Prehistoric men hunting a young mammoth

Imagine living in a time long, long ago, when there were no grocery stores, farms, or even houses. People lived very differently back then. They were called HUNTER-GATHERERS.

Hunter-gatherers were people who survived by finding and collecting their food from nature. Here’s how they did it:

1. Hunting: The men & older boys often went hunting. This means they looked for wild animals like deer, rabbits, and fish. They used tools like spears, bows, and arrows to catch these animals for meat.
2. Gathering: The women and children usually did the gathering. They searched for wild plants, fruits, nuts, seeds, and berries that were safe to eat. They knew a lot about which plants were good for food and which ones were not.
3. Moving Around: Hunter-gatherers didn’t stay in one place for very long. They moved around a lot to follow the animals they hunted and to find new areas where plants were growing. They lived in simple shelters like tents made from animal skins or huts made from branches and leaves.
4. Working Together: Everyone in the group had an important job to do, and they worked together to get all the food they needed. They shared everything they found and caught.

So, being a hunter-gatherer meant always being on the move, looking for food, and knowing a lot about nature. It was a very different way of living compared to how we live today!

Picking mushrooms in the woods, just like “Hunter-Gatherers”.

Picking berries in the woods just like “Hunter-Gatherers”

We can learn a lot about keeping ourselves healthy with food, by knowing about these early societies though. The closer your food is to it’s natural state, meaning straight forth animal or straight out of the ground, the healthier it will be.

Ancient man lived off the land and were called “Hunter-Gatherers”

HISTORY OF HUNTER-GATHERER SOCIETIES

Let’s take a journey through the history of hunter-gatherer societies.

Early Beginnings

• Early human: The story of hunter-gatherers begins with our ancient ancestors. They lived a long time ago, long before there were any cities or farms. These early humans survived by hunting animals and gathering wild plants.
• Tools and Fire: Over time, early humans learned to make tools from stone, bone, and wood. They also discovered how to use fire, which helped them cook food and stay warm.

The Stone Age

• Paleolithic Era (Old Stone Age): This period is thought to be more than 10,000 years ago. During this time, humans were mostly hunter-gatherers. They lived in small groups and moved frequently to follow the animals they hunted and to find new plants to gather.
• Art and Culture: Even during this early time, hunter-gatherers created art, like cave paintings and carvings, and developed simple languages to communicate.

The Mesolithic Era (Middle Stone Age)

• 10,000 to 5,000 Years Ago: As the last Ice Age ended and the climate became warmer, some hunter-gatherer groups started to settle in places with abundant food resources. They began to develop new tools and techniques, like fishing nets and boats, which made gathering food easier.

The Neolithic Era (New Stone Age)

• 5,000 to 4,000 Years Ago: This period marks a significant change. Some groups of people discovered how to farm and domesticate animals, leading to the rise of agriculture. This was the beginning of settled communities and the END of the nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle for many.

Hunter-Gatherers in Different Parts of the World

Tribe of Hunter-Gatherers Wearing Animal Skin Holding Stone Tipped Tools, Explore Prehistoric Forest in a Hunt for Animal Prey.

• Diverse Environments: Hunter-gatherers lived in many different environments, from forests and plains to deserts and coastal areas. Each group adapted to their surroundings in unique ways. If they lives near the ocean, ponds or lakes, they fished. If there were birds and foul they ate those, if there were bison or other red meat animals, they ate those. They didn’t have all the choices you have today! See our lesson on BIODIVERSITY (click here), to learn about all the different areas and animals on this amazing planet EARTH!
• Australia, Africa, and the Americas: Some hunter-gatherer societies, like the Aboriginal Australians, the San people of southern Africa, and various Indigenous peoples in the Americas, continued their traditional ways of life for thousands of years, even after other parts of the world had turned to farming. Ask your parents to show you these areas on a map!

Modern Times

• Today: While most people now live in agricultural or urban societies, there are still some hunter-gatherer communities around the world. They often face challenges due to changes in their environment and pressure from modern societies

Key Points to Remember

• Adaptability: Hunter-gatherers were incredibly adaptable and knowledgeable about their environments. They knew which plants were safe to eat, how to track animals, and how to make tools from natural materials.
• Community and Sharing: Life as a hunter-gatherer was all about working together and sharing resources. This helped ensure that everyone in the group had enough to eat and could survive in a challenging world.

So, the history of hunter-gatherers is a story of human cleverness, adaptability, and community, stretching from our earliest ancestors to the present day!

Modern people will likely never go back to these hunter-gatherer societies, but there is a big movement to get back to small-scale, family agriculture, growing your own food and raising your own meats. We will explore these in the coming lessons!

For now, just remember, we can learn a lot from our ancient ancestors about food, nutrition and even cooking!

Click here to explore this topic more.

Archeological pre-historic human clift painting depicting hunting.

REVIEW PAST LESSONS! Click on lesson below to go visit that topic! All these topics give your kids a sold foundation in thinking about their food, even before we get into nutrition and cooking!

1. WHAT IS BIG FOOD?
2. THE JUNK IN JUNK FOOD
3. THE GOOD & BAD OF FAST FOOD
4. WHERE REAL FOOD COMES FROM (HUNTING, FISHING, RANCHING, FARMING)
5. BIODIVERSITY: ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY
6. FOOD CHAINS: HOW NATURE FEEDS ITSELF
7. PHOTOSYNTHESIS: HOW PLANTS MAKE THEIR OWN FOOD (and start the food chain)