This couple would represent the “people of the rivers”, the second of two cultures of early Homo sapiens I have developed for a novel set in Africa around 100,000 years ago. Unlike the people of the plains, the people of the rivers live in permanent villages alongside rivers and streams, which provide them with a ready supply of fish year-round. They also have more pronounced gender roles than the plains people, with men doing the hunting and fishing and women gathering plant foods and being primarily responsible for domestic chores and childcare. Other distinguishing characteristics of the river cultures include hereditary shaman-chieftains leading each village, sacred burial grounds marked by megaliths, clothes woven from reeds, and gold nuggets featuring prominently in their jewelry.