[AlotOfReading]

It shouldn't. It's been extensively documented among modern human groups.

The major question is how much our understanding from recent forager groups applies to pleistocene foragers ("ethnographic analogy"). I'm in the generally skeptical camp. Many other anthropologists aren't, particularly those in older generations.

[mmooss]

> pleistocene

The Pleistocene lasts from 2.58 million years ago, maybe the first time our ancestors figured out tools, to 11,000 years ago, when we Homo sapiens had been around for ~200,000 years. Isn't that too wide a range of humans and ancestors to characterize in one group?

Are you skeptical about 11 kya ancestors doing similar things? Why?

[AlotOfReading]

    Isn't that too wide a range of humans and ancestors to characterize in one group?

Yes, that's one reason why I have high standards for arguments from ethnographic analogy.

    Are you skeptical about 11 kya ancestors doing similar things? Why?

Because modern forager groups have survived for centuries on the margins of colonial states. The environment they inhabit is very different from late pleistocene humans and we should default to skepticism in the absence of other evidence.

[mmooss]

Thanks.

[sriacha]

>It's been extensively documented among modern human groups.

Do you have some sources? A quick search doesn't pull up much evidence for current hunter-gatherer dependence on natural fire regime. Or you mean anatomically modern humans?

[trollbridge]

Yes, Tasmanians are the best example that comes to mind. They had a mythology developed around lightning and subsequent fires and would then try to keep a fire going as long as possible.

[sriacha]

Interesting, but doesn't seem to be much evidence they depended on natural occurring fire.

Here is a nice report: Fire-Making in Tasmania: Absence of Evidence Is Not Evidence of Absence , Gott 2016: https://sci-hub.su/10.1086/342430

[AlotOfReading]

It was personally related to me that it occurs among the northern Aché by an anthropologist who lived with them and had photos of him carrying coals.

The warlpiri and the yuqui are two other examples, along with certain andaman groups.

Tasmanians do start fires, but often prefer to carry. This is a surprisingly common practice. Starting fires is a lot of work.