They depended on hunting and fishing for subsistence. Farming is their means of subsistence.
Recent Examples on the WebBeyond its cultural significance, subsistence fishing and hunting is how people feed their families. Will Mccarthy, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2022 The three generations of women are seen mushing their dog team, subsistence fishing along the Yukon River, caribou hunting in the expansive wilderness, and sewing hide to make clothing. Jenna Kunze, ELLE, 17 June 2022 Animals that rely on snow and sea ice, such as the ugruk—or bearded seal—are harder to find as sea ice melts, leaving subsistence hunters concerned for their livelihoods. Joey Lautrup, Time, 26 Apr. 2022 Caribou and moose hunting in parts of Northwest Alaska will be closed to nonlocal hunters in August and September of 2022 and 2023 to support local subsistence hunters and protect the declining population of the herds. Alena Naiden, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Apr. 2022 Guns are a part of Alaska’s culture and a core tool of a subsistence lifestyle.Anchorage Daily News, 7 Aug. 2022 Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called for regulation of the country’s carbon offset market in response to a Bloomberg Green investigation that showed oil giant BP Plc is paying subsistence farmers a fraction of market rate. Max De Haldevang, Bloomberg.com, 30 June 2022 Zachariah Hughes covers the military, politics, drugs, dog mushing, subsistence issues and general assignments for the Anchorage Daily News. Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Aug. 2022 Certainly for some other country that’s struggling for subsistence then, by all means, G.D.P. growth increases welfare. David Marchesephoto Illustration By Bráulio Amado, New York Times, 17 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Late Latin subsistentia, from subsistent-, subsistens, present participle of subsistere
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Time Traveler
The first known use of subsistence was in the 15th century