Introduction to the Topic

Welcome back to our NCERT Explained series! In this post, we journey back millions of years to understand the lives of the earliest people on Earth. Following our exploration of early human beginnings, Class VI History Chapter 2, 'On the Trail of the Earliest People', takes us deep into the lives of hunter-gatherers. How did they survive without supermarkets, houses, or electricity? Let us find out how our ancestors lived, hunted, and adapted to the changing world around them.

Key Concepts Explained

To understand the earliest people, historians and archaeologists look at the tools, bones, and paintings they left behind. Here are the core concepts covered in this chapter:

1. Who Were the Hunter-Gatherers?

The earliest people are referred to as hunter-gatherers because of the way they got their food. They got their name from the two main activities they performed to survive:

  • Hunting: They hunted wild animals, caught fish and birds, and gathered whatever they could find to eat.
  • Gathering: They collected edible roots, nuts, fruits, seeds, leaves, stalks, and honey from the forests.

These people did not stay in one place all the time. They moved from place to place for several important reasons:

  • If they stayed in one place for too long, they would have eaten up all the available plant and animal resources. Therefore, they had to move to find new food sources.
  • Animals move from place to place—either in search of smaller prey or, in the case of deer and wild cattle, in search of grass and leaves. So, people who hunted them had to follow their movements.
  • Plants and trees bear fruit in different seasons. People may have moved from season to season looking for different kinds of plants.
  • People living on banks of rivers and lakes needed water. While some rivers are perennial (with water throughout the year), others are seasonal. People living near seasonal rivers would have had to go in search of water during the dry months.

2. How Do We Know About These People?

Archaeologists have found some of the things hunter-gatherers made and used. They made tools of stone, wood, and bone, of which stone tools have survived best. These stone tools were used for cutting meat and bone, scraping bark (from trees) and hides (animal skins), chopping fruit, and rooting tubers. Sometimes, handles of bone or wood were stuck to stones for ease of use. These are called hafted tools.

3. Choosing a Place to Live in: Habitats

If you look at a map of places where hunter-gatherers lived, you will notice that most sites are located near sources of water, such as rivers and lakes. Stone was also important because people wanted to find places where good quality stone was easily available. These places, where stones were found and where people made tools, are known as factory sites. Often, people lived here for a longer time; these are called habitation-cum-factory sites.

4. Making Fire

One of the most important discoveries of early humans was fire. Traces of ash have been found in the Kurnool caves in India. This suggests that people were familiar with the use of fire. Fire could have been used for many things:

  • As a source of light in dark caves.
  • To roast meat for eating.
  • To scare away dangerous animals.

5. A Changing Environment

Around 12,000 years ago, there were major changes in the climate of the world, with a shift to relatively warm conditions. In many areas, this led to the development of grasslands. This resulted in an increase in the number of animals that survived on grass, such as deer, antelope, goat, sheep, and cattle. Those who hunted these animals now followed them, learning about their food habits and breeding seasons. This was likely the start of herding and rearing animals, as well as farming!

Summary & Key Takeaways

Let us review the main points from this fascinating chapter:

  • Hunter-Gatherers: Early humans who moved constantly in search of food, water, and animal migration patterns.
  • Stone Age Tools: Used for survival tasks like hunting, scraping skins, and chopping wood.
  • The Role of Fire: A revolutionary discovery used for warmth, cooking, and protection.
  • Environmental Shifts: Climate changes around 12,000 years ago led to grasslands, paving the way for agriculture and animal herding.