Book dossier

Demography and Evolutionary Ecology of Hadza Hunter-Gatherers

by Nicholas Blurton Jones

"The Hadza, an ethnic group indigenous to northern Tanzania, are one of the few remaining hunter-gatherer populations in existence. With a history spanning 130,000 years but rapidly losing their land and traditional ways of life, this book offers a unique opportunity to capture the lifestyle of a declining population. Blurton Jones interweaves data from ecology, demography and evolutionary ecology to present a comprehensive analysis of the Hadza foragers. Discussion centres on expansion of the adaptationist perspective beyond topics customarily studied in human behavioural ecology, to interpret a wider range of anthropological concepts. Analysing behavioural aspects, with a specific focus on relationships and their wider impact on the population, this book reports the demographic consequences of different patterns of marriage and the availability of helpers such as husbands, children, and grandmothers. Essential for researchers and graduate students alike, this book will challenge preconceptions of human sociobiology"--