Unveiling History: Rethinking Gender Roles in Early Societies

Join us for a 20-minute discussion as we delve into the intriguing world of early civilizations and challenge age-old stereotypes. In this thought-provoking video, we explore three captivating articles that shed light on the often-overlooked roles of women in ancient hunting societies.
🏹 Article 1: Female Hunters of the Early Americas
Step back in time as we unearth evidence of formidable female hunters in the early Americas. Through meticulous research, we reveal the remarkable stories of women who defied conventional gender roles and played pivotal roles in their communities as skilled huntresses. Prepare to be amazed by the untold narratives that reshape our understanding of history.
www.science.or...
🌍 Article 2: The Myth of Man the Hunter
Venturing beyond common misconceptions, we embark on a journey across various ethnographic contexts. Discover the untangled web of women's contributions to hunting traditions in societies worldwide. The myth of "Man the Hunter" is deconstructed, giving rise to a fresh perspective that underscores the pivotal role women played in shaping the dynamics of their societies.
journals.plos....
🔍 Article 3: Busting the "Male Hunter, Female Forager" Myth
It's time to shatter stereotypes once and for all. In this segment, we present compelling evidence that dismantles the long-held belief of gender-segregated roles in early societies. Prepare to have your preconceptions challenged as we expose the diverse roles that women assumed in gathering, hunting, and beyond.
bigthink.com/t...
Join us as we embark on an intellectual expedition, reevaluating history's narratives and celebrating the powerful, multifaceted roles of women in shaping our collective past. Like, share, and subscribe to our channel to stay informed about captivating discussions that unravel the mysteries of our world's rich history.
🔔 Stay tuned and hit the notification bell so you don't miss out on future episodes that challenge conventional wisdom and spark lively conversations! Let's rewrite history together. 💬📚

[@pseudonamed]

It makes sense that people would participate in whatever activities they were capable of under the circumstances that would bring in the most food. So there are often some tasks generally done by one sex or another, but also a lot of tasks done by both. It's common that women would set traps for smaller mammals, and fish, but might not hunt larger animals. Women can do these things easily even with a baby strapped to them, just as men aren't going to pass up some good berries if they encounter them. For many societies the women bring in more calories overall from their activities than men. So this idea that hunting is only done by men and is all that really has value is a projection of modern bias.

[@mhuzzell]

It's an aside to your main point, but 'Foraging Society' over 'Hunter-Gather Society' sounds like a great shift in terminology, and not one I'd heard made explicit before. I think it would also be a positive shift to more explicitly acknowledge that 'foraging' and 'agricultural' societies are not a binary division, but more of a spectrum of how much of people's diet comes from foraging vs. cultivation. As far as I understand, most foraging societies do/did practice some degree of cultivation (though not always recognised as such, e.g. things like encouraging fruit-bearing trees to grow near trails -- things we'd nowadays classify as permaculture). On the other hand, modern industrial societies' near-complete lack of foraging behaviour is a historical anomaly. Most rural people in what are now fully industrialised rich countries were supplementing their diets with wild mushrooms, wild plants, and wild herbs for both cooking and medicine, up into the last century -- and in many parts of the world, still do. Many rural people in these countries still get meat from hunting, even now, though a lot of plant and mushroom foraging practices seem to have fallen away (apart from specialist consumption of a few species, e.g. ramps in the Appalachians).

[@lampyrisnoctiluca9904]

Now I am wondering what else about the past societies we see differently thanks to our modern biases? Only thing I can remember right now is that the teenagers being rebellious, moody and immature is a modern concept. Past societies and even the current unwesternised ones have a completely different idea of that age group. The rebellious moody thing is according to many authors the consequence of the society infantilasing them. They are treated how the kids half their age should be treated instead. The idea is that a 16 year olds are treated as 8 year olds should be treated, while 8 year olds are treated how 4 year olds should. This has consequences not just on how mature they end up at the certain age, but the infantilasing treatment has many negative consequences on their mental health and social development. While many see the social changes that got us here as a good thing for our youth, others see it as more of the road to hell being paved with the good intentions situation. The sad thing is that the situation is just getting worse and worse.

[@Theinfamouskiki411]

Hello! Once again great topic❤

[@Goofy8907]

8:51 how does this evidence throw it out the window? This evidence doesn't tell us anything about actual hunting, only about cultural burial practices

[@Goofy8907]

16:30 ok, so this context actually makes the evidence more relevant, if the tools were customized per person In what way were they customized, how do we judge that?

[@pedrolopes3377]

It seems to me that what you’re saying is that man and women being separated EXCLUSIVELY as hunter and gatherer is a myth. But that doesn’t particularly disprove that that was their major roles, does it? Tho women back then were still not as strong as man I believe man were also not particularly famous for their chivalry 🤣

[@reemaliadeeb1754]

When will you speak up about Palestine

[@wonderlouis9029]

should a make a video on what caused the actual shift of the division of labor between genders since it’s not some thing inherent/ natural in society

[@alchemisoulofficial]

It is entirely natural. Humans have one of the longest gestation periods among all species. And considering that babies don't come out ready to go like an elephant calf it's nearly equivalent to that of an elephant pregnancy - before their upright. A pregnant woman and then a nursing/ woman is naturally more suited to nurturing than a man who provides his value through providing and protecting. And because women have selected men who are overwhelmingly larger and stronger than them there is a natural sexual dimorphism that accelerates these differences. It's really not that complicated. A rooster provides value by looking up and around while everyone is aloof pecking down and verbally alerts others when a predator/danger is afoot and also to indicate where a food source is available when chickens are free ranging. They fiercely face perceived threats head on without concern for their safety. That's how they provide value. That's their primary drive. To be of value, so as to be viewed as worthy of being seen as a mate and to produce offspring. It's not entirely different from what drives human males to get out of bed in the morning and go to work and try to make something of themselves - to be viewed as worthy enough do more or less the same.

[@Trenchfood]

Valencia. Amunt!

[@RevolutionandIdeology]

Ha! Nice catch! 🦇

[@LJSheffRBLX]

do you wanna collab?

[@billusher2265]

“The Myth of Man the Hunter” paper has been debunked in an aporia article.

[@RevolutionandIdeology]

The aporia article is pretty sloppy. It's doesn't really even aim to 'debunk' "The Myth of the Man Hunter" but takes aim at how the article was framed by the media (fine). They conclude: "[some people] are driven by a belief that the egalitarianism of hunter-gatherer societies means they have no sex-based roles or divisions. This is not only a belief but an ideological desire. They want to believe that hunter-gatherer egalitarianism means the sameness of the sexes" Neither "The Myth of the Man Hunter" nor this video claims anything about blanket egalitarianism nor the sameness of the sexes. They're going after a strawman. The article being referenced for anyone who's curious: www.aporiamagazine.com/p/the-myth-of-the-female-hunter