Dissertation Research: Determinants of Residential Band Size in Paraguay

这个项目涉及一位来自新墨西哥州大学人类学学生的论文研究。 该学生将在巴拉圭的一个森林地区进行人种学研究，其中包括Ache印第安人。该研究将评估社会觅食的成本和收益模型，以测试有关性别、食物摄入量差异的作用和其他因素以及当地居民群体规模和组成的假设。 方法包括参与观察，个人的抽样调查，重点跟踪觅食和狩猎探险，并测量粮食产量。 这项研究将为人们如何以及为什么在这种环境中狩猎提供理论上重要的数据，这将有助于提高我们对狩猎作为一种生活方式的理解。 对现实生活中的狩猎社会进行实证研究的机会越来越少。 此外，该项目将有助于培训一名年轻的社会科学家，并增加我们对世界这一重要地区的了解。

This project involves the dissertation research of an anthropology student from the University of New Mexico. The student will conduct ethnographic research in a forested area of Paraguay, among the Ache Indians. The research will evaluate models of costs and benefits of social foraging, to test hypotheses concerning gender, the role of variance in food intake and other factors, on local residential group size and composition. Methods include participant observation, a sample survey of individuals, focal follows on foraging and hunting expeditions, and measurement of food output. This research will provide theoretically significant data on how and why people hunt in this environment which will be useful in improving our understanding of hunting as a mode of life in general. There are ever fewer opportunities for empirical research on real-life hunting societies. In addition the project will contribute to the training of a young social scientist, and add to our knowledge about this important region of the world.