Jacqui of WordDreams is writing these amazing books on the early species of us … and has asked that we contribute various articles on aspects of their life … mine is:
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| Jacqui - smiling happily |
How did they store water?
Essentially they wouldn't have wanted to store it … as they'd have known where to find sources:
... they couldn't live without water;
... noting the seasonal swings;
... watching game and birds go to drink;
... they'd have noted the seasonal fruits and herbs ready to eat
... also they'd have realised there were water storing plants which are moisture rich in their flesh or roots …
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| Nara Melon |
These ancient inhabitants would have lived in and around an area where there'd have been sufficient resources to support the group, only spreading out when numbers of their group became too many, or they met others and thus Neanderthals spread …
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| Bushmen drinking from the bi bulb |
They'd have been constantly learning … adding to each generations' brain power as the semi-nomadic peoples lived and learnt.
They'd have lived in caves … where possibly a permanent water supply might have been found … or near a spring line …
Rivers were (and still are) both permanent - or ephemeral – would have been located and noted …
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| A Bushman drinking from an ostrich egg |
They'd have realised that Ostrich eggs could be used for storing/carrying water … these huge very nutritious eggs … would have been invaluable to indigenous groups … they'd learn to create sip-wells ... feeding water into an ostrich egg ...
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| Rocky outcrop |
There were no straight lines (despite those modern day tyre tracks!) to be followed, or corners cut … they had to find their way each day, otherwise they would not have been able to survive long.
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| Beef tripe - prepared for filling |
When they wanted to travel beyond their normal range … they'd have taken cleaned out intestines and stomachs of animals to hold enough water in case of need … but they'd not require much – those early peoples were very resilient.
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| Book two of the trilogy due out in April |
Jacqui's email details ... all her wonderful contributors can be found here ...
Word Dreams Book Blast for Endangered Species
I just congratulate Jacqui - her books are fascinating ... and I so enjoy them - it's great so many of us are promoting her second book in the trilogy ...
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
32 comments:
Water is essential. It's interesting how early peoples made sure they had access.
I realise that our ancestors noted the seasonal fruits and herbs were ready to eat and tasted delicious. But I wonder if they knew that many fruits and vegetables carried a high percentage of water eg cucumbers and celery.
Huge congratulations to Jacquie.
And yes, our long ago ancestors were resourceful. They had to be.
Hari Om
Good musings, Hilary! A worthy contribution to the collection, I'm sure. YAM xx
@ Liz - thanks ... we, as humans, had to learn how to adapt to living ... so yes - early peoples knew what had to be done, otherwise they'd have died.
@ Hels - remember we're not talking today's world - so they'd have no idea about present day plants ... and they wouldn't have travelled that far and wide ...
@ Sue - yes Jacqui has been so adventurous and the Neanderthals were an extraordinary peoples ... as you say they had to be.
@ Yam - thanks I hope so ... I'll find out as they days go by!
Thanks you four ... it's difficult for us to think back that far - humanity has come so far - cheers and I'm so looking forward to reading Jacqui's book, when it comes out in April - cheers Hilary
Water is available from many sources and since life is impossible without it, no doubt ancient people were adept and finding it, and knew which fruits yielded high volumes of water too. And to think they didn’t even have plastic bottles to carry it in! I will follow the link to Jacque’s blog. David❤️
I often wonder how we would survive, and for how long, if all our modern conveniences were removed. Which are the most important? Water, shelter, food - which has the highest priority?
Thanks so much for hosting me, Hilary. You've added some great details to the topic which I appreciate.
@liz They were a lot smarter about that than we are these days. If there isn't a spigot, we're stuck!
@hels I think they did. They were clever about their food. There is evidence of them eating the most nutritious parts of animals first for reasons similar to what you're saying.
@elephantschild Our modern day hunter-gatherers and nomads still use a lot of these tricks
@yamini Thanks for visiting!
@David I include some of their tricks in my new book. It was especially critical during the apocryphal times of a massive global volcanic eruption
@jabblog I got into survivalist stories for just that reason Could we do it? Thanks for visiting.
This all makes perfect sense. Ostrich eggs are ingenious, and I wouldn't have considered organ sacs, but in a pinch.... Another wonderful stop on Jacqui's tour. Thanks for hosting, Hilary, and congrats to Jacqui!
The first time I read about ostrich eggs, I didn't know how tough those shells are. You can stand on them! Modern day hunter gatherers use the same method.
@ David - yes exactly life is impossible without it ... and as you say they'd have worked out which fruits and plants they could eat ... storing water I don't think would have been a necessity - they'd have travelled via the water holes/ springs/ rivers ... and exactly nothing easy for them. No straight lines either.
@ Janice - I suspect not very long ... I know I wouldn't ... water has to be the most important - we can't survive without it ... we can manage for a while without food, and I guess depending on the latitude a little longer without shelter - especially if we had water and food.
@ Jacqui - it's a pleasure ... I had to draw on my Namibian and Botswanan experiences ... you've arranged the most amazing book blast tour.
Thanks for answering everyone's comments ...
@ Diana - Ostrich egg is delicious, though very rich ... while the eggs in this modern age make lovely mementos - I don't have one. You'd have used organ sacs back in the day - no choice!! Great to see you here ...
@ Jacqui - ostrich eggs are amazing - and yes you can stand on them - though just watch out for the ostriches, which can be very vicious ... dangeurese!
Cheers and thanks for visiting - Hilary
Ooh, I especially loved the info on the Nara Melon. Fascinating. AND loved seeing Jacqui here.
Kudos to you both.
Cheers,
@sandra Me too! I hadn't heard that one before.
@ Sandra - yes ... once the Bushmen had sussed out about the Nara Melon later in the era, and even used today ... great to see you - cheers Hilary
@ Jacqui - it's such an interesting book blast ... and we're all learning ... at least I hope so! Cheers Hilary
Congrats to Jacqui on her new book, and kudos to all in the blast. Sounds like she has done the research and piqued interest on many levels.
@Joanne Thank you so much!
Sounds like a fascinating book. Must have been very interesting doing the research. Thanks for sharing!
Congratulations to Jacqui! And you tackled the subject expertly, Hilary. Our ancestors were a resourceful lot. Thank goodness, otherwise man would have become extinct.
Not just early ancestral folks, even today most of our cities are located on river banks or near some other natural source...no life without water. Have a wonderful week.
@ Joanne - oh I so agree ... she's doing an amazing marketing set up with this book blast ... and yes ... the books are well worth reading - well written and well researched. ...
@ Jess - it's been fun reading her books, which I've found to be informative ... great to see you here ...
@ Debbie - congratulations on your birthday! Enjoy the day. I kept my post short and I hope sweet ... and as you say our ancestors were a resourceful bunch ... but unlikely to go extinct - too clever at that stage ...
@ Nila - yes you're right about the cities, towns and villages - almost all associated with water supplies ... it always interested me that Johannesburg and Brasilia are not situated on rivers. Exactly - no life without water ...
Thanks for visiting everyone - Jacqui is having fun with her book blast ... while her books are so well worth reading - cheers Hilary
@Debbie I always learn a lot from Hilary. She has a curious mind to be envied!
@nilanjana Absolutely true. I think our first ancestors (from my Dawn of Humanity trilogy) lived along water, but quickly learned to be close enough to use the waterways but not so close to be drowned out by its storms. Makes sense.
@DMS Fascinating research. I can't wait to start digging into the next trilogy.
Hilary, these are fascinating insights into water acquisition by early humans!
All those details about how early humans likely obtained and stored water sheds light on their remarkable adaptability and resourcefulness.
The details about utilizing natural resources like the Nara melon and ostrich eggs are particularly interesting.
@pradeep This did really surprise, I guess if you'd die without water, you figure out every angle to find it!
What an interesting article, Hilary. There were many moisture-filled plants I’d never thought of. I imagine from the earliest times, knowledge of where to find water was as instinctive to humans as it was and is to animals. Thank you!
@vallypee I agree. There are a lot of places to find water we "civilized" folk wouldn't even think of. Thanks for visiting.
@ Pradeep - great to see you ... yes we just don't remember how our early ancestors survived - amazing ... if only people today would realise and appreciate how hard our start in life as one of our societies was come by. I'm glad you appreciated the !Nara melon information and the ostrich eggs ... my time in Namibia was very interesting.
@ Val - amazing life they led ... and how we've realised the advantages of plants, that to us, look inedible or ineffectual ... thankfully some today are realising the benefits they offer.
Yes - you do have a point re that instinctiveness in a human's being, that we know we need water at all times - and initially urgently seek it out ... as and where it can be found.
@ Jacqui - thanks for being so thorough in replying and answering thoughts our commenters have raised.
Cheers to the three of you ... and I will catch up shortly!! Hilary
I love 'adding to each generation's brain power'. Unfortunately, it seems like this generation has run amuck, doesn't it?
@sandra I wonder if my parents thought the same about my gen? Hmm...
Congratulations to Jacqui Murray on what sounds like a super interesting book. When I read about civilizations unlike my own, I'm wondering if I would survive. :)
Hilary, this is a great article!
@ Sandra - thanks ... we're always adding to our brain power - whether we're now subtracting information by screen watching is another matter ...
@ Teresa - thanks ... Jacqui's books are exceptional ... I think we'd survive because we're born into that civilisation ... like now - we survive ... somehow!! Appreciate your thoughts ...
Cheers to you both - Hilary
@T Thank you! I go through the same thing. I keep researching until I convince myself I could live there and feel natural!
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