Hunter-Gatherer Variability: Developing Models for the Northern Coasts

• Published in: ARCTIC
• Main Authors: Rowley-Conwy, Peter, Piper, Stephanie
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: The Arctic Institute of North America 2017
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.14430/arctic4623; https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/download/67661/51557

Hunter-fisher-gatherer (HFG) variability has received a lot of attention. We review the key developments in the theories of variability, which have usually resulted in binary classifications. We argue that a range of variation based on the degree of territorial ownership is preferable to these classifications. Hunter-fisher-gatherers of the world’s northern coasts have only been partially explored in this way with regard to variability. A major reason for this is that such coastal groups use boats, so normative models of inland terrestrial foraging are not immediately applicable. We suggest that the Saxe-Goldstein hypothesis, the cautious linking of territoriality to funerary behaviour, may be a useful avenue to explore. Much work has been done by scholars of the northern coasts on boats and maritime transport, and some conclusions could be extrapolated to regions farther south.