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Every social scientist who doesn’t already do so would benefit from reading a couple ethnographies of different societies with different subsistence systems in different parts of the world every year. Literally just like 3 or 4 a year’ll give u much more insight on ‘human nature’

"It was usual for wealthy men to have several wives...Poor men generally were monogamous...On the other hand, the wealthy Stingy had one wife. Many parents offered him their daughters, but he refused, saying that more than one wife meant trouble."

"From the time of Anthony Hendry (1754) contemporary white observers have marveled at the skill of Plains Indian horsemen...Captain Marcy, in 1852, termed the Comanche "the most expert horsemen in the world"...This judgment was made of Comanche horsemanship by other observers."

Blackfoot war scouts would wear wolfskins when conducting reconnaissance on their enemies before an attack.

I think most people who wade into questions of 'human nature' don't know what they don't know, because they don't read ethnography. I'm sure I sound self-righteous when I say that but I believe it very strongly & would like to encourage a norm of greater ethnohistorical emphasis

"A wealthy Blackfoot took pride in providing his favorite wife with fancy trappings for her riding horse, to be employed when visiting neighboring camps or other friendly tribes, and when moving to the Sun Dance encampment. These trappings, including decorated bridles,

"I was recently traveling in the Highlands of New Guinea, and I was talking with a man who had three wives. I asked him, "How many wives would you like to have?" And there was this long pause, and I thought to myself, "Is he going to say five? Is he going to say 10? Is he going

Crazy how many anthros & anthro organizations have left Twitter over the last year (the individuals I don’t blame but the orgs should have stayed). I don’t like Bsky as much, tho lots of people I do like are active there. Elon really fucked up this site, at least for my purposes.

"each participant carried his own sacred war medicine to protect him from harm and bring him luck in his undertaking...Weasel Tail... had a vision of a wolf cap and wolf robe and a song having the words, "I am a wolf. I am going to eat a person." He always wore the cap and robe

Nonfood uses of the buffalo in Blackfoot material culture

"The Blood Indians also knew that Cree raiders had a custom of signaling to each other by coyote howls on approaching their camps at night. He claimed clever Blood Indians could distinguish the imitation coyote howl from the real one."

Westermarck also noted this (albeit in more antiquated language): "It is a common notion that women are by nature vainer and more addicted to dressing and decorating themselves than men. This certainly does not hold good for savage and barbarous peoples in general."

It's wild to think that the practice of luring game by mimicking their vocalizations has persisted for potentially hundreds of thousands of years up into modern industrialized societies. There's an entire section on Amazon for 'Hunting Game Calls', many of which use modern

"The Blackfoot did not recognize adultery on the part of a husband as a crime. However, the punishment of an adulterous woman was severe. In a fit of rage her husband might kill her, or he might permanently disfigure her by cutting off her nose. Maximilian (1906, vol. 23, p. 136)

"The Blackfoot favored red paint for decorating the bodies of their horses. Some young men daubed round spots on both hips of their horses solely for ornament. If a man ran over an enemy while riding in battle he was privileged to paint a hand on both shoulders of his war horse."

"Each Manus' man worships his Father, not in Heaven, but in his house front rafters...The skull of the father of the house owner has an honoured place in a finely carved wooden bowl hung high above...The spiritual presence guards the house and supervises the morals of its people"