Members of a band knew each other very intimately, and were surrounded throughout their lives by friends and relatives. Loneliness and privacy were rare. Neighbouring bands probably competed for resources and even fought one another, but they also had friendly contacts. They exchanged members, hunted together, traded rare luxuries, celebrated religious festivals and joined forces against foreigners. Such cooperation was one of the important trademarks of Homo sapiens, and gave it a crucial edge over other human species.
