Hunters and Gatherers

Hunters and Gatherers• Each tribe will pick a number 1-20• A “fate” will be revealed• The tribe must decide what they should do

and choose between the two options within 45 seconds

• Populations increase and decrease depending on the Fate Cards that tribes choose

• The goal is to try to get the largest population• Each tribe begins with 10 tribesmen

Roles• Reader (1-2) – The student will read the question aloud for

the entire class and their tribe• Recorder – The student will use the chart to track every

tribe’s population increase and/or decrease • Spokesperson – This student will discuss with the group on

which answer is best for their tribe. They will deliver the answer to me in order to reveal their fate.

• Note-taker (1-2) – The student will write down their tribe’s entire question, the answers, and the outcome. The student will take notes on other tribes’ questions and outcomes.

• Timer – The student will keep track of the time and make sure their tribe stays within the time limit to answer their question.

Exit Ticket

• As a group, discuss what happened to your tribe. • On the pink handout, answer the following

questions:– What events shaped your tribal populations? – What were the most helpful events, and what were

the worst events that happened to your tribe?– What decisions could you have made differently to

have a different outcome?– What were the main goals of the tribal members?

1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 1516 17 18 19 20

1A sudden draught has occurred. The animals you hunt and the plants you gather have been dying, leading to a

food shortage for your tribe. What should you do?

Try to find a different home!Try to wait out the drought!

HOME

Yikes! Although you were successfully able to find a new home, 5 of your

tribe members died of starvation along the way.

HOME

Yikes! The land and animals never recovered from this drought.

5 tribe members have died due to starvation.

HOME

2Your tribe has discovered that the animal hides you wear are very valuable to a neighboring tribe, and you can exchange them for many new goods your tribe needs. Do you want to trade them?

Yes, we want new goods!No, keep the hides!

HOME

Hooray! By trading with your neighbors you have gotten new spears that help

your tribe become better hunters. Your increased food supply adds five

members to your tribe.

HOME

Because you refused to trade, your tribe doesn’t gain any new skills or materials

and your population stays the same.

HOME

3A member of your tribe has discovered a plant which may be a useful medicine to help cure many of your people, but it might also be poisonous! What do you do?

Eat the plant!Walk away...

HOME

Hooray! The plant helps cure many ill people in your tribe, leading to a population boom.

Your tribal population grows by 8.

HOME

Unfortunately, the plant could have cured many ill people in your tribe.

8 people die as a result.

HOME

4

A foreign tribe has invaded your land. Unfortunately, there is not enough food to go around. What do you choose to do?

Go to War

Find new land

HOME

Unfortunately, your tribe has lost the war and 17 have died. You are still

forced to find new land.

HOME

By leaving your land willingly you have avoided war, although your new

territory lacks enough food to feed your tribe.

10 tribe members have died due to starvation.

HOME

5

Your tribe discovers how to farm vegetables. This is good, because it supplies you with a lot of food, but you’ve never farmed before and you’re not sure how reliable it is. What do you choose to do?

Become farmers

Keep your hunter-gatherer lifestyleHOME

Congratulations! Your new food supply successfully helps to feed your tribe,

and your population doubles!

HOME

Because you chose to keep your original lifestyle, your tribe population

stays the same.

HOME

6Your tribe is starving. You stumbled upon a couple of baby pigs. Now you have to decide whether you should take all of the pigs to feed your tribe, or keep and feed the pigs and wait to eat them later when they’re bigger.

You’re hungry, eat them now!

Keep and feed the pigs and wait till they get bigger.

HOME

You saved your tribe for a little while, but baby pig meat did not last for long. Two tribe members die of starvation.

HOME

Congratulations! You discovered a way to keep animals with you. By waiting to

eat the pigs, they became huge and food was plentiful. Your tribe population

grows by 15.

HOME

7

Someone in your tribe stumbles upon some berries while walking. Your tribe is not sure if they’re safe to eat, but there is little food to spare. Do you eat them?

Yes! We’re hungry, let’s eat the berries.

No thanks, we will wait and see if we can find different food.

HOME

Unfortunately, the berries were poisonous. Four of your tribesmen

were killed.

HOME

Good job! You survived and did not eat the poisonous berries. The tribe

population stays the same.

HOME

8Your tribe has discovered another tribe nearby. They know how to make fire and you do not. You know how to fish and they do not. Should you join the two tribes together to teach each other these skills?

Yes, the more, the merrier. We want to learn about fire.

No thanks. We will be better off without them.

HOME

Congratulations! Not only have you learned how to make fire, but your

new skills have kept your tribe warm during the winter and you have doubled your tribe’s population.

HOME

Because you did not want to learn how to make fire, half of your tribe froze to death during the winter.

HOME

9Your tribe realizes that the rabbit population is slowing becoming harder to find. Should you risk moving to another location to find something else to eat?

No, let’s stay put and hope that the rabbit population bounces back.Yes, we should move to a new location to find other food.

HOME

Unfortunately, your plan failed. The rabbit population was

completely killed off in six months and ½ your tribe died.

HOME

Congratulations! By moving around to new locations, you have allowed the rabbit population to bounce back and you have found a new food supply. Your population grows by 10 people.

HOME

10

You have discovered many hard, sharp, shiny rocks. What do you want to do with them?

Attach it to a stick and use as a weapon.

Wear it as jewelry.

HOME

Congratulations! When sharpened and attached to the end of a stick, it can be a useful weapon. You can now easily kill even more animals than before!

Your population grows by 50!

HOME

Congratulations! Your new jewelry has attracted the attention from a

neighboring tribe. They want to trade with you for your jewelry. You now

have more furs and food for the winter. Your population grows by 50!

HOME

11

You have just successfully killed several large animals. After you remove the meat, what do you do now?

Leave all of the rest of the animal stuff where you found it. You don’t need anything but the meat.

Take the animal skins. They could be useful.

HOME

The remaining animal carcasses have attracted even larger animals to the area. 3 of your tribesmen have been killed due to these attacks. You are

now forced to relocate to find a safer place to live.

HOME

You have discovered a new technique of protection for weather. These skins work really well as tents to keep out

the cold. Your population is now warmer and happier and grows by 30

people.

HOME

12One of your tribe’s elders has decided that it would be better to give away all your tribe’s children to a neighboring tribe in return for extra food. Do you agree with this plan?

We can’t give away all our kids! We need to keep them around for all our chores!

Let’s do it! All these kids running around, keeping us up at night, are just plain annoying! Plus, we really like food.

HOME

You decided to keep all of your kids in your tribe. Hooray! All your chores are getting done

and your population remains the same.

HOME

You decided to trade your children in return for food. You now have plenty of food to go around, but you lost all the

young people who would have grown up and contributed to your tribe.

Without children, your tribe can no long continue to grow and will eventually die out. Your population is now cut in half.

HOME

13Your tribe is looking to move to a different location. Would you rather go up into the mountains or go to the flat plains?

Plains – The weather will be warm and all that grass much mean that there are a lot of small animals to eat!Mountains – The weather will be cold but there won’t be any other tribes to be competing for food with!

HOME

You decided to move to the plains. There is not a lot of shelter on the plains without trees, but you adapt and learn to make shelter out of animal skin from the large animals that roam the plains. Your

population grows by 30 people.

HOME

You decided to move to the mountains. It is a lot colder than you thought it would be

and you were definitely not prepared. However, you learned how to make

strong, permanent shelters out of the trees from the forest. Your population

grows by 30 people.

HOME

14Half of your tribe gathers roots and berries to eat. The other half of your tribe hunts rabbits and squirrels to eat. What if you all did the same activity? Which one do you choose– hunting or gathering?

Gatherers – Roots and berries are really nutritious and filling.

Hunters – Eating meat is good for your bones.

HOME

You chose for everyone in your tribe to become gatherers. Your diet is lacking

protein and now many of your tribesmen aren’t as strong after a diet of just

berries.

Your population decreases by 5.

HOME

You chose for everyone in your tribe to become hunters. Your diet lacks valuable nutrients that only berries and roots can provide. Also, meat is still hard to find, so you go hungry waiting until someone can

bring back meat.

Your population decreases by 5.

HOME

15

Heavy rains have flooded your land.3 tribesmen have died in the flood,

15 more starve in the next few weeks due to the fact that you can no longer

hunt and gather.

HOME

16

Your tribe has learned how to tame wild dogs. What do you choose to do with them?

Eat them!

Use them to protect your tribe.

HOME

Yikes, once your dogs know you want to eat them they turned on you!

One tribe member dies in the ensuing battle.

HOME

Congratulations, the dogs you tamed protected you from a lion attack, your tribal population stays the

same.

HOME

17

HOME

A sudden snowstorm has stranded your tribe, what do you decide to do?

Burn your animal hides to make fire and stay warm.

Build a snow cave.

Although the fire from your hides have kept you warm during the

snowstorm, you cannot survive the rest of winter without them to

protect you.

8 people perish without hides to keep them warm in the winter.

HOME

Congratulations, your snow cave has kept your tribe safe and warm. Your

population stays the same.

HOME

18

Congratulations! Your tribe has learned how to fish using sturdy bamboo rods you found by the

river.

Your tribal population doubles as a result of the plentiful new food

source.

HOME

19

Your tribe has tamed a herd of wild horses. What do you choose do to with them?

Eat them!

Ride them!

HOME

Congratulations, the meat from the horses has helped your tribe grow by

three people.

HOME

Congratulations, the extra speed riding on horseback has given you

has helped your tribe become better hunters.

Your tribe’s population doubles.

HOME

20

Where should your tribe live?

In the trees!

In the caves!

In the grass!

HOME

20

Where should your tribe live?

In the trees!

In the caves!

In the grass!

HOME

That was a good idea. Living in the trees, your tribe is protected from

dangerous predators on the ground and the harmful rays of the sun.

Your tribal population grows by ten.

HOME

Good choice! Living in a cave, your tribe is protected from the weather

and dangerous predators.

Your tribal population grows by 15.

HOME

That was a bad idea. Living in the grass, your tribe has suffered fatal

snake bites, attacks by large predators, and has been fatally

burned by the sun.

Half your tribal population dies.

HOME