NISA- The Life and Words of a !KUNG Woman
NISA - The Life and Words of a !KUNG Woman as told to Marjorie ShostakThe Kalahari Desert is described as varying often, not only from one season to the next, but also from one area to the next. They can experience small amts of rain, as little as five inches in one year, which they consider a drought and stifles the growth of the food they tribes thrive on. Too much rain can have a similar effect, damaging the various fruits and vegetables early on, causing the staple foods and fruits to drown and rot. The tribal people must keep track of permanent water springs; know what types of trees have water stored inside of them or in their roots underground. The food gathering is done by the women in the tribes, who are responsible for gathering for their family and sharing with others in the camp, if they are close with them and have enough to share. The men do most of the hunting, and the food valued most is the hunted meat. The !Kung size and population varies and changes often, depending on the situation. Tribes are broken up into 10-30 people, the 'core' of which is based on working relationships they developed as they grew older. They usually choose to stay together for most of their lives, and share their adult lives with
Group travel is done around the time of the rainy season, when the water is most available for trips. The tribes move as groups to find new food stores and in hopes of finding better game, but they also move as individuals, such as when Nisa got married and moved to become part of her husband's family, but traveled back as frequently as she needed to. They spend an average of about three days per week hunting, but depending on the time of year and availability, the outcomes of the hunt can vary, and the resulting game is very valuable. Tools and property are not shared between the other members of the tribe until they decide that their items are to be exchanged among one another in a gift giving fashion. Women make most of the decisions about the children and how they are to be raised, although both parents seem to have the same amount of influence on the children. The book states that the women may travel up to five miles around the camp alone or together to search for food, and return at the end of the day. From childhood, the children's curiosity leads them to eavesdrop on their parents sexual encounters. The decision to accept and marry, or cheat on and leave a husband is made by the woman as often as by the men, and this is widely accepted. 150) Parents don't encourage these behaviors, but also don't stop the children from doing it. They began to want things that they had lived without prior to that, without the understanding that they would have to 'accept low-paid work or return to full time hunting and gathering' to survive. Nisa tells of many experiences of her own. Interaction with other societies, such as the British anthropologists appears to have negative effect on the people of the tribes.
Common topics in this essay:
Kalahari Desert,
KUNG Woman,
days week,
fruits vegetables,
spend average,
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