Anthropology, Department of
Document Type
Book Chapter
Date of this Version
2023
Citation
Hames, R. "Of Game Keepers, Opportunism, and Conservation." In R. J. Chacon (ed.), The History and Environmental Impacts of Hunting Deities: Supernatural Gamekeepers and Animal Masters (pp. 363–376). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Abstract
In this collection, gamekeepers are supernatural entities that regulate wildlife hunting in a wide variety of ways. They assist the hunters in pursuit of their prey, ritual respect for the game, and the reincarnation of slain animals. In addition, broader considerations are described, such as the mutual moral obligations between hunters and the supernatural. Gamekeepers seem to be nearly universal in those societies that depend on game animals as an important part of their diet, making the topic interesting from a ideological perspective. Some of the chapters argue that gamekeepers play a role in the conservation of prey types. The major aim of this chapter is to argue against any ecological role gamekeepers play in the conservation of hunted animals by examining the widespread role of opportunistic hunting from the perspective of human behavioral ecology. I conclude that there is no evidence to support the claim that belief in gamekeepers promotes conservation. At the same time, the logic behind the widespread presence of gamekeepers and game taboos remains a mystery.
Comments
Copyright © 2023 Raymond Hames. Published by Springer Nature Switzerland AG.