| A Hunter Gatherer is a person who lives solely from | | | | attention for increased periods of time to particular |
| what nature provides. He hunts animals and fish for | | | | subjects or tasks. |
| food and clothing and collect plants, insects, honey, sap | | | | On the other hand hunter gatherers do nor require |
| to supplement his dietary needs and in many instances | | | | such extended periods of concentration. often it would |
| to provide him with his medicinal needs. | | | | need a short period of work per day from each |
| Until the last great ice age all humans living were hunter | | | | member of the tribe to keep everybody clothed and |
| gatherers. There was plenty of large game species | | | | fed. The rest of the day would be spent enjoying life |
| for everybody. The hunter gatherer clans would | | | | and exchanging information. Knowledge was acquired |
| migrate along side their prey to ensure a permanent | | | | from elders and experienced tribemen who would |
| supply. | | | | teach the craft of observing nature in a wide and |
| Man had tamed wolves by this time so he would take | | | | general context in which key points would be noted. |
| them along with him on his hunts and train them to | | | | As education developed for the farmer so did various |
| work in unison with him in a mutually beneficial way. | | | | functions of his brain that helped him to maintain focus |
| The trained wolves would also help to protect him | | | | and attention. The hunter gatherer had very little need |
| from attack from dangerous prey and other potential | | | | for this trait. |
| enemies. | | | | We today have a name for this lack of attention span |
| Today a few examples of hunter gatherer existence | | | | that is prominent in hunter gatherers. We call it ADD or |
| still survive. Some bushmen in the Kalahari desert still | | | | ADHD. In the dawn of the agricultural era only the |
| live in this traditional way as do some aboriginal tribes in | | | | most successful would have been capable of |
| Australia, Africa, Borneo, Papua New Ginea and Some | | | | surviving. On the other hand in the hunter gatherer |
| tribes in the Amazon rain forest. There may still be | | | | society everybody was accepted. If you couldn't hunt |
| some tribes in South East Asia who still cling tho a | | | | you could always do something else in which you had |
| hunter gatherer existence. | | | | more aptitude. |
| Until as recently as one hundred and thirty years ago | | | | When Christian missionaries concentrated Indian or |
| there were still tribes in North America who lived in a | | | | Aboriginal children into classrooms to enforce their |
| hunter gatherer existence. Their culture is probably the | | | | farmer/Christian education upon them they reported |
| best documented and most missed of all hunter | | | | that the children were worthless because all they could |
| gatherers. The injustice of how they were forced to | | | | do was to stare out of the windows and day dream. |
| give up their way of life together with the advanced | | | | Of course they looked out of the windows. They all |
| philosophy with which they governed their lived are | | | | had ADD or ADHD in our terms. The holy reverends |
| well documented and studied. Once thought to be a | | | | classified this trend as a longing for savagery and |
| primitive savage, it is now fully understood that the | | | | more often than not lavish beatings were distributed as |
| way the American Indian lived in harmony and full | | | | correction. |
| understanding for al aspects of nature was as | | | | Contrary to common belief, wars were quite few |
| beautiful as it was complex. | | | | between hunter gatherer tribes and if hostilities |
| The difference between the civilized culture and their | | | | commenced they we more like skirmishes and |
| hunter gatherer culture was really only down to one | | | | intimidation tactics designed to establish to re enforce |
| thing. Agriculture. | | | | boundaries. Fatalities were few and most injuries were |
| Agriculture was the consequence of the last ice age. | | | | survived. Savage techniques were taught by civilized |
| As herds of large game species dwindled and | | | | people. Most indigenous tribes thought beatings |
| became gradually extinct, it became clear that man | | | | whippings, hangings and torture to be totally |
| had to find alternative means of acquiring food. | | | | unacceptable. In America, violent methods were |
| To this end man would start to concentrate certain | | | | actually intensified from the fear that the unwelcome |
| types of plants into plots and grow them so that he | | | | visitors would do the same to them, which they |
| would have certain preferred food sources near his | | | | invariably did. |
| home. As this new method of living grew so did | | | | This lens is designed to give an insight into hunter |
| acquired focused knowledge that was required to | | | | gatherer life in the hope that we may learn more from |
| grow plants successfully. This was the dawn of what | | | | these beautiful cultures that lived alongside nature |
| we call education. Education required man to pay | | | | taking only what they needed. |