Roles of the Bush

As discussed in my previous post, !Kung San society is surprisingly egalitarian, placing an equal value on both men and women due to their respective contributions to the community. Men and women have clearly defined roles and each are seen as equally important and valued. Men are the hunters for the group (Stockard, 2002, pp.17). Much of a man's social worth is determined by his ability and skill in hunting. !Kung San hunters use a small handmade bow and poison arrows to bring down the various species of small game that inhabit the Kalahari (Stockard, 2002, pp.17). The poison is especially potent and is not applied to the arrowhead but rather the shaft, in order to prevent accidental poisoning. From the time they are young boys, Bushmen males grow up hunting small birds, mammals, and large insects, learning to identify the hundreds of plant and animal species found in the Kalahari, and developing the amazing tracking abilities the !Kung San are famous for (Stockard, 2002, pp.17).

!Kung San women and girls are the primary gatherers, going out and foraging all manner of insects, roots, fruits, nuts, tubers(Stockard, 2002, pp.17) . This food accounts for roughly 70% of the family's calorie intake (Stockard, 2002, pp.18). Women are also the ones that gather fuel for the fire and keep their eye out for signs of game when they are gathering, to report to the men (Stockard, 2002, pp.17). This valuable service to family and community is acknowledged by the !Kung San as a people and establishes women as essential and respected to the group, giving them a much greater voice and position than that normally afforded to women in most cultures (Stockard, 2002, pp.27). 

Stockard, Janice E. (2002). Marriage in Culture: Practice and Meaning across Diverse Societies. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.