We propose that networks of cooperation and allocation of social status co-emerge in human groups. We substantiate this hypothesis with one of the first longitudinal studies of cooperation in a preindustrial society, spanning eight years. Using longitudinal social network analysis of cooperation among men, we find large effects of kinship, reciprocity, and transitivity in nomination of cooperation partners over time. Independent of these effects, we show that (i) higher status individuals gain more cooperation partners, and (ii) individuals gain status by cooperating with individuals of higher status than themselves. We posit that human hierarchies are more egalitarian relative to other primates species, due in part to greater interdependence between cooperation and status hierarchy.