Book

Trade and reciprocity among the River Bushmen of northern Botswana

University Microfilms InternationalAnn 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.
Subjects
Theoretical orientation in research and its results
Linguistic identification
Topography and geology
Climate
Soil
Production and supply
Gift giving
Exchange transactions
External trade
Acculturation and culture contact
culture
San
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)