Possession and its development among Japanese monkeys

本研究旨在重新思考人类财产或所有权的起源，分析与日本猴子“占有”相关的社会情境。关于占有的社会互动在喂养场所明显出现。在捕食中，优势关系影响占有：优势个体优先获取食物资源，并经常对从属个体表现出攻击行为。然而，当食物被握在手中时，即使是统治者也不会强行夺取食物。诸如此类的社会抑制使占有成为可能是人类财产的原始形式。在特殊情况下，母亲或姐姐有时会从婴儿手中或口中抢走食物。然而，在这种情况下，侵略从未发生。在游戏中，年轻人有时手里拿着一块玻璃或一个空罐子。他们没有争抢。在年轻的雌性照顾婴儿之前，它们有时会给婴儿的母亲梳理毛发，因为母亲可能被认为是婴儿的主人。综上所述，稳定占有可能需要建立在社会抑制基础上的相互容忍制度。占有的概念与社会认同和交流有关。我们可以在黑猩猩社会中找到人类财产的原型，在黑猩猩社会中发生了食物分享。在黑猩猩中，食物分享具有直接的社会意义。

This study aims at reconsidering the origin of human property or ownership, analyzing social situations in relation to 'possession' among Japanese monkeys. Social interactions concerning possession appeared clearly in feeding places. In feeding, dominance relationship affected possession : the dominant individual took a priority to access food resources and often showed aggression to the subordinate individuals. However, even the dominant did not take food in force, when it was kept in one's hand. Social inhibition such as this enables possession that may be the original form of human property. Exceptionally, mother or elder sisters sometimes snatched food from the infants' hand or mouth. In such situations, however, aggression never took place. In play situations, young individuals sometimes kept a piece of glass or an empty can in their hand. They did not scrambled for it. Before young females took care of an infant, they sometimes groom its mother, who may be regarded as the possessor of the infant.In conclusion, the mutual tolerance system based on social inhibition may be required for stable possession. The concept of possession is related to social recognition and communication. We can find the prototype of human property in the chimpanzee society, in which food sharing occurs. In chimpanzees, food sharing has a direct social significance.