BBC Big Read 2021 discussion

In the 5th chapter we learn the complex ways that mating and grouping occur in the Clan. More importantly, we get to follow a great hunt. Not only do the humans have numbers, but they have much greater distance endurance than the bison, and almost any other animal on the planet. Did you know that humans can run down most other creatures? Partly, we are more efficient runners on two legs. We also have a very efficient spring system in the leg tendons, that returns much of our energy with every stride.

However, science tells us the great advantage is our lack of fur and copious sweat glands that allow us to manage heat better than the lower animals. We feel vulnerable and inadequate at times because we really aren't very fast, but we can, in the end, outrun the bison, the zebra, and sometimes even the horse. It's not seed, just endurance. They get hot and exhausted, and the human jogs up and stabs them, just like in this story.

The Hunt!

Brun, the narcissistic teen son of the chief and future clan leader becomes a man (mostly). He accomplishes this by 1) killing an animal & 2) enduring a painful branding with his totem symbol during a ceremonial gathering. At this same ceremony guess who steals the show??? AYLA! The entire clan is rattled when Creb reveals her powerful male totem. Brun, burning with jealousy, decides to make life difficult for Ayla. This all sounds very Cro-magnon to me.
However, the author ventures to make a very significant distinction in this chapter; she says that Neanderthals can't lie! The reason offered is that their method of communication simply doesn't allow them to conceal their true intentions. Based on this alone, I am tempted to see them as the superior race/sub species/ or whatever