Final answer:
The main organizing principle of hunting/gathering societies was kinship, an egalitarian structure formed around familial or tribal connections with leadership that was situational and based on individual qualities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main organizing principle of hunting/gathering societies is c) kinship. These societies engaged in subsistence strategies such as gathering fruits, nuts, berries, and roots, as well as hunting and trapping wild animals. Unlike modern societies where class can be a significant organizing principle, in hunting/gathering societies, social and organizational structures were generally egalitarian and based on familial or tribal relationships. Leadership within these societies was not rigidly structured but rather based on individual skills, personalities, and situational needs. Decision-making was often collective and shared, reflecting their overall egalitarian nature.
Hunting-gathering groups are considered to be among the earliest and most flexible human societies, enabling them to adapt to a variety of ecological conditions while maintaining their subsistence through direct correspondence with nature. Subsequent forms of societal organization like pastoralism and agriculture did emerge, but for many thousands of years, kinship-based gathering and hunting was the predominant mode of human subsistence.