WOMEN IN PRE-HISTORICAL TIMESPRE-HISTORIC CIVILIZATION - WOMEN THE FOOD GATHERERSINTRODUCTION: FANTASY VERSUS REALITYALL MAJOR DISCIPLINES NOW INTO DEBATE ON WOMEN'S ROLE IN PREHISTORIC TIMESOLD CLICHES WHERE MAN MIGHTY HUNTERDRAGGING WOMEN TO CAVESNO LONGER APPLICABLE TO MODERN SCHOLARSHIPMOST FOREWORD THINKING SCHOLARS ARE NOW ATTRIBUTING TO WOMEN INVENTIONS THAT MEN PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED CREDIT FORIN OUR JUDEO-CHRISTIAN CULTURE GOD IS A MALEWE ARE NOW DISCOVERING DISTINCT POSSIBILITY GOD WAS AWOMAN - GODDESSPREHISTORIC MEN UP TO NOW HAVE BEEN CREDIT FOR BRINGING HOME THE CHIEF FOOD ITEM - SOME ANIMAL KILLED IN A HUNTTHIS TOO IS CHANGING AS PREHISTORIC REMAINS OF HUMANS FIND THROUGH TEETH ANALYSISGRAIN, NUTS & FRUITS, MAJOR FOOD NOT MEATWOMEN AS FOOD PRODUCERS, GATHERS & PRESERVERSGENERAL REMARKSANTHROPOLOGISTS NOW SURVEYED AROUND 175 HUNTER/GATHERING CULTURES INOCEANIA, ASIAN, AFRICA & AMERICAHUNTING NEARLY EXCLUSIVELY DONE BY MALES STUDIES SHOW HOW INEFFICIENT HUNTING IS AS MEANS FOR PROVIDING FOODAS RESULT ONLY WOMEN'S GATHERING, NOT MEN'S HUNTING SUSTAINS TRIBEWOMEN REGULARLY PRODUCE 80% OF TRIBE'S TOTAL FOOD NB AT NO POINT IN PREHISTORY DID WOMEN W/OR W/O CHILDREN RELYON THEIR HUNTING MALES FOR FOODWOMEN'S CONTRIBUTION TO ECONOMYWOMEN'S GATHERING CONTRIBUTED MUCH TO CIVILIZATION PROCESSFOR SUCCESSFUL GATHERING DEMANDED & DEVELOPED SKILLS OF DISCRIMINATION, EVALUATION & MEMORYRANGE OF SEEDS, NUTSHELLS & GRASSES DISCOVERED AT PRIMITIVE SITES IN AFRICAINDICATE CAREFUL & KNOWLEDGEABLE SELECTION RATHER THAN RANDOM GLEANING DICTATED CHOICEANTHROPOLOGISTS FIXATION ON MAN THE HUNTER HAS DESIGNATED FIRST TOOLS AS WEAPONS OF HUNTMANY SCHOLARS NOW SAY HUNT MUCH LATER DEVELOPMENT THAN GATHERING?BONES, STONES & LENGTHS OF WOOD USED AS AIDS TO GATHERING ROOTS & TUBERS& FOR PULVERIZING WOODY VEGETATION FOR EASE OF CHEWINGALL THESE WOMEN'S TOOLSDISCOVERY OF DIGGING STICKSWITH FIRE-HARDENED POINTS INDICATES PROBLEM-SOLVING CREATIVITY OF THESE FEMALEFORAGERSBUT UNLIKE FLINT HEADS FOR AXES, SPEARS & ARROWS,VERY FEW OF EARLIER TOOLS HAVE SURVIVED TO TELL TALE OF WOMEN'S CONTRIBUTIONSAS FOODS GATHERED HAD TO BE CARRIED SO PERHAPS WOMEN WOULD HAVE HAD TO MAKE GATHERS' SWAG BAG FOR THIS& THEN IF WOMAN HAD TO CARRY BABY THEN HER SLING WOULD HAVE HAD TO BE DESIGNED FOR THAT TOOAS MOST EARLY WOMEN DID NOT LIVE BEYOND THEIR TWENTIES THERE WOULD BE NO POOL OF OLDER, WOMEN TO LOOK AFTER INFANTSCLAIMED SINCE MAN THE HUNTER NEEDED TO COOPERATE TO HUNT AMONG MALESTHEY DEVELOPED SKILL IN COMMUNICATION & SOCIAL ORGANIZATION& SO EVOLUTIONARY SPUR TO MORE COMPLEX BRAIN DEVELOPMENTBUT WOMEN SCHOLARS HAVE COUNTERED NEED TO ORGANIZE FEEDING & PLAY, ETC. ALL INVOLVE GROUP COMMUNICATION & SOCIAL SKILLS TOOAS WOMEN SPEAK 25,000 WORDS TODAY & MEN ONLY 10,000WHO WOULD HAVE INVENTED LANGUAGE?MENSTRUATION & ABSTRACT THINKING & CALENDARSCONNECTION MADE IN PRIMITIVE SOCIETIES BETWEEN LUNAR & MENSTRUAL CYCLES SUGGESTING WOMEN FIRST ABLE TO RECOGNIZE ABSTRACTIONSAS ALL WOMEN HAVE BODY CALENDARWOMAN WOULD HAVE NOTICED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HER OWN BODY CYCLE & LUNAR CYCLEOTHER MYTHS TO BREAK DOWNHUNTING WHOLE GROUP ACTIVITYHUNTING DID NOT MEAN FIGHTINGMOST FORMS OF HUNTING DID NOT INVOLVE AGGRESSION, PERSONAL COMBAT OR STRUGGLE TO DEATHPREYING ON SLOW-MOVING ANIMALS LIKE TURTLES, ON WOUNDED OR SICK ANIMALS OR FEMALES ABOUT TO GIVE BIRTH OR ON CARCASSES KILLED & ABANDONED BY OTHER FIERCER PREDATORSMEN & WOMEN RELIED ON EACH OTHER'S SKILLS BEFORE, DURING & AFTER HUNTSO CAVE MAN MENTALITY OF HITTING WOMAN OVER HEAD & SHE SPENDING TIME IN CAVE IS LUDICROUSWOMEN IN THESE CULTURES PLAYED TOO VITAL ROLE THEIR KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE NECESSARY RESOURCESMEN IN HUNTER/GATHERER SOCIETIES DO NOT COMMAND OR EXPLOIT WOMEN'S LABORMAKE NO FETISH OF VIRGINITY OR CHASTITYMAKE NO DEMANDS OF WOMEN'S SEXUAL EXCLUSIVITYSO EVIDENCE FROM EXISTING STONE AGE CULTURES SHOW THAT WOMEN TAKE ON ROLES OF2COUNSELLORSWISE WOMENLEADERSSTORYTELLERSDOCTORSMAGICIANSLAWGIVERSNEOLITHIC AGE - 10,000-7000 BC.FROM POINT OF VIEW OF LIVES OF WOMENNEOLITHIC PERIOD PERHAPS MOST NB PHASE OF PREHISTORYBY END OF PALEOLITHIC WOMEN ENJOYED EQUALITY WITH MENTHEY PROBABLY COLLECTED MUCH IF NOT MORE FOOD EATEN BY COMMUNITY& THEIR EQUALITY STATUS DERIVED FROM THEIR CONTRIBUTIONBUT BY ABOUT C 3000 B.C.4000 YRS AGO MANY OF GENDER ROLES & BEHAVIOR TYPICAL OF WESTERN WORLD TODAY PROBABLY ESTABLISHEDIMPLICATION -CRUCIAL CHANGES TOOK PLACE DURING NEOLITHIC AGECHIEF CHARACTERISTIC OF NEOLITHICESTABLISHMENT OF AGRICULTUREC 7TH MILLENNIUM BC OR EARLIER1 OF MOST MOMENTOUS CHANGES DOMESTICATION OF PLANTS & ANIMALSDISCOVERY OF FARMING TECHNIQUES USUALLY ASSUMED TO HAVE BEEN MADE BY MENBUT MORE LIKELY MADE BY WOMENWOMEN BY LONG TRIAL & ERROR PROBABLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO GROW & TEND CROPSBY 6000 B.C. TRANSITION FROM FORAGING TO FARMING MADEC. 6000 BC.WOMEN PROBABLY RECOGNIZED IDEAL SOILS & CHOSE LAND TO BECLEAREDSTUDIES OF ROLES OF WOMEN IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITIES SHOW REMARKABLY CONSISTENT PATTERNIN SOCIETIES WHERE PLOUGH AGRICULTURE IS PRACTICED& ANIMALS KEPT ON SIGNIFICANT SCALEMOST OF AGRICULTURAL WORK DONE BY MENWITH WOMEN PLAYING NO DIRECT PARTOR VERY SUBSIDIARY ROLEBUT IN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES WHERE HOES OR DIGGING STICKS USED FOR MAKING HOLES TO PLANT ROOTS OR SEEDSWOMEN USUALLY MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIONWHY DID FARMING EVENTUALLY BECOME PREDOMINANTLY MALE PRESERVE?BY TIME OF EARLIEST WRITTEN RECORDS3000 b.c.EUROPE FARMING PRIMARILY MALE OCCUPATIONMEN OWNED FARMLAND & TOOLS3CHANGE TO MALE DOMINANCE AGRICULTURE & MORE PATRIARCHAL SOCIETIES BETWEEN NEOLITHIC PERIOD & ADVENT OF WRITTEN RECORDSMAY BE RELATED TO CHANGING ROLE OF ANIMALS WITHIN FARMING ECONOMIESMOST SCHOLARS DATE CRUCIAL CHANGES IN FARMING PRACTICE AROUND 3000 B.C.SOME 5000 YRS AFTER INTRODUCTION OF FARMINGHAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT ALTHOUGH DOMESTICATED ANIMALS KEPT DURING EARLY NEOLITHC PERIODTHEY USED ONLY AS SOURCE OF MEATCONSUMPTION OF MILK OR MILK PRODUCTS PROBABLY NOT SIGNIFICANTNOR ANIMALS USED FOR PULLING PLOUGHS OR CARTSGREATER NB OF DOMESTICATED ANIMALS & THEIR PRODUCTS WOULD HAVE REDUCED NECESSITY FOR HUNTING WILD ANIMALSAS BALANCE OF WORK CHANGED FROM PART HUNTING, PART CROP CULTIVATION & TENDING SMALL NUMBER OF ANIMALS TO ECONOMY DEPENDENT ON MIXED FARMINGSO ROLES & DUTIES OF WOMEN & MEN MAY HAVE SHIFTEDEARLIEST DEPICTIONS IN SCULTPURE & ART FORMS OF BOTH PLOUGHING & MILKINGSHOW THESE TASKS BEING DONE BY MENSO IT APPEARS WHO IS TO DO WHAT TASK PREDICATED ON SCALEIF