Archaeological Implications of Bofi Foraging

与近亲和无血缘关系的成年人共享肉类被认为是人类进化过程中最重要的饮食变化之一。尽管它很重要，但对于人类祖先之间是什么时候、为什么以及如何出现的共享，人们并没有达成共识。问题不仅在于我们无法自信地从考古记录中识别出不同的分享行为，还在于我们缺乏一个理论框架来理解分享是如何以及为什么发生的。在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，卡伦·卢波博士和一组研究人员将对Bofi觅食者之间的肉类分享进行两个季节的民族考古研究。bofio占据了中非共和国恩戈托森林保护区郁郁葱葱的森林地区，并通过狩猎和采集获得大部分食物。这项研究是在一个更大的理论背景的指导下进行的，这个理论背景认为，家庭成员之间和不相关的成年人之间的分享可以实现截然不同的目标。家庭成员之间的供给或分享，提高了近亲的生存能力。但与没有血缘关系的成年人分享是为了提高猎人的社会地位。该理论预测猎人会根据他们的总体目标（供给或地位提升）改变他们对猎物的选择。研究小组将使用直接观察、信息者访谈和从不同猎人及其家庭收集的动物骨头来检验这一理论的重要方面。这些技术将使研究小组能够收集定量数据，了解猎人获取了什么，以及有多少是由近亲和不相关的成年人共享和消耗的。通过这些技术收集的数据将用于调查以下研究问题：1)食肉分享是否会因猎物类型而发生可预测的变化？如果是这样的话，那么什么样的特征可以预测哪些猎物会与家人和无关的成年动物分享呢？2)猎人是否会根据他们的总体目标（供养家庭或提升地位）改变他们对不同类型猎物的追捕努力？3)不同的共享行为与考古记录之间的物质联系是什么？这项研究的意义深远。这个项目将是第一个对当代觅食者的猎物选择和肉类分享进行的系统和定量研究。这项研究还将检查和确定动物骨骼和材料记录所反映的不同共享策略之间的联系。后一点对考古调查尤其重要。该项目将民族考古研究与理论框架相结合，这将有助于解释共享在当代环境中是如何以及为什么运作的。通过扩展，它将为人类祖先之间的共享进化提供重要的新见解。最后，我们对bofi觅食蚁知之甚少。到目前为止，只有一项研究是在这个领域进行的。这项研究将扩大目前对当代觅食生态学的理解。

Meat-sharing with close kin and unrelated adults is believed to be one ofthe most significant dietary changes to occur in the course of humanevolution. Despite its importance there is no consensus on when, why or howsharing emerged among ancestral hominids. The problem lies not only in ourinability to confidently identify different sharing behaviors from thearchaeological record, but the lack of a theoretical framework forunderstanding how and why sharing operates. With National Science Foundationsupport Dr. Karen Lupo and a team of researchers will conduct two seasons ofethnoarchaeological research on meat-sharing among Bofi foragers. The Bofioccupy lush forested regions of the Ngotto Forest Reserve in the CentralAfrican Republic and procure most of their food by hunting and gathering.The research is guided by a larger theoretical context which views sharingamong family and between unrelated adults as fulfilling very differentgoals. Provisioning, or sharing among family members, enhances thesurvivability of close kin. But sharing with unrelated adults is aimed atenhancing a hunters social status. The theory predicts that hunters willvary their choice of prey depending upon their overall goal (provisioning orstatus enhancement). The research team will use direct observations,informant interviews and animal bone collections from different hunters andtheir households to test salient aspects of this theory. These techniqueswill allow the team to collect quantitative data on what hunters procure andhow much of it is shared and consumed by close family and unrelated adults.Data collected with these techniques will be used to investigate thefollowing research questions: 1) Does meat-sharing vary predictably by prey type? If so, whatcharacteristics predict which prey will be shared with family and unrelatedadults? 2) Do hunters vary their pursuit effort of different types of prey dependingon their overall goal (provision family or enhance status)? 3) What is the material link between different sharing behaviors and the archaeological record?The importance of this research is far-reaching. This project will be thefirst systematic and quantitative study of prey choice and meat-sharing everconducted among contemporary foragers. This research will also examine andidentify the links between different sharing strategies, as reflected byanimal bones, and the material record. This latter point is particularlyimportant for archaeological investigations. The project combinesethnoarchaeological research with a theoretical framework that will helpexplain how and why sharing operates in a contemporary setting. Byextension, it will provide important new insights into the evolution ofsharing among ancestral hominids. Finally, very little is known about theBofi foragers. Thus far, only one other study has ever been conducted inthis area. This research will expand current understanding of contemporaryforager ecology.