Women and men both hunted. No sexual division of labor for hunting in prehistoric America

The Role of Women in Early Hunting Practices

Historical Context of Gender Roles

• Discussion on traditional views where men were seen as hunters and women as gatherers, highlighting a long-standing sexual division of labor in human evolutionary history.

Introduction to the Research Paper

• Presentation by Sang-Hee Lee from UC Riverside about a paper titled "Female Hunters of the Early Americas," published in Science Advances, which challenges conventional gender roles in hunting.

Key Findings from Excavations

• Excavation at Wilamaya Patjxa, a 9,000-year-old site, revealed a young adult female associated with hunting tools, suggesting that female hunters were not outliers but part of common practice.

Details of the Burial Site

• Description of the burial site located at high altitude (3925 meters), where six individuals were found; two linked to projectile points indicating hunting activities.

Analysis of Skeletal Remains

• Examination revealed one individual (WMP6), aged 17-19 years, buried with various hunting tools. Sex determination was based on skeletal morphology and peptide analysis despite missing pelvic bones.

Evidence Against Strict Sexual Division of Labor

Broader Data Collection

• Researchers analyzed data from 429 individuals across 107 sites; findings showed that female hunters (11 identified females vs. 16 males) were widespread rather than isolated cases.

Implications for Understanding Gender Roles

• Conclusion drawn that female hunters were common throughout early Holocene America, challenging previous assumptions about strict sexual division in hunting practices.

Reevaluation of Ethnographic Studies

Critique of Past Ethnographies

• Noted that many ethnographies conducted until the mid-20th century focused primarily on male activities due to biases among male anthropologists, often neglecting women's roles.

Modern Perspectives on Female Hunters

• Recent ethnographic studies have begun to document women hunters more thoroughly; however, these modern populations do not directly represent prehistoric societies.