Raising Cavemen
The Existence of Cavemen
Contrary to popular belief, cavemen exist today. They are not an extinct species.
I know this to be a fact.
You don't believe me, do you?
You obviously have not been to my house.
Four cavemen live in my house. At least four. I am guessing though, that the number is closer to six.
How did I get six cavemen to move into my home? It started by marring one. At the time of marriage, I would have identified him as a cowboy. As time went on, it became apparent that I actually had caught more of a mountain man, than a cowboy; and though he take the form of an electrician by day, when the weekend comes, I find a caveman has invaded my home.
But that only accounts for one caveman. What about the others? Well, as marriage has certain benefits, little cavemen came along to hunt beside side their father.
Those who Lived in Caves
Proof
Last night we went for a drive in the mountains. We stopped to hike and shoot. The boys climbed trees, examined poop, and gathered sticks. They also questioned the edibility of every plant along the way. They were disgusted by the trash left by others, and proclaimed that when they were grown up, and living out in the mountains, they would not litter!
Did you catch that?
"grown up, and living out in the mountains"
That is an A1 dream for the boys in this house.
Every day I hear about the adventures of living in the mountains. The hunting of mountain lions. The trapping of fish. The living in caves.
Yes, living in caves. They have found a couple already, and staked their claims. They fight and argue over who spied which one's first.
Just this morning, caves were the topic of conversation at breakfast:
Caveboy 3: "Did you see that one above the river, last night? That one is going to be mine!"
Caveboy 2: "I saw it, but I know of a better one. It is up above that lake we hiked up to last summer."
Caveboy 1: "Well, I know of a better one than both of you, and I am not telling where it is at!"
Caveboy 3: "Who cares James, I'm going to find a really good one and make it my home. I'll show it to you, when it is all done."
Caveboy 2: "Yah, James, and mine already has a fire pit in it; but, no one lives there any more."
Caveboy 1: "Wesley, that is because the Forest Rangers make you move every 16 days. You have to move at least five miles, and you can't move back to your first camp site for five days. That is why I am going to have two or three caves to live in; but my good one is for the winter. It is where the forest rangers can't get in the winter."
Caveboy 2: "I think you are making it up. I don't think you have a cave!"
Caveboy 3: "Yah, well my cave is going to be as big as a castle, and I'm going to live in it all the time, no matter what the government says, 'cause it is going to be my house."
And so on and so forth...
Breakfast completed, they raced outside to build bows and arrows, from stick gathered in the mountains.
The Neanderthal
According to Wikipedia, the Neanderthal "is an extinct member of the Homo genus that is known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia. Neanderthals are either classified as a subspecies of humans (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) or as a separate species (Homo neanderthalensis)."
It is said that modern man came from Africa, 1.8 million years ago, conquering other lands. However, not all science agrees with this. Professor Henry Harpending says:
"Early human pioneers moving out of Africa starting 80,000 years ago did not completely replace local populations in the rest of the world, there is instead some sign of interbreeding."
According to the BBC News,
"Some anthropologists, however, advocate the so-called multiregional theory, that not all the local populations were replaced.
They think some of these ancient people interbred with African hominids, contributing to the gene pool of modern humans."
My Views
Personally, I've always considered the Neanderthal to be humans living in difficult conditions. Men, women and children who hunted wild beasts for food, kept dinosaurs as pets and rode woolly mammoths. Explorers, who made due for themselves, because the peddler and trading posts were far and few between.
It is known that exercise is needed for bone density. Imagine lugging water in a basket woven of reeds, up to your cave in the mountain side, two or three times a day. Imagine running from saber tooth tigers, swimming up creek, to escape your enemies, and climbing the back of a mammoth. You would have to be strong to survive!
Before you report me as a lunatic, consider the almost extinct Mountain Man:
He is know as thick skulled, bull headed, and not overly bright. Yet he can live for months at a time with little more than a pocket knife, stiff boots, and a trusty mount. He often appears rough and unkept in his buck-skins and moccasins, when compared to his citified counterpart.
The Mountain Man, like the Neanderthal, is roughly the same height as the modern day human. Both have the approximate build of modern Americans or Canadians.*
According to Wikipedia, "Evidence suggests they were much stronger than modern humans;their relatively robust stature is thought to be an adaptation to the cold climate of Europe during the Pleistocene epoch." To me, that sounds much like the Mountain man. Strong, robust, and able to endure extreme temperatures, especially cold.
The Mountain Man does not fear to live where the snow changes the landscape and makes normal means of travel impossible. The mountain man is content to spend the winter holed up in a cave or cabin, coming out, only to ski, snowshoe or climb -- for fun, of course.
Further more, a 2007 study shows that the Neanderthal were probably red heads. Now I know that there are a fair number of dark haired mountain men, but those found in cold climates are very likely to be red heads. The last Mountain Man beard contest I was at had more red heads than all other hair colors combine.
More Proof
My husband is not only a red head, but he is of French origins. His ancestors immigrated from France to New York, when the land was still wild. They migrated north and west, across Canada, settling in Montana before all the country and state lines where drawn. (If the verbal history is correct.) Eventually, they built themselves a town -- a post office and general store.
My husband and boys love the cold weather and high mountain air, claiming to feel best when at an altitude of over 10,000 feet. They dream of skiing in the back country, winter camping and living off the land. Bull-dogging elk, from a tree, and riding moose, are their idea of sport. Wrestling grizzly bear, would be extreme sport.
And living in a cave? Well, that's par for the course! Building an elaborate shelter is all part of the game.
Your Turn
What are Your Beliefs, concerning Cavemen?
Ivorwen, 2009.
Looking for a writing platform? Join Here
