Origins

Origins of Animal Husbandry

"It seems we are at a challenging time in the tribe." said The One Who Leads. "Not everyone is happy with staying by the place where the water tastes good. Some have come to speak to me with words that were not very nice. The complaints, however, have some merit."

The One Who Leads was using lots of new words, some of which the tribe hadn't been given yet, but we understood the concept.

"What is the problem?" asked The One Who Is First To Ask Questions.

"Well, there are a bunch of things... more than I have fingers and toes. The ones that people are the loudest about are as follows: There are not enough animals in this area for the hunters anymore. They have hunted them all, and the ones that are left are too afraid to let us close to them. People are getting tired of eating only things that grow on the ground."

I bristled at this. Since The One Who Thinks Like A Squirrel and I started our own plants from seeds (the hard things in food that grow new things) I had become the leader of those who grow food. We had started quite a big change in the tribe, and didn't have to go far to gather food anymore. Things to burn in the fire were getting farther away, and so was the smelly stuff from the back end of animals, but we were working on those problems.

"Are the ones that hunt complaining because we have so many things that grow on the ground to eat, and don't need them as much anymore?" I queried.

Sounds of anger came from the ones who hunt.

"The One Who Thinks Like A Squirrel and I have been working on a plan." I continued. It should be noted that independent thought was a new concept, and had been relegated only to the ones who sit by the fire and talk. "We wanted to share it with The One Who Leads before we shared it with the tribe, but you've given me no choice. We've been watching some of the animals we eat, and they come to the place where our plants are growing. They sneak in at night and eat some. The one who lays round things that we eat comes after the corn. The goat eats it as well. Perhaps we could catch some of them alive, and keep them here. We could give them some of the food we grow that isn't very good, and then we can eat them when we want!" In reality, I had been doing a lot of this on my own since The One Who Thinks Like A Squirrel had been asked to join her sisters and sit around the fire and talk. To be completely honest, I mostly complained to her about the animals eating our food plants, and she had suggested catching them.

It was difficult to argue with such a simple plan, but the ones who hunt did. They only saw the downsides to it all. I used my best powers of communication and sucking up to make the pitch. I met with the ones who hunt and shared my thoughts.

"Oh great ones who hunt, please let me speak with you."

"Sod off."

Sod was a cool sounding word, but we hadn't yet given it a meaning. Some of the rougher members of the tribe were good at making up words, but not with giving them a meaning. Most of their words came about because of the sound of things getting hit by other things, or the noises that came out of your mouth when you got hit by something. Sometimes the words were loosely connected to the smelly stuff that comes out of the back end of animals. I know they have a word for that too, but I won't repeat it here as they use it in a very rude way.

"Great ones who hunt. I understand your reluctance to listen to me, but I have something to say that will make you very happy. Since we started growing our own food, you've been looked at as less important. Do you remember how excited everyone was when you would bring home a rabbit, goat, or deer? The entire tribe would celebrate! What happens now? Barely a grunt of thanks. I can help you bring back your glory days. How, you may ask? Simple. Once we have started growing our own small animals to eat, you won't need to hunt for them anymore. You can spend more time hunting for exciting things like auroch, bison or... mammoth!" I drew the last word out in a breathy whisper.

"Mammoth" they repeated, reverently.

"That's right! No more bringing home small animals. No more going out every day. You can go out whenever you want for longer times! You could even go to the cave that you told me about. The one where you can play 'throw the rock at the hole in the wall' without the females mocking you. Imagine, just the guys, going away for a few nights at a time, hunting, telling stories by your own fire. Scratching whatever body parts you want without anyone rolling their eyes. Maybe you spend one day hunting a bison or auroch, then you bring it home to the cheers of the tribe! If you time it right, you can be there when the mammoth go to the place of the tall grass. You won't even have to track them!"

There was a pause as the group pondered my proposition.

"Many days without our wives?" asked one.

"We would be able to do what we wanted when we weren't hunting, without asking our wives?" asked another.

"No wives at all?" asked a third.

"That's not really the point.' I explained. "You can keep the tribe supplied with meat, and get the glory of a triumphant return!"

"I don't know what that means" said the leader of the ones who hunt "but our wives would stay here in the camp while we're gone?"

"Yes." I sighed. "Your wives would stay here."

And so it began, the hunters turned their focus to catching animals that we could keep for food. Once that was complete, they would bid a 'tearful' farewell to their partners every week, and walk slowly into the distance to hunt. On occasion, you could hear a whoop of joy drifting back across the plains.