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Hooper PL, Reynolds AZ, Jamsranjav B, Clark JK, Ziker JP, Crabtree SA. Inheritance and inequality among nomads of South Siberia. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220297. [PMID: 37381844 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
At the headwaters of the Yenisei River in Tuva and northern Mongolia, nomadic pastoralists move between camps in a seasonal rotation that facilitates their animals' access to high-quality grasses and shelter. The use and informal ownership of these camps depending on season helps illustrate evolutionary and ecological principles underlying variation in property relations. Given relatively stable patterns of precipitation and returns to capital improvement, families generally benefit from reusing the same camps year after year. We show that locations with higher economic defensibility and capital investment-winter camps and camps located in mountain/river valleys-are claimed and inherited more frequently than summer camps and camps located in open steppe. Camps are inherited patrilineally and matrilineally at a ratio of 2 : 1. Despite its practical importance, camp inheritance is not associated with livestock wealth today, which is better predicted by education and wealth outside the pastoral economy. The relationship between the livestock wealth of parents and their adult children is significantly positive, but relatively low compared to other pastoralists. The degree of inequality in livestock wealth, however, is very close to that of other pastoralists. This is understandable considering the durability and defensibility of animal wealth and economies of scale common across pastoralists. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary ecology of inequality'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul L Hooper
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Adam Z Reynolds
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Bayarsaikhan Jamsranjav
- National Museum of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, 14201, Mongolia
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena 07745, Germany
| | | | - John P Ziker
- Department of Anthropology, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725-1950, USA
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Scelza BA, Prall SP. Only Death Will Separate Us: The Role of Extramarital Partnerships among Himba Pastoralists. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2023; 52:1355-1363. [PMID: 36811815 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-023-02553-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Extramarital partnerships are highly stigmatized in many societies and are typically excluded from studies of family dynamics and social support. Nevertheless, in many societies such relationships are common and can have important impacts on resource security and health outcomes. However, current studies of these relationships come mainly from ethnographic studies, with quantitative data extremely rare. Here we present data from a 10-year study of romantic partnerships among a community of Himba pastoralists in Namibia, where concurrency is common. The majority of married men (97%) and women (78%) currently reported having more than one partner (n = 122). Using multilevel models comparing marital and nonmarital relationships, we found that, contrary to conventional wisdom surrounding concurrency, Himba form enduring bonds with extramarital partners that often last decades and are very similar to marital ones in terms of length, emotional affect, reliability, and future prospects. Qualitative interview data showed that extramarital relationships were imbued with a set of rights and obligations that, while distinct from those of spouses, provide an important source of support. Greater inclusion of these relationships in studies of marriage and family would provide a clearer picture of social support and resource transfers in these communities and help to explain variation in the practice and acceptance of concurrency around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke A Scelza
- UCLA Department of Anthropology, Los Angeles, 341 Haines Hall, Box 951553, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1553, USA.
| | - Sean P Prall
- Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
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Prall S, Scelza B. The dietary impacts of drought in a traditional pastoralist economy. Am J Hum Biol 2023; 35:e23803. [PMID: 36125188 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Arid pastoralism is often understood as an adaptive strategy to marginal environments. As pastoralists become increasingly market integrated, novel dietary preferences and access to low quality market foods can erode traditional diets. These market-based dietary shifts are particularly problematic during sustained drought, where reductions in traditional foods make pastoralists increasingly reliant on a cash economy. Among the Himba of the Kunene region in Namibia, colonial policies prohibiting access to livestock markets inhibit access to a cash-based economy, leaving them vulnerable to food insecurity when nontraditional foods are needed to supplement traditional lifeways during drought. To understand the impacts of long-term drought on diet and food insecurity, we collected longitudinal survey data on diet breadth and food insecurity across 4 years during a multi-year drought. METHODS Participants completed a five-item food insecurity survey and recalled diet breadth survey over the course of 4 years (N = 191-234). Additionally, women completed a short survey of recent stressors, including health and resource stressors (N = 127). We used a set of multilevel models to estimate changes in food insecurity items and diet breadth changes over the course of the study period. RESULTS Multilevel models predicted score outcomes, as well as individual item responses, by year of data collection. Results indicate a 43% increase in average food insecurity and a 15% decline in average diet breadth over the study period. Dietary recall indicates that drought caused a reduction in sour milk intake, and an increase in nontraditional foods, but no change in meat or maize consumption. CONCLUSIONS Sustained drought in the Kunene region is having long-term impacts on food insecurity, which could result in dietary shifts that outlast the current period of drought. We consider the implications of this change, especially as it relates to increasing market integration and reliance on a cash-based over a subsistence-based economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Prall
- Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Brooke Scelza
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Prall S, Scelza B. The effect of mating market dynamics on partner preference and relationship quality among Himba pastoralists. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm5629. [PMID: 35507659 PMCID: PMC9067927 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm5629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Relative mate value has long been believed to be a critical component of mate choice in humans. However, most empirical work focuses on preferences rather than actual pair formation, and data connecting partner preferences, partnership formation, and relationship quality remain rare. Here, we estimate mate value using >12,000 ratings by opposite-sex, in-group members to understand both hypothetical partnership preferences and actualized relationship dynamics. When evaluating hypothetical partnerships, people generally prefer individuals whose mate value is higher than their own, indicating an aspirational matching strategy. However, mate value comparisons of individuals in marital and nonmarital relationships show a positive correlation, suggesting that individuals tend to pair up with similarly desirable individuals. Furthermore, despite aspirational preferences, couples who are more closely matched reported greater relationship quality, measured through frequency of interactions, reported sexual histories, and partnership length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Prall
- Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Brooke Scelza
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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The Role of Spousal Separation on Norms Related to Gender and Sexuality among Himba Pastoralists. SOCIAL SCIENCES-BASEL 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/socsci10050174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The gender-specific labor demands of arid pastoralism often lead to spousal separation. Men typically respond in one of two ways: engage in mate guarding tactics, or loosen restrictions on female sexuality. Among Himba pastoralists in northwest Namibia, the latter strategy is dominant. Rooted in a history of matriliny, Himba have strong norms promoting female sexual autonomy. We propose that these conditions, combined with a stochastic resource base, have led to women utilizing a combination of formal and informal partnerships to meet their needs and the needs of their children. Aspects of Himba socioecology also increase the costs of mate guarding for men and lower the costs of extra-pair paternity, further bolstering a concurrency strategy. Using a mix of quantitative and qualitative data, we show how spousal separation, female autonomy, and concurrency are linked, and suggest that in this harsh environment having a mix of formal and informal romantic partners may be less costly and more beneficial than a system of monogamous marriage.
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Prall SP, Scelza BA. Why men invest in non-biological offspring: paternal care and paternity confidence among Himba pastoralists. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192890. [PMID: 32156214 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Paternal investment is predicted to be a facultative calculation based on expected fitness returns and modulated by a host of social predictors including paternity uncertainty. However, the direct role of paternity confidence on the patterns of paternal investment is relatively unknown, in part due to a lack of research in populations with high levels of paternity uncertainty. Additionally, much of the work on paternity certainty uses cues of paternity confidence rather than direct assessments from fathers. We examine the effect of paternity assertions on the multiple measures of paternal investment in Himba pastoralists. Despite a high degree of paternity uncertainty, Himba have strong norms associated with social fatherhood, with men expected to invest equally in biological and non-biological offspring. Our behavioural data show patterns that largely conform to these norms. For domains of investment that are highly visible to the community, such as brideprice payments, we find no evidence of investment biased by paternity confidence. However, more private investment decisions do show some evidence of sex-specific titration. We discuss these results in light of broader considerations about paternal care and the mating-parenting trade-off.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean P Prall
- Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA
| | - Brooke A Scelza
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
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Scelza BA, Prall SP, Starkweather K. Paternity confidence and social obligations explain men's allocations to romantic partners in an experimental giving game. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2019.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Abstract
The rapidly decreasing costs of generating genetic data sequencing and the ease of new DNA collection technologies have opened up new opportunities for anthropologists to conduct field-based genetic studies. An exciting aspect of this work comes from linking genetic data with the kinds of individual-level traits evolutionary anthropologists often rely on, such as those collected in long-term demographic and ethnographic studies. However, combining these two types of data raises a host of ethical questions related to the collection, analysis and reporting of such data. Here we address this conundrum by examining one particular case, the collection and analysis of paternity data. We are particularly interested in the logistics and ethics involved in genetic paternity testing in the localized settings where anthropologists often work. We discuss the particular issues related to paternity testing in these settings, including consent and disclosure, consideration of local identity and beliefs and developing a process of continued community engagement. We then present a case study of our own research in Namibia, where we developed a multi-tiered strategy for consent and community engagement, built around a double-blind procedure for data collection, analysis and reporting. Paternity testing in anthropology raises ethical and methodological issues. We summarize these and describe a novel double-blind method used in our work.
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Shenk MK, Begley RO, Nolin DA, Swiatek A. When does matriliny fail? The frequencies and causes of transitions to and from matriliny estimated from a de novo coding of a cross-cultural sample. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20190006. [PMID: 31303165 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The question of when and why societies have transitioned away from matriliny to other types of kinship systems-and when and why they transition towards matriliny-has a long history in anthropology, one that is heavily engaged with both evolutionary theory and cross-cultural research methods. This article presents tabulations from a new coding of ethnographic documents from the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample (SCCS), tallying claims of transitions in kinship systems both away from and to matriliny using various levels of stringency. We then use our counts as the outcome variables in a set of Bayesian analyses that simultaneously estimate the probability of a transition occurring given societal covariates alongside the conditional probability of detecting a transition given the volume of ethnographic data available to code. Our goal is to estimate the cross-cultural and comparative frequency of transitions away from and to matriliny, as well as to explore potential causes underlying these patterns. We find that transitions away from matriliny have been significantly more common than 'reverse transitions' to matriliny. Our evidence suggests that both rates may be, in part, an artefact of the colonial and globalizing period during which the data comprising much of the current ethnographic record were recorded. Analyses of the correlates of transitions away from matriliny are consistent with several of the key causal arguments made by anthropologists over the past century, especially with respect to subsistence transition (to pastoralism, intensive agriculture and market economies), social complexity and colonialism, highlighting the importance of ecological factors in such transitions. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolution of female-biased kinship in humans and other mammals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary K Shenk
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University , 410 Carpenter Building , University Park , PA 16802 USA
| | - Ryan O Begley
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University , 410 Carpenter Building , University Park , PA 16802 USA
| | - David A Nolin
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University , 410 Carpenter Building , University Park , PA 16802 USA
| | - Andrew Swiatek
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University , 410 Carpenter Building , University Park , PA 16802 USA
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Starkweather K, Keith M. One piece of the matrilineal puzzle: the socioecology of maternal uncle investment. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20180071. [PMID: 31303168 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal uncle relationships in which men invest resources (usually in the form of inheritance of material wealth) into their sisters' children are characteristic of matrilineal systems and hypothesized to arise under certain socioecological circumstances, but little research has systematically investigated conditions that are associated with this type of investment. We quantify relationships between household-level socioeconomic variables and different types of maternal uncle investment (direct care and indirect resource investment) within a bilateral, semi-nomadic population. Shodagor people of Bangladesh allow us to consider matrilineal behaviours in an evolutionary framework owing to their flexible social structure in which 39% of families receive some investment from a maternal uncle. Variables associated with direct maternal uncle care reflect the significance of maintaining consistent residence throughout the year and an increased need for childcare in families residing on boats versus those living on the land. Informative predictors of indirect investment indicate that a mother's birth history corresponds with more tangible contributions such as food and clothing. These results identify household-level variables specific to direct versus indirect maternal uncle investment, whereas having more older brothers or being firstborn increased the odds of a mother receiving any investment from brothers at all. Exploring these social and ecological associations in a bilateral, relatively flexible population unveils household circumstances that may lead to the development of female-biased kinship. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolution of female-biased kinship in humans and other mammals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrine Starkweather
- 1 Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institut fur Evolutionare Anthropologie , Leipzig, Sachsen , Germany.,2 Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico , Albuquerque, NM , USA
| | - Monica Keith
- 3 Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri Columbia College of Arts and Science , Columbia, MO , USA
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Mattison SM, Shenk MK, Thompson ME, Borgerhoff Mulder M, Fortunato L. The evolution of female-biased kinship in humans and other mammals. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20190007. [PMID: 31303170 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Female-biased kinship (FBK) arises in numerous species and in diverse human cultures, suggesting deep evolutionary roots to female-oriented social structures. The significance of FBK has been debated for centuries in human studies, where it has often been described as difficult to explain. At the same time, studies of FBK in non-human animals point to its apparent benefits for longevity, social complexity and reproduction. Are female-biased social systems evolutionarily stable and under what circumstances? What are the causes and consequences of FBK? The purpose of this theme issue is to consolidate efforts towards understanding the evolutionary significance and stability of FBK in humans and other mammals. The issue includes broad theoretical and empirical reviews as well as specific case studies addressing the social and ecological correlates of FBK across taxa, time and space. It leverages a comparative approach to test existing hypotheses and presents novel arguments that aim to expand our understanding of how males and females negotiate kinship across diverse contexts in ways that lead to the expression of female biases in kinship behaviour and social structure. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolution of female-biased kinship in humans and other mammals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siobhán M Mattison
- 1 Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 , USA
| | - Mary K Shenk
- 2 Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802 , USA
| | | | | | - Laura Fortunato
- 4 Department of Anthropology, Magdalen College, University of Oxford , Oxford, OX1 4AU , UK.,5 Santa Fe Institute , Santa Fe, NM 87501 , USA
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