Mortality in Traditional Hunter-Gatherer, Pastoralist and Agriculturalist Communities: The Validity of Longevity Studies Based on Mobility and Subsistence Strategies

Abstract

This paper will address the observable discrepancies in the mortality of populations who use differing subsistence strategies, and determine if subsistence patterns and/or mobility are reliable variables to consider in longevity and morality studies. Through an analysis of the data presented by a number of different authors on average life expectancy of highly mobile hunter-gatherer groups, semi-nomadic pastoralists and horticulturalists, and sedentary agriculturalists, a comparison of life spans across subsistence and mobility patterns should be possible. The soundness of studies based on these variables will be assessed, as will comparability or such studies.