NISA - The Life and Words of a !KUNG Woman as told to Marjorie Shostak
             The 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 one another. The area may have been owned by one descendant, and others may have to ask permission before using the resources of that area, and may also have to help out the tribe if the need arises. 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.
             Men and women seem to be most aware of their roles and their world around them after they are older, after first menstruation for women, after the first successful hunt for a man, although Nisa did demonstrate much wisdom beyond her years when, as a very young child, she agreed to stop nursing to save her baby brother's lif...