In his novel, Richard B. Lee describes his experience with the Ju/'hoansi
In his novel, Richard B. Lee describes his experience with the Ju/'hoansi, also known as the SAN. This ethnic group is known for its hunting practices and the creation of groups that lived in the bush. If you've heard of the Bushmen, you've probably heard of the Ju/'hoansi. As the number of European settlers in South Africa increased, as did the frequency of tribal disputes, the oppressed San population was forced to the Kalahari Desert (Lee 10).
'hoansi/Ju Typical way of life
The longevity of the Ju/'hoansi is based primarily on the concept of collaboration and sharing, i.e., collectivity. The complexity of hunting and collecting is greatly diminished by this definition.
During food gathering, the Ju/'hoansi transported the food to their homes by foot. According to Lee, they spent almost half a day to get to their destination. They used garments to pick foods such as mongongo nuts. The San had a swift pace of picking nuts. For instance, they pick up to 3000 nuts in an hour which enabled them to gather adequate food that would feed all of them for at least ten days. Men worked for longer hours compared to women during hunting and gathering. This community categorized foods into a pyramid based on the ease of gathering, nutritional value, tastiness, and level of abundance. The Ju/'hoansi used digging sticks to gather foods and Karros or leather garment to carry the food. Since their success in hunting was low, meat to them was a rare commodity that was shared equally by everyone (Lee 54).
Kinship
The San lived in the camp as a community. Core groups were made of individuals mostly related by blood. In the camp, there was a chain of spouses plus their siblings who shared food equally. Harmony and solidarity were emphasized in the camp. In case conflicts arose in a group, one of the parties was forced to leave. The Ju/'hoansi kinship system was divided into the namesake kin and the genealogical kin. The genealogical kin also known as the normal kinship consisted of the nuclear family. In the namesake kinship, the Ju/'hoansi had a strict set of rules which they used to inherit names from ancestors. In this case, anyone who bore a name like your father's also deserved to be called 'father.' If a woman had a name like your wife's, then you would call her 'wife.' In another minority kinship, i.e., kinship 3, an older adult would choose the name to call younger ones (Lee 65).
Family
The mainstream culture of the Ju/'hoansi is monogamy. However, a few men preferred polygamous unions. The man was regarded as the head of the family. Sexual jealousy caused conflicts between the first and second wives. Divorces and death led to remarriages. In most families, wives were older than their men (Lee 22).
Religion
The Ju/'hoansi religion comprises two worlds, i.e., the Spiritual and the Material world. The healing man is considered to have spiritual powers referred to as N/um. This community also believes that N/um is found in dance fire and music. Although the Ju/'hoansi are society egalitarian, the women play significant roles in the clapping and singing during the dancing fire. Gangwasi is the ghost of the deceased. When a person falls ill, the healer negotiates with the Gangwasi for peace and quick recovery (Lee 33).
Part 2
The Ju/'hoansi live in the desert where there is water scarcity. Surviving in such conditions is difficult and may threaten the extinction of this already marginalized community. Environmental, developmental, social, cultural and economic factors have dramatically changed Ju/'hoansi way of life. This community is shifting slowly from being hunters and gatherers to the agricultural industry. These changes have increased the stability of food among the Ju/'hoansi but have significantly reduced their mobility. Agriculture has forced young children of this community to join their parents and siblings to work on the farm (Lee 49). Women have been subordinated to homemakers because only husbands are allowed to seek jobs. Men introduced the hxaro system to exchange gifts, lubricate their social relations and ensure ecological balance. Besides, since the Tribal Grazing Land Policy was implemented, the communal land has been transformed into real estate. Subsequently, the Ju/'hoansi community is at risk of becoming landless squatters as they were living on the communal land (Lee 68).
Part C
The future of the Ju/'hoansi is uncertain due to globalization and exposure to the new world. Previously, the Ju/'hoansi had been secluded from the outside world, but today the story is different. Globalization continues to influence assimilation of this marginalized community into what could be termed as the modern world. Today clinics have been set up in the Dobe community to treat the sick hence undermining the importance and powers of the healing man. Globalization has killed harmony among the Ju/'hoansi. Previously, they would gather in the camps around a fire while smoking their pipes. Today they listen to radios from their homes and thus weakening their social relations. Hunting and gathering that contributed to over 80 percent of their diet now contribute only 30 percent of their foods. Today they derive their food from farming, craft production and herding (Lee 77).
Works Cited
Lee, Richard B. The Dobe Ju’/Hoansi. Cengage Learning, 2012.
