Forager Societies in the News
Forager societies have not disappeared. Here are links to recent mass media articles covering how foraging societies fare in today's world.
Did Island Tribes Use Ancient Lore to Evade Tsunami? (National Geographic News January 24, 2005)
This article shows how in some ways hunter-gatherers were better adapted to survive the tsunami. It also explores some major issues that arose when an isolated society came into contact with 'the outside world.'
Logging and Animal Trade Threaten African Pygmies (National Geographic June 3, 2005)
This is an article featured in National Geographic about the factors changing the traditional lifestyle of African pygmies.
Who Rules the Forest? (National Geographic September 2005)
This article highlights the struggles of the Mbuti pygmies in the Ituri forest, as well as the struggles of the general populace of the Democratic Republic of Congo, following civil war.
Multimedia: Mbuti Pygmies (National Geographic September 2005)
This flash multimedia page is an extention of the feature "Who Rules the Forest?" above.
Hunting ban threatens Congo forest dwellers (IRIN October 31, 2005)
This article discusses the results of a blanket animal hunting ban on the lives of the Baka community, a hunter-gatherer group living in the Congo.
Africa's Forgotten Conflicts (CNN November 13, 2006)
This article is not specifically about foragers, but it briefly covers the ongoing conflicts in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Somalia which all affect foragers today.
Bushman anxious to hunt again like his ancestors (CNN December 14, 2006)
This article talks about one bushman of the Kalahari who wants to hunt like his ancestors. The government removed his people from the reserve that they had been living on, the land of their ancestors, and this disrupts many aspects of his life.
The insider's guide to the Kalahari Bushmen (CNN December 14, 2006) This article addresses the Ju/'hoansi of the Kalahari Desert and their struggle to keep their lands and livelihood.
Namibia Bushmen Claim Land (Reuters January 25, 2007)
This article exemplifies the struggle between modern day society and hunter-gatherer groups, such as the Bushmen.
Aboriginal abuse could 'wipe out generations' (ABC News June 16, 2007)
This article discusses alcohol and lack of education as prime causes for child sexual abuse in northern Australia. The article poses a realistic look at what this abuse could do to the next generation of Australian Aboriginals.
For Struggling Tribe, Dark Side to a Windfall (NYT September 2, 2007)
This article chronicles the division of the Yurok tribe of California over the use of $92 million in logging proceeds from the Department of the Interior.
Slide show: fishing with the Yurok (NYT September 2, 2007)
This slide show depicts the fishing strategies of the modern Yurok tribe, the largest in California. The captions also provide information on their traditions, history, and hardships.
Tribal Group Kills Whale Off Washington (NYT September 11, 2007)
This article describes the killing of a whale by the Makah tribe of Washington state. It exemplifies the struggle between preserving tradition in tribal groups and government conservation efforts.
UN adopts declaration on rights for indigenous peoples worldwide (IHT September 13, 2007)
This article is not about forager societies in particular, but it does cover the adoption of a UN declaration to protect indigenous peoples, including hunter-gatherer societies.
National Geographic (September 26, 2007)
Reporter Hope Hamashige explains how "a new rush to harvest iron, coal, and other minerals in Australia's Pilbara region is creating fortunes. But the unprecedented boom is also making life difficult for tourists, locals, and native groups."
Newsweek featured a pair of articles about "Freegans". The Noble Scavenger on the Living-Room Couch (October 1, 2007) and Freegan Ride (October 1, 2007).
PM promises vote on Aborigines (CNN October 11, 2007)
Australian PM John Howard has vowed to recognize Australian Aborigines as the country's first inhabitants. "While [this] would not grant new rights to Aborigines, such recognition has enormous symbolic significance."
An Australian newspaper reported that the Australian "government is considering a plan which would see central Australian Aborigines funded to cull feral camels," an animal which has been causing a considerable amount of trouble recently in the area. (The West Australian October 12, 2007)
Arctic Voice Drowning in Climatic Shift (BBC October 15, 2007)
The Inuit of the Arctic are slowly losing their way of life as the climate is warms and some native flora and fauna are lost.
Southern Africa's 'Bushmen' face lifestyle threat (AFP October 15, 2007)
The article gives a bleak account for the future of the Bushmen of Namibia, where disease, war, and government interaction have lowered their already dwindling numbers.
Alaskan Tribes to Receive Ancient Remains (USA Today October 20, 2007)
Remains, which were found 11 years ago in a cave in the Tongass National Forest, were returned to the Tlingit tribe, whom scientists have determined as the rightful descendants of the remains. The remains include such bones as vertebrae, ribs, teeth, a mandible, and a pelvic bone. These remains were required to be returned to the Tlingit tribe under the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
Argentine Indigenous in Protest (BBC November 6, 2007)
Marginalization of indigenous peoples in Argentina.
Fat Men Can't Hunt: A BBC Three Four-Part Series (BBC November 25, 2007)
Taken from the website: "Fat Men Can't Hunt is a four-part series that follows a group of eight men and women to see if they can live among the San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert in Namibia. The men will have to join hunts, spending days at a time foraging for food. Meanwhile the women will have to stay in the camp, living their lives according to the strict social rules that govern local women."
Can Fat Teens Hunt? A BBC Three Six-Part Series (BBC November 25, 2007)
A lot like the "Fat Men Can't Hunt" reality series, this series takes ten severely overweight teenagers and sends them to live with the Iban tribe of Southeast Asia, a group of former headhunters. There, the teens will have to live as members of the tribe, eating their traditional hunter gatherer foods and taking part in the work to acquire food. The producers hope this will end the teens' dependency on food.
A Pygmy Traveler Gives Voice to a Marginalized People is the profile of Antoine Lonoa, president of the African Congress of the Pygmies and his visit to the United States.
Scientific News
Linguistics: an important aspect of cultures
Gregory Anderson and K. David Harrison
From Science 28 September 2007:
Vol. 317. no. 5846, p. 1839
Of 6900 languages spoken in the world today, 6300 are in danger of going extinct, say two linguists who have mapped the world's "language hot spots." Gregory Anderson and K. David Harrison, a visiting professor at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, have taken the concept of "biodiversity hot spots" and applied it to languages, using criteria that include "genetic diversity": the ratio of languages to language families. Bolivia, for example, has as many language lineages as Europe but far fewer languages, which means its language diversity is threatened. Other hot spots are in North America, Siberia, and Australia (Harrison 2007 National Geographic Society). Languages of forager groups are especially prone to disappear as these small populations are becoming more incorporated in the larger world system.
Be sure to check out Australian-Aborigines to learn about their efforts to preserve their many languages.
Conservation: Mark of Respect
Michael Hopkin
From Nature 26 July 2007
Vol. 448, p. 402-03
In the Congo, logging companies and the local Mbendjele people (Pygmies) have found a way to communicate interests in forest resources in a profound way that ensures company profits on one side and on the other, protection of hunting and foraging grounds, water sources, and sacred sites. As more consumers have begun demanding goods from companies that engage in socially responsible practices, the timber industry has found it must meet the standards necessary to gain Forest Stewardship Counsel (FSC) certification. Such certification requires, amongst other things, working with local people. Congolaise Industrielle des Bois (CIB) found itself ready to work with local Mbendjele but unsure of how to go about it. At the same time, the Mbendjele people needed to find a way to voice their rights to the forest and specific sites of importance. Through the Tropical Forest Trust the company found a solution. Enlisting the help of anthropologist Jerome Lewis, the Mbendjele are now using portable GPS units to plot important sites as they travel through the forest. The system allows them to list the sites as one of four types of sites on the map. Since mapping began in June 2006, CIB has pledged to not cut down the Mbendjele-valued trees. The rest of the article discusses a new radio station which is in the early stages for locals to report and provide information on logging plans.
This article is a great example of how globalism is spreading to all facets of the world's population, and how technology can be embraced by "indigenous" populations in a way that meets their unique needs. I am not able to provide a link as I had to go through the OSU Library. If you do off-campus log-in and find the archived listing for Nature, you should be able to access the complete article.
For a short synopsis see also BBC News: Logging with Care in Congo
Male voice pitch predicts reproductive success in hunter-gatherers
A doctoral candidate at Harvard University conducted a study on the correlation between voice pitch and child-bearing success. The Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania were used for the research, and the results are published in the journal Biology Letters. Additional information about the study can be found on the Harvard University Gazette Online.