Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Skill Investment and Resource Acquisition Among the Maku-Nadeb of Northwest Amazonas, Brazil

University Of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM

Investigators

Abstract

The human foraging niche is often interpreted as playing a central role in the evolution of human behavior and life history. This study seeks to systematically examine the development and senescence of the strength and skill components of specific food production activities in a traditional Amazonian society. Careful documentation of traditional lifeways is crucial for examining issues of human origins, especially given the rapid trend of acculturation of traditional societies into neighboring state-level societies. This project is the commencement of a long-term research program with approximately 287 Maku-Nadeb living in three villages in northwest Amazonas, Brazil. The objective of this research is to evaluate whether returns on high investments in foraging skill acquisition are an important selective force in the evolution of large brains, long lifespans and extended juvenile periods in humans. This will be accomplished by the following: 1) decomposing task-specific production ability into strength and skill components; 2) analyzing how these components vary across the lifespan, between the sexes, and among individuals; 3) establishing the level of investment, and potentially the critical learning period, needed to obtain proficiency in important subsistence activities; and 4) evaluating the costs to skill investment versus the benefits to elevated production later in life. The principal study questions of this research are the following: What are the skill components of hunting and gathering activities? How do foragers invest in skill acquisition? What are the benefits of skill acquisition on food returns later in life? What are the differences in investment between males and females, and are the payoffs to investments different? To test hypotheses concerning if and why human evolution is characterized by increases in skill investment, it will be necessary to measure both the costs and benefits of skill investment in the economy. The research will focus on patterns of resource acquisition, children's activities, and physical growth and performance. Proposed methods with the Maku-Nadeb are to weigh food returns, follow focal individuals, interview informants daily concerning their activities, and perform a battery of physical performance, skill, and production ability tests on individuals of all ages and both sexes. These data can facilitate cross-cultural comparisons with other foraging and/or tribal horticultural groups where ages, anthropometrics and resource return rate data are available.