used band recoveries and harvest records (i.e., hunter‐harvested wings) from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Waterfowl Parts Collection Survey as indices of duck distribution in autumn and winter, and quantified intra‐annual, interannual, and interspecific variation in their geographic distributions across 6 decades (1960–2019) for 15 duck species in the Central and Mississippi flyways in North America. Specifically, we tested for annual and decadal shifts in mean latitude and longitude of recoveries for each month (Oct–Jan) by species and taxonomic guild (i.e., dabbling, diving ducks). Overall, species varied in the extent, timing, and sometimes direction, of distributional change in recoveries. From 1960–2019, mean recovery locations for dabbling ducks shifted south 105–296 km in October and 27 km in November (wings only), whereas mean latitudes shifted north 144–234 km in December and 186–301 km in January. Mean recovery locations for diving ducks shifted north 162 km in October (wings only), 84–173 km in December, and 66–120 km in January, but shifted 99–512 km south in November. Shifts in longitude were less consistent between guilds and data types. Finally, distributional change rarely accelerated during recent decades, except for southward shifts of band recoveries of diving ducks in November and northward shifts of band and wing recoveries of dabbling ducks in January. Although anecdotal accounts of large‐scale northward shifts in duck distributions are prolific in the land management and hunting communities, our data demonstrate more subtle shifts that vary considerably by species and month. Observed changes in recovery distributions could necessitate changes in timing of habitat management practices throughout the Central and Mississippi flyways and may result in fewer hunting and recreational opportunities for some species in southern states. Quantifying patterns of historical change is a necessary first step to understanding temporal and interspecific variation in waterfowl distributions, which will help with landscape‐scale conservation and management efforts in the future and enable effective communication to core constituencies regarding ongoing changes and their implications for recreational engagement.

Comparison of local ecological knowledge versus camera trapping to establish terrestrial wildlife baselines in community hunting territories within the Yangambi landscape in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Baseline population data are fundamental to the development of wildlife management plans and are usually generated based on field surveys using sampling tools such as camera traps (CT). However, this method can be costly and ineffective with rare species or in wildlife-depleted areas. An alternative is to complement baseline wildlife population data with Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK)-based methods. We compared LEK and CT surveys in terms of their capacity to assess the status of terrestrial mammal species (richness, abundance, distribution) in the Yangambi landscape of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This region is heavily hunted and wildlife population densities are low. Species not captured by CT included naturally rare and endangered species that were instead recorded by interviewed hunters. LEK and CT abundance metrics were positively related for all species. For all medium- and large-sized species, the number of positive sites from LEK outnumbered the number of positive sites from the CT survey, indicating that hunters detected species over larger areas. Overall, our comparison suggests that LEK and CT methods can be used interchangeably to provide reliable information on relative abundance. Nevertheless, LEK appears as a more cost- effective alternative to camera trapping, particularly for hunted and depleted tropical forests.

Misa, Lefa, Puang: ritual, piety, and performance in opening the ocean season in a Southeast Asian marine hunting community

ABSTRACT Lamalera, a small community on the island of Lembata in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, is home to a rich tradition of marine hunting and an environmental cosmology that brings together its people, their ancestors, and the Savu Sea. Each year the community, its diaspora, and other island residents gather to celebrate, demonstrate symbolic patronage of, and observe the opening of the ocean hunting season, or Musim Lefa. Over time the ritual cycle has adapted, and taken on different layers of significance, as Lamalerans have worked to preserve their hunting-based way of life, in the face of changing economic, social, and legal contexts. Applying the overall conceptual framework of this thematic issue, this article examines the opening of the Lefa as an adaptive constellation of piety, performance, patronage, and protection through time. It argues that the festival represents a unique moment each year for contestation and renegotiation of symbolic and practical power.

‘Come and Give my Child Wit’. Animal Remains, Artefacts, and Humans in Mesolithic and Neolithic Hunter-gatherer Graves of Northern Europe

Unmodified and modified animal remains and animal representations significantly contribute to the content of Mesolithic and, in some cases, Early Neolithic hunter-gatherer burial assemblages in Northern Europe. Though these finds have received noteworthy attention, predominant archaeological narratives focus on their economic, aesthetic, or symbolic values in relation to humans. This contribution explores ways of looking at these assemblages beyond seeing them primarily as signifiers of human identities and human symbolic and/or economic choices. Drawing on insights from Russian ethnographic literature about near-recent East Siberian hunting and gathering communities, this paper explores paths for understanding unmodified and modified animal remains and animal representations from Mesolithic and Neolithic hunter-gatherer graves as animate objects and investigates ways of recognising their personhood. The paper outlines what could be considered as the material consequences of communicative actions and performative acts in relation to artefacts and animal remains that might have been perceived as having the qualities of a person, such as their placement and arrangement within the burial and treatment prior to deposition.

Meeting the challenges of wild boar hunting in a modern society: The case of France.

Modern hunting is an ambivalent practice, torn between leisure and labor. Nowhere are these conflicting dimensions better manifested than for wild boar-a simultaneous game and pest species in many countries. Here, we consider the sociological, political and cultural phenomenon of wild boar hunting from a change perspective, starting at its historical roots to future implications concerning the changing demographics, drivers, needs and practices of a modernizing hunting community. Using the case context of France, we present an approach to deconstructing each component of wild boar hunting firstly, and subsequently the external forces that change the nature of hunting. The objective of this manuscript is to discuss of the wild boar optimal harvesting to be applied in changing social and ecological environment. Findings show that the challenges facing wild boar management will likely intensify in the future, especially under the spotlight of a controversial public debate.

Foragers during a period of social upheaval at Little Muck Shelter, southern Africa

ABSTRACT By the turn of the second millennium AD, farmer societies in southern Africa’s middle Limpopo Valley were undergoing significant economic, political and social transformations that ultimately led to the development of state-level society at Mapungubwe. This included the appearance of social hierarchies, élite groups, trade wealth, craft specialisation and a royal leadership system. Whereas this farmer sequence has been relatively well-studied, forager histories, and their involvement in associated socio-economic systems, are scarcely acknowledged, despite their presence before, as well as during, the farmer-occupation period. Foragers are instead seen as passive or even inactive in local economies and thought to begin ‘disappearing’ after AD 1000. In opposition to these views are recent results from excavations carried out at Little Muck Shelter showing that a forager presence continued into the second millennium AD and that those living at the site were engaged in trade with farmers during the process of state formation. We show this by presenting the distribution of cultural material throughout the site’s occupation and a sample of stone tools and trade items dating from before 2000 BP to AD 1300. Specifically, diagnostic stone artefacts persist into the contact period and until Mapungubwe’s appearance that are morphologically consistent with those from before the BC/AD transition. The occurrence of traded glass beads, ceramics and ostrich eggshell beads also increases and peaks in the second millennium AD, showing continued engagement with the local market economy. Evidence from the shelter demonstrates the contributions that indigenous hunting and gathering communities made during the rise of the Mapungubwe state, when trade wealth came to mark social élite groups, a period that can be characterised as one of social upheaval.

РОЛЬ ОБЩЕСТВЕННЫХ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЙ ОХОТНИКОВ И РЫБОЛОВОВ В ИСТОЩЕНИИ БИОРАЗНООБРАЗИЯ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ УСОЛЬСКОГО РАЙОННОГО ОХОТОБЩЕСТВА ИРКУТСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ)

The article discusses real events related to the primary hunting community and the shadow features of hunting activities on the example of the Usolsky regional hunting society (hereinafter – Usolsky RO IOOOiR), which is a direct tenant of a forest plot in the forest fund of the Irkutsk region. It is shown that each hunter is not just a person engaged in amateur hunting, but a separate entity that fulfills the terms of the lease agreement and uses hunting resources, as well as a participant in security and biotechnical measures on the territory of hunting grounds attached to the hunting society. Also, an analysis is made of a number of economic features inherent in the Usolsky hunting society. The purpose and objectives of the research of the author and at the same time the chairman of the primary hunting collective are to determine the importance of public organizations of hunters and fishermen, as well as to present the economic inexpediency of hunting communities in fixed (leased) territories (on the example of the Usolsky RO IOOOiR of the Irkutsk region). The final results of the economic activity of any hunting community depend on the size and quality characteristics of the hunting grounds.

Life on Wheels: The Van Bawaria – A Nomadic Hunting Community of Rajasthan, India

Life on Wheels: The Van Bawaria – A Nomadic Hunting Community of Rajasthan, India

Antiquity and Structuralism in the Tradition of Villuppaattu (Musical Storytelling)

The art form of villupattu is one of the oldest forms of folk liturgy and is known to have originated from the times when it lived as a hunting community. It can be seen that Villuppaattu was also significant among the art forms performed in the characteristics of cultural life. It should be noted that Villuppaattu later took the initiative of social reform beyond the nature of entertainment. In the run-up to the completion of the worship at the temple festivsals, the artists begin the villuppaattu performance. This art is performed not by a single person but by a small group of organized individuals with a variety of musical instruments. This art form is executed in such a way that at the height of the story, their leadership excellence prevails by narrating the life events of the protagonist or the heroine, such as the preservation, the recitation of the meaning of the word, the singing of the guru, modesty on the public stage, the resources of the country, or the scene of Kailash, the life of the male protagonist or the female protagonist. In this system, the system of the continuation of the story is also used. That is to say, the narrative of continuing the story refers to the tendency to continue the story of the first day's event into the event the next day. In particular, the narratives of Villuppaattu sing not only the deity but also the specialties of their own country. Such a singing category is called "Swadeshi Stories." It is noteworthy that it is these Swadeshi stories that direct the audience to a cultured state. The singing of minor deities also plays an important role in the structuralism of the Villuppaattu in the manuscripts sung through copies of the same. Not only this, but there is also the tradition of singing the stories that are loved. On the basis of this, the independent nature of this art form is known. The concluding part of the structuralism of Villupattu is to thank God for the excellent completion of the Villuppattu. Not only this, but one of the peculiarities of this art is that the tradition of thanking all those who have contributed to this event is also situated in Mangalam (Conclusion), which is not different from this art form, but is a part of this art form. This study shows that the existence and development of this art form of Villuppaattu are due to the assimilation of changes in content and form from time to time.

California Condors, Source Credibility, and Wildlife Conservation Messaging

This article examines the role of source credibility in the sphere of wildlife conservation campaigns. Specifically, it explores how particular messengers can motivate hunters, ranchers, and wildlife managers in California, Utah, and Arizona to voluntarily adopt non-lead ammunition. I analyze two partner websites, each designed to provide the hunting community with accurate information about non-lead ammunition. I then identify key principles regarding source credibility that arose from semi-structured interviews with four individuals closely involved in North American vulture and raptor conservation: representatives of the Ventana Wildlife Society, the Institute for Wildlife Studies, The Peregrine Fund, and Pinnacles National Park. The conclusion identifies lessons about the role of source credibility in wildlife conservation campaigns and situates the findings in the context of existing research on environmental communication and education.

Social Landscapes of Euphorbia Kop: A K2 Farmer Settlement with a Forager Presence in Southern Africa

ABSTRACT Holocene foragers in southern Africa were mobile, stone-tool-using, hunting and gathering communities that lived in rock shelters and in the open in temporary campsites. From the early 1st millennium a.d., farmer groups migrated into southern Africa and introduced domesticated crops, livestock, and metal technology into the region and lived in fixed homesteads. Differences in the material culture and residential habits of these two communities are distinct and largely differentiable. As such, studying their interactions is possible through the analysis of material culture and its context. Here, we present the findings from Euphorbia Kop in the middle Limpopo Valley of central southern Africa that contains several strands of evidence indicating a forager presence within a farmer settlement identified by several distinct cultural markers. Our findings demonstrate a response to contact not well recorded in the region that offers a possible explanation for the decline and eventual disappearance of forager remains in rock-shelter contexts beginning in the early 2nd millennium a.d.

The Impact of Colonial Policies on the Waata People of Kilifi County, Kenya, 1895-1963

The Waata community is among the indigenous Kenyan communities whose social, political, and economic organization has not been adequately studied. The objective of the study was to examine the impact of colonial policies on the history of the Waata people of Kilifi County in the period 1895-1963. The study was guided by the cultural interaction and identity formation theory. The study was conducted using the descriptive research design which offered a chronology of events as they unfolded over time. A qualitative approach was significant because it allowed an in-depth collection of data to ascertain the attitudes, feelings, and opinions concerning the theme under study. The study site was Kilifi County. The study targeted both males and females above 18 years within Kilifi County who were knowledgeable about the existence of the Waata people. Purposive and snowballing sampling techniques were used to select the sample for the study. One hundred and twenty-two participants were interviewed. The study used both primary and secondary data. Primary data was derived from the one-on-one interaction with participants using interview schedules and Key Informant Interviews, oral interviews, and focus group discussions. Question guides and questionnaires with open-ended responses were also used. Secondary data was obtained from critical analysis of books, articles, papers, thesis, and dissertations. Additionally, archival sources, particularly colonial documents, annual reports, correspondents, letters, diaries, and political record books related to the area under study were consulted. The findings of the study revealed that colonial policies impacted significantly on the history of the Waata forcing them to adapt to different lifestyles in order to survive cultural extinction. This adaptation was informed by the colonial labelling of traditional hunting communities like the Waata as poachers and the progressive government efforts to stop them from their traditional source of livelihood as well as their eviction from their indigenous habitats and creation of National Parks.

Alaska Beluga Whale Committee—a unique model of co-management

The Alaska Beluga Whale Committe (ABWC) was formed in 1988 to conserve beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and manage beluga subsistence hunting in western and northern Alaska in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). When the ABWC was formed, there was no consistently funded research or management programme for belugas in Alaska, and co-management was a new concept. The ABWC brought together representatives from beluga hunting communities; federal, state, tribal and local governments; and beluga researchers to develop and implement a programme to manage belugas. With funding from NMFS and others, the ABWC has collected data necessary for informed management decisions including the following: harvest data; aerial surveys of belugas in Bristol Bay and the eastern Bering and Chukchi seas; beluga tracking studies, including training hunters to attach transmitters; a pioneering genetics study of beluga stock identity that has facilitated collection of >2000 beluga skin samples; and a genetics-based mark–recapture study to estimate beluga abundance in Bristol Bay and validate aerial survey estimates. The ABWC is currently engaged in regional management planning in Kotzebue Sound and the eastern Bering Sea. It produces results that are scientifically valid, locally accepted and cost-effective and is an example of what can be achieved when Native hunters, scientists and managing agencies respect and listen to one another and work together. However, the current NMFS co-management funding process has fundamentally altered the relationship between NMFS and ABWC, with NMFS now acting more like a funding agency than a partner.

Profile of a Modern Hunter and the Socio-Economic Significance of Hunting in Poland as Compared to European Data

Hunting is a unique form of activity in rural areas with a high proportion of forest areas, which involves nature conservation and meets social needs for recreation and the preservation of traditions while being an important part of economic activity. The presented study results, based on a literature review and questionnaire surveys conducted among hunters associated in hunting clubs in the north-eastern part of Poland, provide the basis for a discussion on the socio-economic significance of hunting, both in the country and throughout the European continent. Based on the results presented in the paper, it can be concluded that the number and density of hunters differ in individual countries. Moreover, hunting is practised in Europe by almost 7 million people, of which 127,000 are in Poland, and is a typical male activity. Most hunters in Poland and other European countries are professionally active inhabitants of rural areas, aged approximately 50 years, with several years of shooting experience and an income exceeding average values. Hunting is an important part of socio-economic activities, particularly in rural areas. It is estimated that in the EU alone, hunting can be worth approximately EUR 16 billion, and creates 100–120 thousand jobs. The most recent results of studies conducted in certain EU countries and the wide range of services provided by the hunting sector indicate that these values may be considerably higher. Regarding Poland, despite the centralised game resource management system, there are no extensive studies of the economic significance of hunting, and the official data are limited to a few basic indices related to hunting statistics. As indicated by the study results presented in this paper, in Poland, hunting-related expenditures are clearly lower than the European average and, thus, the economic significance of hunting is relatively low in this country. Despite this, it is a hunting community that, as a result of the adopted system solutions, is responsible for the functioning of reasonable game management while significantly affecting the management of the vast majority of rural areas.