Some oppressors (indirectly, but essentially) started drawing lines one day and agreed that they would each get to farm the humans in their own territory.
Control goes back further than just territories to tribes. The tribe identity is only later tied to specific locations. Tribes formed because pooling resources burdens and learning was more efficient than doing it all yourself. From there, the tribes expanded and joined together and eventually settled into one location. So I disagree that oppressors just decided one day.
Tribal structures have minimal power differentials, it wasn’t until agriculture (and the first ‘countries’) that this kind of systemic exploitation became so practical. Much has been written on how the advent of agriculture revolutionized the pooling of resources, also enabling their unequal distribution and the hierarchy that establishes which serves to propagate increasing disparity over generations. These types of material conditions are notably absent in the pre-agricultural record. I would agree though that the instincts used to abuse most likely evolved in a hunter-gatherer social intelligence context.
Control goes back further than just territories to tribes. The tribe identity is only later tied to specific locations. Tribes formed because pooling resources burdens and learning was more efficient than doing it all yourself. From there, the tribes expanded and joined together and eventually settled into one location. So I disagree that oppressors just decided one day.
I did say it was indirect…
Tribal structures have minimal power differentials, it wasn’t until agriculture (and the first ‘countries’) that this kind of systemic exploitation became so practical. Much has been written on how the advent of agriculture revolutionized the pooling of resources, also enabling their unequal distribution and the hierarchy that establishes which serves to propagate increasing disparity over generations. These types of material conditions are notably absent in the pre-agricultural record. I would agree though that the instincts used to abuse most likely evolved in a hunter-gatherer social intelligence context.