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，分析日本猴子中与“占有”有关的社会情境。社会互动有关占有明显出现在喂养的地方。在摄食行为中，支配关系影响占有行为：支配个体优先获取食物资源，并经常表现出对从属个体的攻击性。然而，即使是占主导地位的人，当食物被拿在手中时，也不会强行拿走。像这样的社会抑制使占有成为可能，这可能是人类财产的原始形式。在特殊情况下，母亲或姐妹篇有时会从婴儿的手中或嘴里抢走食物。然而，在这种情况下，从未发生过侵略。在玩耍的情况下，年轻人有时会把一块玻璃或一个空罐头拿在手里。它们并没有争夺，在年轻的雌性照顾婴儿之前，它们有时会梳理婴儿的母亲，母亲可能被认为是婴儿的占有者。占有的概念与社会承认和交流有关。我们可以在黑猩猩社会中找到人类财产的原型，在那里发生食物分享。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.