How real warriors
hunt: Cowardly lion hunters and counting coup
To hunt is
human. Hunting made us who we are. Our hunting ancestors separated from the
non-hunters over a million years ago, and never looked back. They made tools, made sounds into words,
developed strategies to outwit prey, and got a lot smarter along the way. They learned to cooperate to bring down game
much larger than themselves and embarked on an evolutionary trajectory that
brought us to today.
I have lived among
hunter-gatherers. I have traveled in a
small band that ate only what could be obtained from the forest. I have heard children wail with hunger when there
was no meat. I have seen the pride on the face of a hunter who brings in an
animal that will fill everyone’s belly.
And I have seen the benefits a good hunter reaps—status, admiration,
desire as a mate, respect as a leader.
Yes, we are
hunters, going back thousands of generations. We evolved to hunt. We are good
at it, and until relatively recently many people relied on hunting for
sustenance. Some still do, but the
numbers are dwindling. Fewer and fewer need
to hunt for meat. It is easier and cheaper to buy it.
But the thrill of
the hunt, and the desire for the admiration of others, makes hunting hard to
give up. In recent years, killing for
the sake of ego has come under fire.
Killing an animal for pleasure or for self-aggrandizement, especially as
animal numbers and habitats shrink, seems less admirable, and some find it
despicable, horrid, and evil.
Well, it is just
people being people. Anthropologists and
biologists call the practice of doing things to gain the attention and
admiration of others “costly signaling,” and it has gone on since the dawn of
time. Being a good hunter has long been
a way to signal that a person was strong, intelligent, courageous, even
generous. But those days are mostly behind
us. Hunting is being supplanted economically, and now socially as well. Signaling
your prowess by killing animals works only in limited social circumstances. We have substitutes these days. Excel at sports, in art, in science, in
business. Be funny, be a leader, be
neighborly. Gain status by deeds that are more acceptable in a modern setting.
And what about
hunting? There is absolutely nothing wrong with hunting. As long as there are hungry people and
appropriate game, there should be hunting.
How should we organize hunting in
today’s world? Let’s start by feeding
the poor. I propose we make hunting licenses available for little or no cost to
all who qualify for food stamps and other assistance. We should even provide them with rifles and
other gear. Additional licenses should
go only to those who need and will use the meat.
Oh, and two
additional things. There will be no trophies.
The time for that is over. And no hunting for predators. If predators
must be reduced, they should be killed by game wardens, not those who want to
kill for fun. That is a practice we
should probably not reward.
And now for the
ultimate thrill. The thrill of besting
an animal, of risking your life and living to tell about it. The Crow and other
Plains Indian groups figured this out a long time ago. It is one thing to kill
an enemy, but for the ultimate triumph, the greatest status-boost imaginable,
count coup. Touch your enemy and get
away. So, why not count coup on wild
animals? Run up to a mighty bull elk and pat it on the back. Get it on film. Kick a bear on the bottom. Kiss a moose. Take a tiger by the tail. Everyone would be in awe. They would admire you and hold you in the
highest esteem. And surely that is a lot
better than losing your dental practice and going into hiding.
Kevin T. Jones is an archaeologist, writer, and
blogger. He lives in Salt Lake City.
