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Echoes of Our Origins: Baboons, Humans, and Nature
The amazing chronicle of a primate scientist's fifty-year journey studying baboons—and what her findings can tell us about primates, resilience, and human coexistence.
In 1972, renowned anthropologist Shirley C. Strum traveled to Kenya to study the origins of human aggression through observing baboons. What Dr. Strum discovered completely defied her expectations, scientific notions about baboons, and even well-established assumptions about primate behavior writ large. In Echoes of Our Origins, Strum takes readers on an extraordinary fifty-year journey alongside baboons, creatures that transformed not just her scientific understanding, but also her perspective on life, people, nature, and evolution.
Strum's groundbreaking research began when she embarked on fieldwork in Kenya. Observing the lives of these social creatures, Strum uncovered their unexpectedly complex strategies of negotiation, collaboration, and resilience in the face of adversity. From exploring the evolution of social bonds and trust in baboon society—a common idea today but not then—to confronting the consequences of human-wildlife conflict, Strum illustrates what it means to coexist with the natural world and question our role within it.
With insights drawn from half a century of living among and studying baboons, Strum reflects on the delicate balance of nature and humanity, how science itself must evolve to see beyond its rigid frameworks, and how to think about evolution. This profound narrative challenges readers to look anew at not only baboons but also the very methods by which we understand the animal kingdom—and ourselves. Equal parts natural history, adventure story, memoir, and call to action, Echoes of Our Origins will engage, enlighten, and contribute to the vital conversation about our natural world and how to ensure its survival.
In 1972, renowned anthropologist Shirley C. Strum traveled to Kenya to study the origins of human aggression through observing baboons. What Dr. Strum discovered completely defied her expectations, scientific notions about baboons, and even well-established assumptions about primate behavior writ large. In Echoes of Our Origins, Strum takes readers on an extraordinary fifty-year journey alongside baboons, creatures that transformed not just her scientific understanding, but also her perspective on life, people, nature, and evolution.
Strum's groundbreaking research began when she embarked on fieldwork in Kenya. Observing the lives of these social creatures, Strum uncovered their unexpectedly complex strategies of negotiation, collaboration, and resilience in the face of adversity. From exploring the evolution of social bonds and trust in baboon society—a common idea today but not then—to confronting the consequences of human-wildlife conflict, Strum illustrates what it means to coexist with the natural world and question our role within it.
With insights drawn from half a century of living among and studying baboons, Strum reflects on the delicate balance of nature and humanity, how science itself must evolve to see beyond its rigid frameworks, and how to think about evolution. This profound narrative challenges readers to look anew at not only baboons but also the very methods by which we understand the animal kingdom—and ourselves. Equal parts natural history, adventure story, memoir, and call to action, Echoes of Our Origins will engage, enlighten, and contribute to the vital conversation about our natural world and how to ensure its survival.
376 pages, Hardcover
Published September 9, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 9, 2025
If you are interested in animal behavior, this book is the closest you'll get to being inside the minds of wild animals as they go about their daily business. A 50-year-long "behind the scenes" look at the life of a troop of olive baboons, Echoes of Our Origins is the sequel to Strum's 1987 book Almost Human, where she described her early days as a baboon researcher and the lengths she had to go to save her study animals, which culminated in the translocation of several baboon groups over 100Km to find them a safer home. Here, Strum takes us along on the journey of her career as her bet on the baboons paid off and they settled into their new surroundings. In doing so, she upends paradigms of evolution and models of human and animal nature, and she reflects on the challenges of coexistence with wildlife in an increasingly anthropogenic landscape, detailing her own extensive efforts in community-based conservation. She does all this by giving us an exclusive insider perspective on the lives of these fascinatingly smart, social, and complex creatures - you'll read about how Peggy lulled Dr. Bob into a grooming stupor before snatching his gazelle carcass away, you'll follow Zilla as she leads the troop on their daily foraging rounds, and you'll grieve the deaths of Brenda, Rebecca, and Wiggle. And for the span of a book, the lines between human and animal will blur.
October 25, 2025
You know about Jane Goodall and chimps, Diane Fossey and gorillas, Birute Galdikas and orangutans - well, make room for Shirley Strum and baboons!
"Echoes of our Origins" by Dr Shirley C. Strum is about her 50+ years with baboons in north-eastern Kenya. It's a fascinating read, flowing easily between scientific reporting, revelations about baboons, and personal experiences. Illustrated with photos, maps, sketches & appendices.
Shirley was a trailblazer. A trained scientist, she chose to study the evolutionary persistence of violent behavior, and baboon society "looked to be structured by male dominance and aggression."
Baboons have a bad reputation. They have big teeth, they look fierce, are strong, active, noisy, and thy learn to raid crops. But they favor collaboration over aggression. They spend hours grooming each other, thus building relationships between males, females, and young within the troop. Animal trappers report "baboons were the cleanest of the wildlife they captured."
Shirley's note-taking, her observations and conclusions about the complexity of baboon social life amid burgeoning human population led to the realization that people can find ways to co-exist, for the survival of these primates.
Her book tells us much about individuals, about troops, and about herself. This is no dry scientific record, it is a warm and informative book, in which the reader can immerse and reflect. And, I predict, change one's mind about baboons!
"Echoes of our Origins" by Dr Shirley C. Strum is about her 50+ years with baboons in north-eastern Kenya. It's a fascinating read, flowing easily between scientific reporting, revelations about baboons, and personal experiences. Illustrated with photos, maps, sketches & appendices.
Shirley was a trailblazer. A trained scientist, she chose to study the evolutionary persistence of violent behavior, and baboon society "looked to be structured by male dominance and aggression."
Baboons have a bad reputation. They have big teeth, they look fierce, are strong, active, noisy, and thy learn to raid crops. But they favor collaboration over aggression. They spend hours grooming each other, thus building relationships between males, females, and young within the troop. Animal trappers report "baboons were the cleanest of the wildlife they captured."
Shirley's note-taking, her observations and conclusions about the complexity of baboon social life amid burgeoning human population led to the realization that people can find ways to co-exist, for the survival of these primates.
Her book tells us much about individuals, about troops, and about herself. This is no dry scientific record, it is a warm and informative book, in which the reader can immerse and reflect. And, I predict, change one's mind about baboons!
November 3, 2025
This is a remarkable book that does two things beautifully. It offers a profound look into the intricate society of baboons, showing them not as simple primates but as complex individuals. You meet a few unforgettable characters, and as you follow their struggles and small victories, you begin to see animal society with a depth and complexity you might not have imagined before.
But what truly moved me was the author’s own fifty-year journey. This isn’t a distant, technical account of research but a deeply personal and honest reflection on a life spent trying to understand another species. Throughout the book, Dr. Shirley Strum challenges how we think about evolution, dominance, and intelligence. She invites the reader to appreciate the process, not just the outcome, and to recognize that science, like life, is often messy, unpredictable, and full of meaning if we’re willing to sit with the uncertainty.
By the end, I wasn’t just thinking about baboons; I was thinking about us, about coexistence, care, and the kind of responsibility we hold toward the natural world.
It’s a thoughtful and accessible read that deepened my appreciation for both the science and the humanity behind it.
But what truly moved me was the author’s own fifty-year journey. This isn’t a distant, technical account of research but a deeply personal and honest reflection on a life spent trying to understand another species. Throughout the book, Dr. Shirley Strum challenges how we think about evolution, dominance, and intelligence. She invites the reader to appreciate the process, not just the outcome, and to recognize that science, like life, is often messy, unpredictable, and full of meaning if we’re willing to sit with the uncertainty.
By the end, I wasn’t just thinking about baboons; I was thinking about us, about coexistence, care, and the kind of responsibility we hold toward the natural world.
It’s a thoughtful and accessible read that deepened my appreciation for both the science and the humanity behind it.
April 20, 2026
Strum's narrative focuses on her as vindicated maverick, but I'd find this more convincing if the theoretical parts of the book addressed variability selection, kin selection, and reciprocal altruism. Also, if baboons can make mistakes - surely humans can (and do) as well. The language we tend to use to talk about evolution and adaptation can make the process of change seem like a conscious effort - so often, it is not... just "good enough," as Strum points out.
There is no denying Strum's great contributions or the readability of this book - her reflections towards the end of a long career and ideas about coexistence are especially welcome.
There is no denying Strum's great contributions or the readability of this book - her reflections towards the end of a long career and ideas about coexistence are especially welcome.
June 4, 2026
4.5, loved it!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews