A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Toolmaking Skill Acquisition in Non-Industrial Societies

Toolmaking is, by and large, a socially learned behavior that also requires individual practices. Although significant for understanding human evolution, the rise of industrialized mass production has reduced the need for handicraft practices and their inter-generational transmission in daily life. This study thus examines toolmaking skill acquisition in 170 non-industrial societies through a comprehensive compilation and coding of ethnographic text data using the eHRAF World Cultures. Grounded in the cultural evolution theory (CET), this descriptive analysis addresses six fundamental questions: what skills are most frequently learned, who transmits this knowledge, where skill acquisition takes place, when learning occurs developmentally, how skills are acquired, and why specific individuals are chosen as models. The most important finding addresses the “why” question of major transmission biases involved in the toolmaking skill acquisition, highlighting the dominant role of kin-based transmission bias. This provides an empirical recalibration to CET modeling studies, which have traditionally emphasized conformist and success/prestige-based biases. Moreover, this project creates a valuable foundation for exploring patterns in cultural learning and technological practices across societies featuring diverse subsistence strategies, while also providing a reference framework for archaeological interpretations of past learning dynamics.