Kinship System of the San Culture

In the Kalahari Desert of Africa lives a group of people called San "Bushman". This band of people has lived in this region for thousands of years; they live in small self-sufficient mobile groups. In the modern world they are well known for their hunting and the gathering of foods known as foraging.

The women of this cultural collect the fruits of the land; they collect enough food in a day to feed their families for one week. Eighty percent of the food gathered is provided by the women, aside from gathering they also bring in small game. They have the knowledge of the land and know where to look for the most bountiful vegetation, they enjoy going in groups to gather the fruits of the land and enjoy one another's company. The other twenty percent is provided by the men who hunt for meat a couple times a week. They then spend their time relaxing and enjoying the company of kin and others. High standards are placed on working together and sharing with others and their wealth isn't based on competition between each other. As the women gather and they observe wild game they will relay the information onto the male hunter, and in turn the Male hunters will let the women know where there is ripe vegetation.

The San operate with behaviors of the reciprocal exchange, which is commonly found among the band societies. "Reciprocity is a mutual, agreed-upon exchange of goods and services." (Nowak & Laird 2010) This helps food items and meat from spoiling if it needs to be eaten quickly. An example of this would be the killing of a large animal; one family couldn't possibly eat it all before it spoiled so the family shares the meat with others even if another hunter comes up empty handed.

Most commonly used in the band societies including the San society is generalized and negative reciprocity. Generalized reciprocity is a type of exchange in which the giver doesn't require an exchange of an item for another item, no value is placed on the item and no one keeps track of the exchange. This type reciprocity has important social ties with family and kin, with this you are sharing not only with friends but also with your family and extended family members. It curbs jealousy that comes from keeping track of what I have verses what you have. "Generalized reciprocity helps forages in times of environment unpredictability. Sharing is the foragers' safety net." (Nowak & Laird 2010) Another type of reciprocity used by the San societies is called Negative reciprocity this is an exchange of goods between strangers. This involves trading an item to get as much as they can for as little as possible, it helps the society obtain items such as tools, which they may not have or food which they don't produce.

The labor produced among the San is divided by sex and age, women gather the fruits of the earth and they are reproducers and nurturers. Men hunt wild game, with their skills peaking in their twenties; by their forties they retire leaving the hunting to the younger men. Children generally play until they reach the age of adolescence; when they become mature enough they begin to learn the skills of the adults. Boys learn the skills of making hunting tools and begin hunting small game; the girls go out on gathering trips with their moms. Both men and women are both recognized for their labor in contributing to gathering foods among their culture.

Sans live within a well defined territory and boundaries this helps protect resources within thier territory. The San have the rights to waterholes, permission is needed to use these waterholes, and in general it is kinfolks asking to use the waterhole. "Giving permission means that in the future the band asking for access to water will reciprocate with the band providing the providing the access." (Nowak & Laird 2010) With the San's living in the desert droughts last for quiet sometimes so this makes water very important to their society without water one cannot survive.

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