ANTHRO 2A Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Marshall Sahlins, Original Affluent Society, Yanomami
Anthro 2A Lecture 5 - May 2, 2018
Marshall Sahlins
● Marshall Sahlins - the original affluent society
● Why does shalins describe hunger and gather as affluent?
○ They work fewer hours than people in other societies
■ They only work average 20 hours per week
● Both women and men are highly valued for their work in this society
● Men hunt large game
○ 2 part methods:
■ Poison arrows to slow animals down
■ Spears to kill animals
● Men supply about 30% of food
● Women, children and the elderly (if they want to help) provide around 70% of the food
○ Mostly through gathering plant foods
● They have a strong gathering method such as the Kung and the San
● No one “owns” the food or other major resources
● Everyone has a right to eat and share
● There is no relative poverty
● No one owns more than others
● Hunters engage in “insulting the meat”
● It is a form of humility that hunter are expected to demonstrate
● Violence levels in hunger and gather societies are no higher than in our own, and many
forms of violence are actually much lower in hunger and gather society
● No political leaders, bot elders (senior citizens) are given more respect
● Hunter and gather generally have few needs and those needs are relatively easily met
● Horticulturalists (small-scale farmers) work more than hunger and gather
● The Yanomama and the raobrianders work about 30 hours per week
● Both of these groups engage in slash and burn or “swidden” agriculture
● In both of these societies, men and women work in garden
● Bot in Trobriander society, the type of food a person grows depends on their gender
● Men grow yams
○ Yams symbolize masculinity
● Women grow other types of food such as rice, taro, beans and squash
○ Women cannot grow yams
● A family never eats yams that the father grew
● Men always give all of their yams aways
● Rules for yams exchange
○ Men generally grow yams to give to their sister’s husband (which are meant to
help out his sister’s family)
○ A father may also grow yams to give to his daughter's husband (to help out his
daughter's family)
○ Also people give yams to their chiefs as a sign of respect, especially the largest
yams
Document Summary
Anthro 2a lecture 5 - may 2, 2018. Marshall sahlins - the original affluent society. They work fewer hours than people in other societies. They only work average 20 hours per week. Both women and men are highly valued for their work in this society. Women, children and the elderly (if they want to help) provide around 70% of the food. They have a strong gathering method such as the kung and the san. No one owns the food or other major resources. Everyone has a right to eat and share. It is a form of humility that hunter are expected to demonstrate. Violence levels in hunger and gather societies are no higher than in our own, and many forms of violence are actually much lower in hunger and gather society. No political leaders, bot elders (senior citizens) are given more respect. Hunter and gather generally have few needs and those needs are relatively easily met.
