Zrytualizowane powitania pawianów, czyli próba zrozumienia ewolucji ludzkiej kultury

Rituals are enigmatic and widespread forms of group bonding in human culture. Their animal precursors are ritualized greetings – affiliative and attention-getting behavioral exchanges. The purpose of this study was to distinguish and describe the forms and functions of greetings in baboons. Baboons provide a good model for the evolution of rituals, due to occupying a habitat similar to early humans, living in numerous groups, and having a rich repertoire of social behaviors. Investigation of greeting functions for both the individual and group allows us to understand the origin of human rituals and language. For this reason, the origin of language from two perspectives, vocalizations and gestures, was also discussed in this work. Further research should focus on changes in primate behavior – their adaptive response to changes in environmental conditions – and how these changes vary between wild and captive populations.