They are egalitarian and lack chiefs or other formal authority structures. Social order is based on consensus. However, the amount of energy expended in the food quest varies from group to group. They exploit a wide variety of foods, including wild plants, animals, and, in some cases, fish. Their diversified diet is due to seasonal and annual fluctuations in the availability of food resources.
Men are usually responsible for hunting and fishing.
Women usually gather fruits, nuts, and other vegetable foods. In many hunting and gathering societies, women contribute the bulk of the food. Generosity and reciprocity are important values because of risks involved in obtaining food. However, most pastoralists supplement their diet by hunting, gathering, fishing, cultivation, or trading with cultivators. Practiced in harsh environments not favorable to cultivation, especially arid environments.