Author: Jared Diamond
_Jared Diamond_
Reading time: 14 minutes
Synopsis
The book Vermächtnis (2012) is about early human societies. Thousands of years ago, hunter-gatherers lived in groups. These Blinks will explain how our ancestors lived together. You will also learn how we are different from them and what we can learn from them.
What you will learn: A journey to the start of our civilization.
It is hard to say exactly when one of mankind’s biggest changes happened. About 11,000 years ago, our ancestors began to settle down. They became farmers and raised animals. Before that, they were hunters and gatherers. They lived off what nature gave them. We can never truly know how these people lived or what they thought. We have very few things from them that can tell us more.
But we have not lost everything. Jared Diamond, a scientist who studies how life changes, wrote a book called Vermächtnis. He says that some old societies still exist today. They can show us how people lived long ago. These Blinks will take you to these groups. You will learn about hunters, gatherers, and early tribes. You will see how they raise their children well. You will also go with them on their war trips, as they are not peaceful. But you will also see that we can learn a lot from them about solving problems.
In these Blinks, you will learn:
- how traditional societies respect older people,
- who starts hunting with adults at age eight, and
- why modern life has not made us healthier.
Blink 1 – Some people still live like their ancestors from thousands of years ago.
You might think modern life has reached everywhere. But you would be wrong. Some traditional groups still live as people did 11,000 years ago. Modern societies have changed these groups a bit. But experts can still learn a lot from them about our ancestors’ way of life.
What types of traditional societies can we still find today? There are a few:
Groups like the Siriono in South America or the Andamanese near the Bay of Bengal are hunter-gatherers. They live in small groups called ‘hordes’. These groups usually have fewer than one hundred people. Everyone is equal, and they make choices together. They know each other well. They talk and decide things without needing a main leader.
Next are tribes. These groups have hundreds of people. For example, the Inupiat in Alaska are tribes. These tribes farm and keep animals. But they do this much less than in modern farming.
Lastly, there are ‘chiefdoms’. The Chumash in North America are an example. These groups are more like countries today. They can have hundreds of people. They have a main government. This government collects goods from people. It then gives these goods to fighters, religious leaders, and makers who work for the chief. There is often a clear social order. The chief’s family is at the very top. This means they get the best homes, food, and goods.
So, we can see a range of societies. It goes from small groups of hunters and gatherers to modern countries. Now, we will talk about the hunter-gatherer ‘hordes’. Their world is very different from ours. So, we can learn the most from them about how people lived before civilizations started.
Blink 2 – Violence and war are common in traditional societies.
Old findings show that hunter-gatherer groups usually had less than one hundred people. These groups did not grow much for several reasons. One reason was that more people would need more land and resources. Hunter-gatherers often did not have enough land.
Also, not having enough land caused many fights between groups. Violence was a normal part of life for hunter-gatherers. More people died from fighting in these groups than today. Wars were always happening. Even after peace was made, some people would still start new fights.
Modern countries have a main government. This government controls violence. After a peace deal, it can stop angry people from fighting. This helps keep the peace.
Early groups that farmed fought even more than hunter-gatherers. Good farmland was very wanted. This is because people could grow more food on it.
Only a few groups, like some desert tribes in Australia, did not fight wars. This was mostly because they had few people. Also, their land was not good for farming, so there was nothing worth fighting for.
Traditional groups also did not grow much. This was because violence was very common even within groups that avoided wars. More people were killed in these groups than in modern societies. There was no justice system to punish crimes. So, if someone was hurt, their family felt they had to get revenge. This led to many ‘blood feuds’.
So, one big advantage of modern, especially democratic, countries is their justice system. It helps to stop violence and keep peace.
Blink 3 – How traditional societies solve problems: They try to make good relationships again.
We know that old groups were not always peaceful. Fights within these groups often turned violent. But modern countries can learn from them about solving problems. In traditional groups, when there was a fight, people wanted to bring back peace between the sides. They wanted everyone to live together happily again.
To make peace again, the person who caused the problem had to truly feel sorry. This person also had to offer the victim some kind of payment or gift. This was not just money for what was lost. This ‘payment’ (called Sori Money in Papua New Guinea) also showed they were sorry. It made their apology stronger.
In modern countries, if people cannot solve a problem alone, they go to court. Criminal courts deal with breaking laws. Civil courts deal with people’s rights. But in neither case do courts try to make peace between the two sides. Often, the relationship between them gets worse during the court case.
So, modern countries can learn from traditional societies here. Our justice system should try harder to help people truly make up. For example, civil courts could use more trained people (called mediators). These mediators would help people solve their problems.
A process called Restorative Justice could be helpful. In this, the two people in a fight are asked to talk directly to each other. Experts have studied this. They found good results. People who caused problems did not repeat them as often. Victims also felt less afraid.
Blink 4 – How traditional societies raise independent children.
Mothers in hunter-gatherer groups listen closely to their children. They carry their babies with them all the time. This means babies can feed whenever they need to, even when the mother is sleeping. Studies show these mothers comfort crying babies in less than ten seconds.
In modern groups, people think too much care can stop a child from growing up strong. But looking at traditional groups shows the opposite. Children there grow up very independent and sure of themselves.
As children in traditional groups get older, other people care for them, not just their parents. These are called Allo Parents. They can be grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, or even older friends. Sometimes, parents go hunting or looking for food for weeks. During this time, these Allo Parents look after the child.
This wide range of people helps the child learn social skills. For example, older children learn how to care for younger ones. This helps them prepare to raise their own children later. So, children in traditional societies act like adults much earlier than in modern groups.
Boys in the Siriono group in Bolivia get small bows and arrows at three months old. At three years old, they start to practice shooting. When they are eight, they go hunting with their fathers. So, even as children, they help their group survive.
Children in traditional groups also learn early to work together, not against each other. Their games are not often about winning. Instead, they teach teamwork and sharing. These good skills also shape how adults in these groups live.
Blink 5 – What we can learn from old societies: Include older people more.
Traditional groups treat older people differently. For example, in Fiji, older parents live with their children. The children care for them kindly. Young people even chew food for them if needed. But some groups also leave or kill their older people. This happens when there is not enough food for everyone.
But mostly, older people in early groups are highly respected. Traditional groups value the knowledge that older people have and can share. This includes stories, myths, and important facts about plants and animals. Older people in traditional societies also keep helping their group. They care for their grandchildren. They also help find food as much as they can.
In modern countries, older people are not often respected as much. This is partly because we now share knowledge through media. So, older people are no longer the main ones who hold all the wisdom. But stories from older people about the past are still very important. Some people want to use this. For example, older people could meet high school students in history classes. This is a good idea. Young people can learn a lot from the life stories of older people.
Grandparents could also help more with their grandchildren. They have much experience in raising children. They usually enjoy looking after their grandchildren. And children love their grandparents. This would give parents a break they often need.
Also, our society should find ways for older people to keep working if they want to. Their many years of experience can be very useful, especially today when things change fast.
Modern countries do not often see this value. We can learn a lot from traditional societies about this.
Blink 6 – Modern life causes diseases that old societies did not have.
It seems we are healthier in the modern world than people in old societies. We have stopped many diseases. We control problems like parasites and infections with clean habits and medicine. People in modern groups live twice as long as before.
But modern societies have new health problems that did not exist before. These are called ‘non-communicable diseases’. They include heart problems, diabetes, kidney problems, and lung cancer. Many people in rich countries die from these diseases.
The main reason for these new problems is how we live. Especially, we do not move enough. Traditional groups are active when they work, find food, and hunt. But we sit all day at our computers. In the evening, we sit in front of the TV.
Also, we eat very unhealthy food. Hunter-gatherers ate mostly protein and fiber. We eat a lot of carbs, sugar, and fats. Over the last 300 years, people in England and the USA eat 40 times more sugar. This diet causes more people to get diabetes. It is a very common disease. By 2030, about 550 million people might have diabetes. This means this long-term health issue will be the biggest health problem in the world.
Compared to what hunter-gatherers ate, our daily food has 3 to 4 times more salt. This raises blood pressure. It also increases the chance of getting sick. Most of this salt (75%) does not come from our salt shakers. Food makers add it to foods they produce in factories.
Blink 7 – Religion was important in old societies too.
Religion has always been important for people. Many people today still have a faith. But there are some differences when we compare it to old societies.
In early societies, people believed that spirits moved rivers and the sun. Religion helped them understand strange things like sickness and death. It also explained how the world began. People prayed and did other rituals. They hoped to influence these spirits that controlled life.
But religion could also be used wrongly. Chiefs used it to live rich lives from what their people gave them. They said that God was a power who decided if farmers had good crops and rain. So, farmers gave many gifts to please this God.
At the same time, religious beliefs also created rules about right and wrong. This was needed as old groups grew bigger. People often feel less for strangers. This can cause violence in fights. Religious rules helped people live together peacefully. But these rules only worked within one group. Religions did not stop wars between different groups. Sometimes, they even started them.
Today, religion is becoming less important in many groups. Non-religious laws and rules now guide how people live together. Scientific discoveries and new knowledge have greatly changed religion’s role. It has moved from public life to a more private matter.
Summary
The main idea of these Blinks is:
Before people lived in bigger groups, they were hunter-gatherers. They lived in small groups. Even today, some hunter-gatherer groups still live like our ancestors. We can learn many things from these groups. For example, how they raise children or solve problems.
What you can do:
Let your parents help you with your children!
Here is one lesson from old societies: Grandparents should help more with their grandchildren. If you have children and live near your parents, ask them to look after your kids some evenings. They have experience with raising children. They also love spending time with their grandchildren, who can learn much from them.
Do you like what you read?
We want you to enjoy these Blinks and learn a lot. Did we do a good job? Please write to us at [email protected]. Use Vermächtnis as the subject.
To read more: Arm und Reich by Jared Diamond
In the Blinks for another book by this author, Arm und Reich, you will learn something else. It shows that unfair wealth and power in the world are not because of how people are. Instead, they come from different things in the environment. Studies and data prove wrong any ideas that use race to explain why people are not equal.
Source: https://www.blinkist.com/https://www.blinkist.com/de/books/vermachtnis-de