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Scars for survival: high cost male initiation rites are strongly associated with desert habitat in Pama-Nyungan Australia

Learmouth, Duncan; Layton, Robert; Tehrani, Jamshid

Scars for survival: high cost male initiation rites are strongly associated with desert habitat in Pama-Nyungan Australia Thumbnail


Authors

Robert Layton



Abstract

Costly ritual behaviours have frequently been of interest to evolutionary researchers seeking to understand whether they have an adaptive benefit. Here we examine the costliness of initiation rituals across a large group of hunter-gather societies in Pama-Nyungan Australia and compare these with a range of possible adaptive benefits, including warfare, food sharing, demography, and mate competition. We find that in Australia, desert habitat was mostly strongly associated with these rites. Such rites may support the collective action, such as food sharing, necessary for survival in such a precarious environment.

Citation

Learmouth, D., Layton, R., & Tehrani, J. (2024). Scars for survival: high cost male initiation rites are strongly associated with desert habitat in Pama-Nyungan Australia. Evolution and Human Behavior, 45(2), 193-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2024.02.003

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 23, 2024
Online Publication Date Mar 10, 2024
Publication Date 2024-03
Deposit Date Mar 11, 2024
Publicly Available Date Apr 17, 2024
Journal Evolution and Human Behavior
Print ISSN 1090-5138
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 45
Issue 2
Pages 193-202
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2024.02.003
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2325257

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