In contrast to children in the United States, hunter-gatherer kids in the Congo Basin often acquire skills in hunting, identifying edible plants, and taking care of infants by the age of six or seven.
According to a new study led by Washington State University and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this quick learning is supported by a distinctive social environment where cultural knowledge is shared not only from parents but also by the wider community.
This research sheds light on how numerous cultural traits have been maintained for millennia among hunter-gatherer communities thriving in various natural settings across Africa.
“We are focusing on hunter-gatherers because this way of life defined 99% of human history,” stated Barry Hewlett, an anthropology professor at WSU and the study’s lead author. “Our bodies and minds are suited for living in small, close-knit groups, rather than the larger, more impersonal environments of urban life today. By studying how children in these societies learn, we aim to identify the mechanisms that have enabled humans to adapt to a variety of environments worldwide.”
In their investigation, Hewlett and his team utilized observational and ethnographic data to analyze nine distinct methods of cultural transmission, which refers to who and how children learn from others in hunter-gatherer societies.
Their findings suggest that extended family members play a more significant role in teaching children than was previously recognized. Additionally, the research indicates that roughly half of the cultural knowledge gained by hunter-gatherer children and teens comes from people outside their family. This contrasts with earlier studies that primarily focused on parent-child knowledge transfer.
Hewlett points out that these results are largely due to the fact that children in hunter-gatherer communities learn from various sources, including parents, peers, and unrelated adults. This is different from the Western model of the nuclear family, where education is typically concentrated around parents or teachers in formal school environments.
The extensive informal learning network found in hunter-gatherer societies is made feasible by their close living conditions. Small groups, usually comprising 25 to 35 people living just a few feet apart, create a setting where children can observe and engage with many individuals. This exposure enables them to acquire vital skills—such as caring for infants, cooking, and hunting—through subtle and often nonverbal interactions.
The research further emphasizes that principles like egalitarianism, respect for individual freedom, and a strong culture of sharing play crucial roles in how cultural knowledge is transmitted among hunter-gatherers. For instance, children grasp the principles of equality and autonomy by observing the adults and other children around them. They learn without pressure, being allowed the freedom to explore and practice skills independently, which deepens their cultural understanding.
“This method of learning contributes to what we refer to as ‘cumulative culture’—the ability to build upon existing knowledge and hand it down through generations,” said Hewlett. “Unlike many non-human animals, where social learning is restricted to only a few skills, humans have evolved intricate mental and social structures that facilitate the transfer of thousands of cultural traits. This capability has allowed us to innovate and adapt to diverse environments, whether in dense jungles or dry deserts.”
Looking ahead, Hewlett hopes that this research provides a deeper insight into the dynamics of social learning in humans, as well as how cultures are maintained and evolve over time. His coauthors include Adam Boyette from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Sheina Lew-Levy from Durham University, Sandrine Gallois from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and Samuel Dira from Hawassa University.
