People can be considered primitive when their material culture is simple in form and function. Another way to recognize primitive people as being almost completely preoccupied with securing food and other necessities of survival.

Primitive Gathering Lowest order of economic activity. Primitive gathering is the oldest economic activities in which human being supported themselves by collecting a variety of products provided by nature. People collect fruits, nuts, barries, roots leaves, and fiber from trees, shrubs and smaller plants. They plant few seeds and spend no time for cultivating the soils. They don’t try to improve and control their habitat.

Primitive Gathering Gathering requires the least amount of capital investment and effort, but considerable space is required. A very low man land ratio occurs in such areas, not more than 2 persons per square miles Written language is unknown. Overall health is generally poor, their life expectancy is short

Location: Primitive gathering Only a few thousand people currently practice this form of livelihood. Isolated pockets in low latitudes areas, Amazon basin (Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela), few stretches of tropical Africa, northern fringe of Australia, interior of New Guinea, Burma, Thailand, China. For Example: Semang People of Malaya

Location: Primitive gathering

Primitive Hunting Primitive hunters share many characteristics with the primitive gatherers. Both groups know how to use fire, prepare food, manufacture tools and implement the tools. Hunters know how to construct shelter. Both groups generally don’t know how to domesticate food plants, domesticate animals and permanent settlement. Hunters differ from gatherers in that they employ more sophisticated methods to secure foods and depend much more on animals.

Location : Primitive Hunting Occurs in high latitudes area, particularly in Arctic, where temperature is very low and summer is very short. For Example: North American Eskimos, Yukaghirs of Siberia

Location : Primitive Hunting

Nomadic Herding (Pastoral Nomadism) It is a more advanced economic activity than either gathering or hunting. They depend on domestication of animals. Animals supply food (milk, cheese and meat), materials for clothing (fibers and skin), shelter (skin), fuel and tools (bones). Make at least some investment to enhance natural production Product is animal and investment is labour Migration is a basic feature of this people.

Nomads started the first economic activity. Started their activities near the river valley and started settled down. Started agriculture years ago near river valley. This agriculture known as primitive agriculture such as shifting, burn, jhum cultivation. They started barter or informal trade near the river valley areas.

Less precipitation area (mainly grassland) Grasses and shrubs comprise the natural vegetation. The region extends from 5 degree south latitude (On the east coast of Africa) to 50 degree north latitude in central Asia. A lesser region of herding is found in northern Eurasia, extending into Alaska. In the southern hemisphere, too there are small areas in south west Africa and on the Island of Madagaskar. Location: Nomadic Herding

Combined