Doctoral Dissertation Research: Community characteristics and food-sharing among the Huaorani of Ecuador

基于人类行为生态学的理论框架，本研究将探讨食物共享模式中社区水平变化的重要性，以及社区内共享与社区外肉类资源交易的关系。家庭层面因素在食物分享模式中的重要性以前已经进行过调查，但很少注意到社区之间的差异。因此，本研究的重点是位于厄瓜多尔亚马逊同一地区的两个不同华欧拉尼社区的背景差异，以及这种社区层面的差异在预测食物共享模式中的作用。PI是加州大学戴维斯分校的人类学研究生，她将研究以下假设：1)两个社区之间的背景差异会影响所观察到的社区内食物共享程度；2)社区内共享程度和社区外交易程度呈负相关。需要考虑的环境因素包括社区布局、家庭关系和潜在的生育机会。数据将通过直接观察和结构化访谈收集。除了为一名有前途的女科学家提供博士培训外，这项研究还将有助于了解土著人民参与市场经济对当地野生动物保护的潜在影响。

Based on the theoretical framework of human behavioral ecology, this research will examine the importance of community-level variation in food sharing patterns, and the relationship between intra-community sharing and extra-community trading of meat resources. The importance of household-level factors in food sharing patterns has been investigated previously, but little attention has been given to differences among communities. Therefore, this research focuses on the contextual variation across two different Huaorani communities located within the same region of the Ecuadorian Amazon, and the role that this community-level variation has in predicting food sharing patterns. The PI, a graduate student in anthropology from the University of California at Davis, will investigate the hypotheses that 1) contextual differences between the two communities influence the extent of intra-community food sharing observed, and 2) the degree of intra-community sharing and the degree of extra-community trading are inversely related. Contextual factors to be considered include community layout, relatedness of households, and potential reproductive opportunities. Data will be collected through direct observation and structured interviews. In addition to providing doctoral training for a promising woman scientist, the research will contribute to understanding the potential impact of indigenous people's participation in market economies on local wildlife conservation.