Book
Trade and reciprocity among the River Bushmen of northern Botswana
University Microfilms International • Ann Arbor, Michigan • Published In 1988 • Pages:
By: Cashdan, Elizabeth A..
Abstract
This source attempts to explain differences in exchange and reciprocity in the Botletle and Nata River areas of northern Botswana. The two study areas are inhabited by the same ethnic groups -- River Bushmen and Bantu -- however, one area is characterized by ethnic specialization and trade, while in the other trade is limited and networks of generalized reciprocity predominate. The author attributes the differences to environmental factors. The Botletle River area is diverse, but limited in resources; the author argues that these conditions favor specialized trade as a way of buffering the spatial variability in resources. The Nata River area, on the other hand, is a more homogeneous zone that lacks any limited resources; these conditions, the author argues, do not favor trade specialization and do favor generalized reciprocity as a mechanism for minimizing subsistence risks and buffering temporal variability in resources. The file user should be aware that in the author's discussions of the ethnic groups in the two study areas, it is not always clear to what extent the information presented relates to the River Bushmen.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2005
- Region
- Africa
- Sub Region
- Southern Africa
- Document Type
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Gerald Reid ; 1988
- Field Date
- 1975-1977
- Coverage Date
- 1850-1977
- Coverage Place
- Nata and Botletle River areas, northern Botswana
- Notes
- Elizabeth Ann Cashdan
- UM8012540
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-205)
- Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, 1979
- LCSH
- San (African people)