Bushmen Affairs Pt. 2

In my last post I discussed the commonality of affairs among Bushmen and the lengths an unfaithful spouse will go to to prevent being discovered, as the Bushmen value harmony and the avoidance of violence and conflict. The key to benefiting from an affair is to, "accept that one's feelings for one's husband-"the important one"-"the one inside in the hut"-and for one's lover-"the little one"-"the one from the bush"-are necessarily different. One is rich, warm, and secure. The other is passionate and exciting, though often fleeting and undependable" (Shostak, 1983, p.267). Many !Kung San that have affairs try to walk a line between these two feelings, hoping to get the benefit of both of them. At the same time, there are also many !Kung San who do not pursue affairs, fearing the enjoyment that can come from one is not worth the consequences, such as violence, shame, and diseases (Shostak, 1983, p.268).

Due to the lack of privacy in the bush, it is not common for sex to be involved in extramarital affairs, especially because a woman could become pregnant while her husband is out hunting, thus obviously confirming the existence of an affair. It is curious that a culture that despises conflict and offending others as much as the !Kung San do, would have such an ambivalent attitude towards affairs, knowing that they result in aggression and hurt. Instead, the attitude conveyed is, "Do not get caught and it is okay." There does not appear to be an inherent morality associated with the concept. My final post, for a change of pace, will focus on one of my personal favorite aspects of bushmen practice, hunting. 



Shostak, M. (1983). Nisa: The Life and Words of a ǃKung Woman. New York: Vintage Books. Retrieved  from: http://books.google.com/books?id=IQ5NWIQpXNkC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ViewAPI#v=onepage&q&f=false