Page 474 - Cultures and Organizations

The Evolution of Cultures 439

is clearer. In the Americas the immigrating humans soon exterminated
local large mammals, such as the placid giant sloths. Homo sapiens had
begun to appropriate the earth.
During this period world population grew markedly. The growth of
population meant a proportional rise in the chance of favorable mutations.
As a consequence, genetic evolution could speed up. No doubt this was an
enabler of social and intellectual development, as it had always been, but
the standard of development in our social and intellectual capacities had
now become so high that cultural evolution could begin to take wing. The
takeoff of cultural innovation was spectacular: art, technology, and hunting
techniques started to change at an increasing pace. Culture became a more
and more prominent mechanism of evolution. With people living in small,
egalitarian bands that had mutual exchanges while still being limited to
modest world populations, there was no experience of inaccessible, awe-
inspiring leaders. With abundant natural resources and good, protein-rich
diets, and with discoveries being made regularly, this was probably a rather
satisfying period for our ancestors. The statuettes of female fi gurines with
plentiful breasts and genitals may have indicated admiration of Mother
Earth. They certainly indicate a relaxed attitude toward the human body.
What culture would these hunter-gatherer bands have had? Or better,
what range of cultures—because there is no reason to suppose that they
were all alike. Cultural values leave no fossils, making speculation unavoid-
able. A band of, say, thirty hunter-gatherers had to be on the move, and
everybody had to walk and to help carry things. It had to be democratic
too; the group was not large enough to have dictators with armies or secret
police. There were hardly any possessions: most of the world consisted of
common goods of which the group had little control. Everybody’s contri-
bution was needed in order to provide food. The human digestive system

needs a varied diet, and gathering probably supplied most of the nutri-
ents to most populations at most times. Gathering fruits, leaves, seeds,
roots, grubs, or eggs required memory of the topology of places. Pursu-

ing animals that weren’t dangerous—for example, fishing with nets—was
akin to gathering but might require group collaboration. Smart hunting
techniques, such as driving prey off cliffs or into ambushes using fi re,
could sharply reduce the risk involved. Risky types of hunting for large,
dangerous animals may have been more useful as a bonding ritual, or as
defense, than for providing nutrition. Hunting large prey required careful
collaborative planning, mutual support, and quick opportunistic reaction
to unexpected events.