Hunter-gatherers
Topic: Prehistory: Human Origins and Stone Age Cultures · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 4 "Timeline and Sources of History"
Meaning
Hunter-gatherers were early humans who got food by hunting animals and collecting wild plants, fruits and tubers (roots such as yams). Fishing was also important. They did not grow crops. They lived in small groups called bands and moved between temporary camps, rock shelters and caves. They used fire, spoke languages and made ornaments, which they exchanged with other bands. This was the human way of life for most of prehistory, until the Neolithic shift to farming.
Example
In the Mesolithic period (Middle Stone Age), c. 12,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers reused the rock shelters of Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh and painted their walls. They lived on small game, fish and wild grains.
Don't confuse with
- Neolithic farmers: farmers produced their own food by growing plants and raising animals, and they lived in permanent villages. Hunter-gatherers only collected food that already existed in nature.
Related concepts
- Palaeolithic age
- Acheulian tradition
- Handaxe
- Attirampakkam
- Isampur
- Hunsgi valley
- Pallavaram
- Didwana
- Soanian culture
- Hathnora