It was hypothesized by Rada Dyson-Hudson and Eric Smith that food gathering or foraging societies with limited resources tend to be more egalitarian, while those with more abundant and predictable resources tend to have a higher focus on individual wealth and private ownership. The idea is that when resources are in scarce supply to people as a whole, people will band together as necessary to ensure that all are fed. It is extra resources that are then concentrated into private ownership, therefore, private ownership is enabled by an abundance of resources. Keeping this idea in mind, we will now look at the cultures of the Tiwi and the Ju/'hoansi, The Ju/'hoansi are a foraging society in the Dobe area of southern Africa.  The Tiwi are found in the Melville and Bathurst islands just north of Australia.
	The resources available to the Ju/'hoansi are often scarce, and vary seasonally. For example, water is only available to the Ju/'hoansi on and shortly after the rainy season, and it is only then that they may enjoy their most sedentary lifestyle. Once the water is gone, they are then forced to migrate, and will continue to do so in search of water until the next rainy season begins. The Ju/'hoansi remain on the move not only for water, but food resources as well. Food is not hard to obtain, but is eventually depleted from the range of their camps, forcing them to relocate.
	While the Ju/'hoansi are forced to work with their environment and the resources it has available, the Tiwi enjoy abundant sources of food and water. Because of the abundance, the Tiwi are not required to move around chasing the essential resources, as they are readily available to them. As a result, they enjoy more luxurious homes in a sedentary lifestyle.
	The Tiwi do not view themselves as an individual unit, but rather as the bands that make them up. While the bands are often intertwined and exchange between bands is not uncommon, the Tiwi do not function as a whole. Within the existence of their bands lies anti-egalitarian qualities including social class,  individual power and private property. As food is shared primarily through households, it is those with the most food sources that are the most prosperous. For this reason, a man's power and wealth are directly related to the amount of wives that he has to gather food.
	The Ju/'hoansi can be seen as a more egalitarian society. Resources are shared between everybody, and private ownership exists very minimally. Aside from the simple fact that resources are shared among the Ju/'hoansi people, there are notable mechanisms which consciously enforce their egalitarian way of life. “Insulting the meat”, for example, is a force that prevents the accumulation of personal pride. When a hunter prevails over the others, bringing home a glorious kill and providing a food supply lasting several days, they are then actively ridiculed by the others in the society. Despite their obvious contribution, the Ju/'hoansi people seek to prevent the idea of social superiority. This concept illustrates the notion of uniform social equality.
	Looking at the Tiwi people, a clear availability of essential resources can be noted. The Ju/'hoansi, however, often struggle for those same resources. According to Dyson-Hudson and Smith, egalitarianism is directly related to abundance of resources. It is observed that the Tiwi, who enjoy vast supplies of food and water, also indulge in personal property and social class. The Ju/'hoansi, who are not so well endowed, are very egalitarian by nature. These observations of the Tiwi and Ju/'hoansi people support the hypothesis of Dyson-Hudson and Smith, that egalitarian qualities tend to rely on a deficiency or resources.