Hunting and gathering, following seasonally available wild plants and game, is by far the oldest human subsistence method.

Nomadic groups make and sell textiles, deal in animals and pictures, and play music. These sedentary groups work in towns as scavengers and hangmen; elsewhere they are snake-charmers, tinkers, bag makers, and singers; they dance at feasts and tell fortunes. They play music and made sieves, brooms, and wooden spoons. They have taken to horticulture and poetry.