"...When looking at hunter-gatherers today, we can see that dogs are used in a variety of hunting activities. The Mbuti use dogs when hunting in the tropical forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dogs accompany hunters who carry either spears or bows to take down prey. Given their much more powerful sense of smell, dogs are especially useful in helping hunters locate game. To keep up with these speedy tracker allies, Mbuti hunters attach wooden bells to them. After these dogs help their hunters find prey, they must carefully cooperate with humans to successfully take down the animal..."

Click here to continue reading Jeffrey Vadala's brief survey of dog roles in hunter-gatherer societies.

Attending the American Anthropological Association's annual meeting in San Jose next week? We'll be there, too! Come find us at booth 520 (look for the orange banner above). Take a tour of our databases, ask us questions, and even try out the beta version of our updated eHRAF World Cultures interface.

You can also learn about HRAF's research initiatives by attending one of our talks. Carol Ember will present "Do natural hazards and other ecological threats predict the strength of cultural norms?" at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 17. Ian Skoggard will follow with "Natural vs. supernatural mechanisms for cooperative behavior" at 10:45. Both talks will be at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center Executive Ballroom (210 H).

We know pumpkins from our fall traditions of jack-o'-lanterns and pumpkin pies. But how are they used cross-culturally? What other meanings does this squash hold?

We explore these questions using ethnographic examples from eHRAF World Cultures . Click here to read our short post. Cultures touched upon include the Pawnee of Oklahoma, Iroquois, Baganda, and contemporary Japan and Korea.

Did you know that over 300 cultures covered in eHRAF World Cultures have culture summaries ? Correspondingly, traditions in eHRAF Archaeology have tradition summaries . Within these comprehensive documents, you will find information covering everything from location to social organization and economy. Culture and tradition summaries are great places to start when studying a culture or tradition for the first time! See our video tutorial here .