THE EARLIEST PEOPLE

and
THE MIGRATION THEORY

Prepared by:
Antonette R. Noya
BTLE HOME ECONOMICS
4A
THE EARLIEST PEOPLE

Hunter-gatherers are how we classify the people who lived on the

subcontinent two million years ago. They were so called because they
foraged for food by hunting wild animals, catching fish and birds, and
gathering fruit, roots, nuts, seeds, leaves, and stalks. Of course the earliest
humans were hunters and gatherers. Because they live in the open, they
needed to hunt other creatures and gather plants and fruits to survive. At
that time, the creatures moved incredibly quickly. The early inhabitants
needed to be as quick-thinking, vigilant, and brave to survive among them.
They were experts on plants and fruits because they were collectors. They
moved from one location to another as a result of these realities and
customs.

 Food and other resources frequently ran out in a particular area after
a while. As a result, people began to move in search of an area with
greater economic opportunity.
 Early humans followed the movement of the animals from one area of
land to another. Hunting was improved by moving from one location
to another.
 Because the plant life was seasonal, animals and people had to move
to find a steady supply of food and vegetation.

Some of the objects that hunter-gatherers manufactured and utilized have

been uncovered during archaeological digs. They created and used tools out
of stone, wood, and bone, with stone implements faring the best in terms of
survival.

 Stone tools were being used to cut meat and bones, chop fruit and
roots, scrape bark from trees and hides from animal skins.
  Other tools have been used to chop wood.

Choosing a Place to Live in

Hunter-gatherers preferred to live in places with the following availability.

 They resided near water bodies, such as rivers and lakes.

 People searched for places where the high-quality stone was readily
available, as it was essential for hunting.

Changing Environment

Radical climatic changes occurred approximately 12,000 years ago, which

led to the emergence of grasslands in several locations. Additionally, more
creatures were able to subsist on grass as a result. People then began to
consider herding and training these animals. People started to value fishing
as well.

As grassland expanded, people learned that different parts of the

subcontinent could grow crops like wheat, barley, and rice. They started
farming in this manner. By leaving food close to their homes, people also
used food to entice and domesticate animals. Sheep, pigs, cattle, and goats
all lived in herds and mostly consumed grass. These animals were
frequently protected by people from danger from other wild animals. That’s
how they became herders.

Towards a settled Life

Archaeological excavations have discovered artefacts from huts or houses in
some places that suggest that people had a stable life.

 They also discovered cooking hearths in and around the huts,

suggesting that, depending on the season, people used to cook indoors
or outdoors.

 Stone tools have been identified from a number of sites. Many of these
are different from the old Paleolithic tools, and that’s why they’re
called Neolithic. These include equipment that has been polished to
give a fine blade, and mortars and pestles. Mortars and pestles are
still used for grinding. Other than these tools, some of the tools were
made of bone.

 Various kinds of clay pots have also been discovered. They were used
for decorative purposes and storage.

 People also began to weave cloth, using various kinds of materials.

MEHRGARH has been one of the locations where humans first learned to
grow barley and wheat and to rear sheep and goats in this region. A lot of
animal bones have been found in this village. Other discoveries in Mehrgarh
include the remnants of square or rectangular houses. When men die, they
pay respect to their relatives and friends. The dead person was laid to rest
with goats, which were probably supposed to serve as food in the next world.
Many other burial sites were identified at Mehrgarh.

Though internal migration does not change the size of the population of the
country as a whole, it does influence the social, economic and cultural
characteristics of the inhabitants at both places of origin and destination.
It also affects the size and composition of the population of the concerned
regions.
MIGRATION THEORY

Migration is usually classified as either international migration ( movement

from one country to another) or internal migration ( movement within a
country).
Theories of Migration aim to comprehend the justifications and driving
forces underlying peoples decisions to relocate, either domestically or
globally as well as the elements that account for the persistent of migratory
movements through time.

Ravenstein’s laws of migration

The first attempt to spell out the ‘laws of migration’ was made by E.G.
Ravenstein as early as in 1885. Using the birthplace data, Ravenstein
identified a set of generalizations, which he called as ‘laws of migration’
concerning inter-county migration in Britain in the nineteenth century. Most
of these generalizations hold good even today.

Migration and distance: Most migration is of short distance and as distance

from the centre of absorption increases, the number of migrants grows less.
While migrants proceeding long distances generally go by preference to one
of the great centres of commerce and industry.
Migration by stages: Migration takes place in steps, for example, migrants
move from rural to nearby towns and then towards large cities.

Stream and counter stream: Each main current of migration produces a

compensating counter-current.

Urban-rural difference in propensity to migrate: The natives of towns are

less migratory than those of the rural parts of the country.

There is a predominance of females among short-distance migrants.

Technology and migration: An increase in the means of locomotion and

development of mamfacture and commerce leads to an increase of
migration.

There is a dominance of the economic motive in migration. Migrants move

from the areas of low opportunity to areas of high opportunity (economic
motive);

Lee’s theory of migration

According to Everett Lee the decision to migrate and the process of

migration is determined by the following four factors:

Factors Associated with the Area of Origin: In each area there are several
factors which motivate migration outside the area.

Factors Associated with the Area of Destination: These factors are more
important as pull factors while the former work as push factors. It is not
necessary that the pull factors are always real. Sometimes they are based
upon Inadequate information.
Intervening Obstacles: These obstacles intervene migration. Therefore they
must be overcome before migration takes place.

Personal Factors : It is the individual’s perception which determine actual

migration. Personal factors change according to individual differences. While
some persons are more resistant to the change of residence, others are eager
for such a change. Health condition, old age, nuclear family, ete may be
some personal factors that influence migration.