Navigating the Landscape by Lucy and her kind
The last in the trilogy, Dawn of Humanity,
'Natural Selection by Jacqui Murray'
The very early bipedals would have had their senses being evolved over time ... first walking on two legs, which would have let them see further across the landscape ...
... they would have started to become more aware of their surroundings and what they needed to remember ... apart from their natural instincts ...
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| A possible early landscape |
... they would have been aware of their local topography before venturing further away ... the scope of the hills or mountains, the streams, rivers, wooded areas, forested heights ...
Clade of modern day ungulates
But they also would know about the different animal and bird calls, track marks and their meanings ... a wounded walking ungulate, a smooth swirl in the earth of a reptile, a burrow hiding various rodents ...
The children would from birth have been absorbing the basic needs to be able to survive ... watching and learning ...
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| This is a typical Gauteng landscape found near the Sterkfontein cave system where remnants of early man were found |
It is thought that early man, Lucy and her tribe,
would by now have 'the capacity to be aware of
their own existence as an entity of time' ...
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| The human hippocampus - our memory bank and its comparison in looks to a Seahorse |
Memory has become an essential to our human life – and these traits would be apparent to Lucy and her tribe – though she would not understand why ...
These two articles will give you further reading ...
The Landscape Inside Us - Robert MacFarlane: to be found in article written for New York Books ...
Early humans used their imagination to 'foretell' what was ahead ... allowing us today to be aware of what we might come across - Autonoetic Consciousness ... this article gives an idea about this concept ...
I cannot applaud Jacqui more highly on bringing Lucy and her tribe to life through these three books - and I encourage everyone to read this very enjoyable series ...
My first two posts on Jacqui's Natural Selection series -
Part One: Survival of the Fittest
Part Two: Laws of Nature
Here's another interviewee's post on the subject of early man running to hunt down prey - a very interesting post ... I congratulate Anneli on this thought provoking idea ... as too Jacqui ... Anneli has given all the details re this blog tour ...
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
43 comments:
Another fascinating tidbit of human evolution!
"The children would from birth have been absorbing the basic needs to be able to survive ... watching and learning". This is the most extraordinary learning a human ever undertakes.
Animals have to grow up FULLY very quickly, because once their mothers move on to the next pregnancies, the recent babies will mature or die. Only humans can indulge their babies, toddlers and primary school students with patience and love. No wonder we adore little ones :)
This was so interesting! Wishing Jacqui all the best with her new book!
Memory can save us although sometimes it can harm.
You have done yeoman service for Jacqui in promoting her series, Hilary, and I am sure she is very appreciative. Fossil evidence has provided so much information on human evolution yet fundamentalists still deny the age of the Earth and its evolutionary processes. Amazing! The Flat Earth Society may yet get revived! With my best wishes - David
Hari OM
We are a fascinating study, that's for sure! YAMxx
@Hilary Thank you so much for posting this. I am amazed how much work you put into finding the information. They are such fascinating folk!
@Liz I spent a lot of time visiting natural navigation websites--took a webinar on it, too--to see what tips they look for to guide them. It's pretty amazing what we don't see when we don't know what to look for.
@Hels You are exactly right. There came a time--long after Lucy's kind left the planet--when infanticide became popular. I don't know that I could have done that.
@Kymber It makes me want to walk through the wilds, see if I can use any of this information
@Alex I hate those double-edged swords!
:)
@David--perfect word for it! I love how she shared my people through her eyes. It's perfect.
@Yamini Oh we are so darn fascinating. I can't get enough of us!
Thanks, Hilary, for another reminder that a wonderful experience awaits us when we read Jacqui Murray's latest book, Natural Selection. I waited anxiously for her to finish this third book in her trilogy, Dawn of Humanity. She got me hooked with her first one and I really wanted to know how Lucy's adventures took her to a conclusion. The wild adventures of Lucy and her group were fascinating to read about, especially knowing that they were probably very real in Lucy's day. Basically, they had to survive with their bare hands and not much else. Jacqui's excellent research into the challenges that faced early man made this series credible, and her writing skills added the tension and conflict necessary for these exciting novels. Well done, Jacqui.
@ Liz – yes … lots of interesting snippets to absorb about what life was like for our ancestors …
@ Hels – yes … life has definitely improved for the human in today's age. Learning through watching is a kid's raison d'etre – for them to become rounded adults …
Though after reading Robert MacFarlane's article – I'm thinking that the ability to have imagination and memory is pretty incredible … and may well become my go-to learning concept whenever I see an article about it …
@ Kymber – yes Jacqui's tour is bringing lots of interest from the blogosphere …
@ Alex – as you say … memory usually has its advantages …
@ David – I hope so … I'm grateful she seems to appreciate what I bring to the tour series … I learn as much from being pushed to find out these possibilities … and I love the learning – I have no wish to question the obvious about 'us' and our origins …
@ Yam – yes 'we are a fascinating study – aren't we?! Good point …
@ Jacqui – thanks for being here and returning everyone's comments … While I'm happy to take the accolade – though so very lucky to find the information quickly … otherwise this post may have had to be deferred!
Robert MacFarlane is a respected author and is best known for his books on landscape, nature, place, people and language – all you could want for your post …
@ Anneli – I loved your post on the fact that it is thought that hunters could outrun their prey in those very early days …
And I especially liked the YouTube video on Endurance Running you shared with us … I've sent it to a friend here and he's going to let his group know about it …
Thanks so much to you all – for your support here and for Jacqui with her amazing trilogy … cheers Hilary
Huge congratulations to Jacqui - and thank you for alerting us - and your usual rabbit holes to get lost down.
I would like to read these, thanks for letting me know about them. Just now trying to order a sample from Amazon on my Kindle, but it's not cooperating, so I'll make a note and try later.
Wow, Jacqui has really done her research! No wonder her books seem so "real."
Hilary sends me down so many rabbit holes. She is a valued efriend. Thanks for hosting me, Hilary!
@Elephant's Child See above
@Priscilla Bettis Reading about man's roots is so darn interesting! I'm glad you like them!
@Inger I hope you enjoy them! They are on KU also if you are a member of that reading group.
Such a great review and so much fun reading about her new boodk! ❣️
It's kind of odd to think about what early humans would have not known and how they would have developed.
Hello, this is a lovely article on prehistoric man. Thanks for hosting Jacqui, she is a great writer.
@ EC - thanks for being here to congratulate Jacqui ... and yes more rabbit holes - which I know you enjoy looking at (thank you!) ...
@ Inger - thanks Inger - I hope you can sort out the book ordering aspect ... I see Jacqui mentions they're on Kindle Unlimited ... I'm sure you'll enjoy them ...
@ Priscilla - thanks for coming here to see this post ... yes I've really enjoyed her books and as you mention - they do appear 'real' and are so readable ...
Jacqui has obviously researched and read about the subject to the full, always stretching her knowledge ... I've enjoyed sending her off to look at a couple of new thoughts - taught me things too ...
@ Jacqui - it's a pleasure to have you here ... and can only congratulate on finishing your trilogy ... they are eminently readable: enjoy them everyone!
Great to see you here replying to all the commenters - thanks!
@ Cindy - good to see you here and I'm so pleased you enjoyed this write up ...
@ Liz - I agree it is quite difficult to think back - but easier than thinking forward as to what we might be in few million years ...
@ Robbie - great to see you ... and thanks for supporting Jacqui by being here; she is, as you say, a great writer ...
Thanks so much everyone for being here to support Jacqui on the release of the third instalment of her trilogy ... have lovely weekends - cheers Hilary
Hilary, you never fail to inform us about so many things! Grateful for your heart in doing this, providing encouragement and a smile always. Thank you. Thanks also for stopping by my blog. It was great to see you! Your support and insight is always appreciated. Have a great weekend! :)
@Cindy Thank you! I love reading Hilary's thought-provoking connections between this and that. She always makes me think.
@Liz It is odd, isn't it. They are so far removed from how we lead our lives today. Modern hunter-gatherers, albeit in dwindling numbers, are as close to our roots as we get.
@Robbie Thanks for dropping in, Robbie. You live at the hub of Lucy's tribe's setting for a good part of the story
@Karen Agree about Hilary's ability to connect dots. She is a clever lady!
What a great way of introducing Jacqui's wonderful book, Hils.
@Sandra Thank you! Hilary did an amazing job.
Great to see Jacqui on your blog, Hillary. I love this whole series. Jacqui's a wonderful writer and her research adds depth and tons of her reality to her stories. Congrats, Jacqui. :-)
@Diana--thank you! I am saddened by your mother's passing. It sounds like she lived a full life and is so lucky to have you at her side in the end.
I am going to return to all three of these posts as evolution and genetics is one of my favourite topics.
We are house-sitting with our grandchildren while their parents are in California for another week so this is just a fleeting visit home!
@ Karen - how lovely to see you again ... yes as you see nothing much changes ... especially here on the blog - I just enjoy what I do, despite the chaos of Friday in getting this post up ... c'est las vie ... but thanks for your support ...
@ Jacqui - excellent you come over to see what everyone has written - thank you!
@ Sandra - always good to have you look in and leave a happy note!
@ Diana - I feel for you with your mother's passing ... mine sadly left us ten years ago - but this blog got me through the time when she was ill, and now sustains me ...
Going back to Jacqui and her books - I've been very impressed and this 'Natural Selection' one has just arrived - so I look forward to reading it.
@ Bazza - that's great to know ... just have fun with those grandchildren - always a happy time, yet exhausting too! Enjoy it ... and thanks for saying you'll be back to read and to look at the links.
Thanks so much - great to see you all ... and now I have the book - I can (perhaps) settle down to read - the settling down doesn't seem to happen much! Cheers to you all from a warmish south coast - when the weather is about to become more normal - eg colder! Happy times ahead - Hilary
My mind boggles at all the interesting information you come up with in your blogs.
I think David has said it all. The books sound worth looking for.
Have a good week and take care, Cheers Diane
@Rhodesia Thank you! I hope it lives up to your expectations.
Jacqui is like a force of nature. So prolific!
@Pam Aren't you nice!
The memory piece of it would be my challenge:)
@Sandra--Not for you!
So many light bulb moments about my ancestors in this post. Evolving. Now I am imagining what future traits and abilities humans will possess. So interesting.
Lucy was smart and compassionate. I loved her character and that of the rest of the clan.
@Sandra I love that you pointed those out about her, Sandra. I have such respect for our primeval species.
Congratulations to Jacqui!
And that picture of the hippocampus next to the seahorse is wild.
@Tyrean Thank you! No surprise Hilary really brought this story to life.
@ Diane - I enjoy the learning and appreciate bloggers' support - so thank you ...
@ Pam - great to see you and yes Jacqui is a force of nature: appropriate title for her ...
@ Sandra - always great to see you ... while encouraging others to read Jacqui's book - via your pertinent comments ...
@ JQ - lovely to see you here - that's interesting this post takes you back to your ancestors ... we get drawn in, don't we ... I do wonder what a 'human' will be like in 50, 100 or 200 years ahead - difficult to imagine ... but I do hope we get to look once we've gone??!!
@ Tyrean - I agree Jacqui is to be congratulated - great that you appreciate the hippocampus next to the seahorse ... an interesting combination ...
@ Jacqui - thanks for being here and answering everyone's comments - you're always so professional in your approach ...
Cheers to one and all - take care ... Hilary
Dear Hilary,
What a delightful and inspiring post. The presentation software looks wonderful. Glad you could enjoy the presentation you attended.
Birds and Lucy are such good examples for this format. Thanks to Jacqui's series. Will certainly check them out. Evolution and Environment. Just finishing reading a fascinating biography on Alexander Von Humbolt and Nature. Unfortunately, Explorers were the first to learn about the connections but also paved the way to its slow destruction....Nature will prevail but at the coast of how many human lives and acute suffering, always among the poorer fringes of the planet and societies. Every day, hope keeps us going for our children's sake and their children to change the trend in order to avoid the worst.
Keep writing and writing positive. Thank you.
Thanks Susan - I think you're referring to PechaKucha the later post ... it's interesting, while my talk went well thank you ...
Jacqui's books are very informative and interesting - well worth a read. Your book on von Humbolt and Nature also sounds fascinating ... we are living in uncertain times - climate wise, as well as human suffering-wise ...
I always write positive ... thankfully ... being miserable, or being down doesn't help anyone ... I'm a cheerful soul - thankfully ... cheers and thanks for commenting - Hilary
Dear Hilary,
Hoping that you are doing well.
Look at your posts, regularly on Blogger, and always enjoy them. Uplifting and optimistic and with a lot of interesting subjects and veiwpoints. Like yourself, curiosity has not killed the cat….though it has been repeated to me often both in English and French who tend to be very judgemental when you impart something they don’t know themselves or haven't experienced. My eldest daughter, who lived and worked in England for quite a time, being the only one who « gets » me as the Americans would say.
Unfortunately can no longer comment directly on your Blog, as I had to change computer and due to the endless new security systems, and the Feedburner support of Blogger becoming incessently complicated. You can however still reach me on susan.rouchard@cegetel.net or gmail if you would care to.
I still blog on Wordpress (https://www.lifeinpoetry.home.blog)
though it has been several months, but can no longer participate on the WEPs.
Lots of Catching up to do.
Wishing you a very Pleasant autumn on the Southern coast, fond memories of Eastbourne where I spent some quality alone time back in 2008.
All the best
Susan Baury Rouchard
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