gatherer

A gatherer is a person who collects resources for subsistence, trade, or study, rather than producing them by farming, manufacturing, or hunting. The term covers activities such as harvesting edible plants, seeds, nuts, or other plant foods; collecting water, fibers, or building materials; and gathering data, samples, or objects for research or collection.

In historical and ethnographic contexts, gathering is a central activity of hunter-gatherer societies. Plant gathering often provides a substantial portion of calories and nutrients, with knowledge of edible species, seasonal patterns, and processing techniques passed across generations. In many foraging communities, the division of labor is influenced by gender and age, with women commonly responsible for gathering and men for hunting or tool-making, though patterns vary by culture.

In archaeology and ethnography, gatherer is used alongside hunter and forager to describe subsistence strategies that emphasize non-cultivated resources. Some scholars prefer forager or hunter-gatherer to stress mobility and a mixed subsistence base. The relative importance of gathering depends on environment, and many contemporary hunter-gatherer groups rely on both hunting and gathering.

In modern contexts, gathering can also refer to roles involving the collection of data, specimens, or materials for studies, as well as workers who collect recyclables, waste, or other items for a community or organization. The term remains flexible across disciplines but retains its core sense of collecting rather than producing.