Here, the author brings to light a matriarchal society where women are strong, independent and in the lead. They are the ones who govern their community and civilization. Women are portrayed as hunters who can kill for food and safety. He shows how even during those times, the ‘cart’ of society required the male and female to work together. He shows that while women tracked their prey, men stood behind them like rocks and supported them.
As it is pertinently said:
you might not require anyone to stay with you throughout, but you do want someone to support you, always.
In this story, the women are self-sufficient, but they require their men to be with them, to carry the kill, to have a place to rest their heads after a long tiresome day. To the women, their men are the shade of a tree in the wilderness of a desert, a gush of solace in the face of probable peril.