In a hunting and gathering society, which type of ascribed status was important? Age. Until humans began to domesticate plants/animals, all human societies were hunter-gatherers. In a hunting and gathering society, people conceive of the relation between humans and the environment (control over animals, weather, health) as one of very close kinship. The hunter’s duty is to take the animals when they appear and to offer them respect, and this can only be done by people at a certain age (puberty, for example), this importance gives the ascribed status (when a person is known because of traits that were assigned to them or because of things they have achieved over time).