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Birth Order, Age, and Hunting Success in the Canadian Arctic

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Abstract

What explains variation in hunting success? This paper examines foraging success among Inuit hunters, paying particular attention to factors that account for differential returns in hunting. Although there are several possibilities for explaining hunting success, this study finds that birth order and age are important predictors of foraging returns. Furthermore, data on food sharing suggests that birth order has important effects on the distribution of food. That is, early-born hunters not only produce more food, they give much of that food to their parents, who then distribute it to the hunter’s younger siblings. These findings are discussed within the context of local resource enhancement and the value of early-born sons to Inuit parents.

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Acknowledgements

This research in Ulukhaktok was supported by research grants from the National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs. Their support is greatly appreciated. I would also like to thank Russ Bernard, David Daegling, Pat Draper, George Wenzel and Alyson Young, John Bock, and three anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript. Finally, the support of the residents of Ulukhaktok over the years is greatly appreciated. Research would not be possible with the grace and patience Inuit have shown in tolerating my questions.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117305, 1112 Turlington Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Peter Collings

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Correspondence to Peter Collings.

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Collings, P. Birth Order, Age, and Hunting Success in the Canadian Arctic. Hum Nat 20, 354–374 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-009-9071-7

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