essay

The !Kung Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert

peoples of africa • New York • Published In 1965 • Pages: 243-278

By: Marshall, Lorna.

Abstract

This summary article on the !Kung San was written by a cultural anthropologist especially for this volume. The authenticity of her descriptions derives from a decade of field research experience among the San. Due to its recency and comprehensiveness the reader should examine this source prior to consulting other specific material in the San file. The author's theoretical outlook is ecological -- using data on San environmental adaptations, resource potentials of their habitats, population-settlement sizes and distributions in order to develop some functional generalizations about the relations between San subsistence economy and the nature of the sociopolitical institutions, implying that the level of productivity sets limits to the sociocultural forms that arise. Stress is put on the significance of kinship reciprocity and its relations to food gathering and seasonal movements, extensive regional kinship bonds, and the egalitarian political structure. Her ethnographic description is excellent, especially her notations on the religious-ritual complex, life cycle and socialization, the kinship basis of headmanship and group leadership, and material culture and technology. Also found are brief interpretations of San historical origins and affinities, the kinship correlates of the naming relationship in uniting the bands, the family cycle, and the effects of acculturation. The introductory comments on pages 241-242 were written by the editor, James L. Gibbs, Jr.

HRAF PubDate

2005

Region

Africa

Sub Region

Southern Africa

Document Type

essay

Evaluation

Creator Type

Cultural Anthropologist

Document Rating

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Gilbert Winer ; 1967

Field Date

1951-1961

Coverage Date

1951-1961

Coverage Place

Nyae Nyae region, Namibia and Botswana

Notes

Lorna Marshall

The footnotes at the end of the article are on pages 273-275. The footnotes have been indexed for the categories to which they specifically pertain.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 276-278)

LCCN

65010276

LCSH

San (African people)