Territoriality According to Elizabeth Cashdan

Territoriality According to Elizabeth Cashdan

Elizabeth Cashdan addresses the question of territoriality among human forager groups, specifically comparing four Bushman groups. She argues that territoriality should occur only in places where the benefits will outweigh the costs. Introducing the scientific definition of territoriality in animals, she first claims that animals tend to be the most territorial when they have adequate food and other resources. It is when there is a severe lack of or abundance of resources that animals are not territorial. With a lack of food, territoriality tends to waste too much energy. In the case of an abundance of food, it is not worth defending that which is plentiful for animals. She points out predictability as another environmental factor: if a resource is unpredictable, then it is not economical to defend it. It is only worthwhile to defend a territory if there is high probability that the resources will still be available when they are wanted. However, the costs and benefits of being territorial not only depend on the environment, but also on the species and its characteristics.

Humans, for instance, have a cranial capacity that far outweighs that of any other species. Our long-term memory, culture, and methods of communication must be taken into account when looking at the nature of our territoriality. Cashdan argues two main human mechanisms for controlling territory: "perimeter defense" and "reciprocal altruism" (p. 49), a way of social control. Perimeter defense consists of making simple boundaries, stating a clear break between two territories, and defending those boundaries to intruders. Some groups, such as the Vedda use this method in their relatively small territory. Any passing visitor would have to be escorted to the other side of the land and any intruders may be shot. Because of extensive human memory and information exchange, individual intruders are less likely to determine the consequences of trespassing themselves, thus the cost of defense for those defending is less.

Social boundary defense is unique to the human species. Instead of physically defending the boundaries of the territory, groups will defend the boundaries of the social group. Some foraging groups will invite outsiders for greeting ceremonies to control movement between territories. The costs to such methods will include the energy put into these types of ceremonies and should not change will an increase in territory size or a decrease in resources.