At 09:38 1998-08-13 -0800, Lisa wrote:

>I read the other day in a book called Nisa !Kung: Life and Words of a
>!Kung Woman by Marjorie Shostak that only 20% of the !Kung people ever
>reach 60.

I wrote about this some time ago, so I am partly copying that:
The methods for measuring death age of archeologic human bones are
very unshure, and it is not possible to tell if the person was more
than 40. Also that is 40 compared to modern aging speed so that could
in fact very well be more.
Hunter/gatherers have a risky life, but the those individuals who
are lucky to avoid infections, accidents, famine, birth complications
and so on, do get really old.
We must also remember that most hunter/gatherers of today live in
environments that are very harsh, such as deserts or close to, like
the !Kung.
Staffan Lindeberg has made a health survey of people in the island
Kitava < http://www.panix.com/~paleodiet/lindeberg/ > and has an
article in a swedish book where he has photos of a 92 year woman and
a 100 year man who both look like 70. There is also a 65 year old who
looks like 50 in the face and less than 40 in the body.
I think the description of Nisa at around 55 at the second visit of
the author, tells about a very vital person. I wonder if the portrait
on the front cover of the book shows Nisa herself. She looks great!
She lost all of her children. Such things are not unusual among
Hunter/gatherers, and is the cause of the short medium longevity.

- Hans