!KUNG BUSHMENBy Priyanka Tadepalli

HISTORY

Lived in semi-permanent camps of 10-30 people

Once resources were used up, they moved to new place

Lived in southern Africa for thousands of years

2 thousand years ago, the Bantu-speaking people moved into their region and they live together

The !Kung people have mostly adapted to the Bantu lifestyle of wages and cultivated gardens

LOCATION

• Kalahari Desert in Namibia, Botswana, and Angola

• Lived there in the past and continue living there today

CLIMATE

Temperatures during the winter are frequently below freezing, but during the summer are well above 100 degrees F.

Rainfall during the wet season varies from only five to forty inches

RESOURCES

Roots, berries, fruits, and nuts from desert Game is rare in the region All of the animal is used: Meat for food,

shides are tanned for blankets and bones are cracked for the marrow

Used poison on arrows

TYPE OF ECONOMIC LIFESTYLE

Hunter/gatherer society Women gathered and took care of children

and cooking Men hunted No government: Made decisions based on

consensus

DECLINE OR RISING STATUS

After the Bantu speaking people came into !Kung territory, their rich tradition and culture declined

The !Kung Bushmen fell into the ways of permanent housing, gardening, herding goats, and wages

Drought and overgrazing of wild game also caused the decline of these Bushmen

MIGRATION OF CULTURE

The culture started in southern Africa and remains there with the few !Kung Bushmen that still follow tradition

Passed down cultures and traditions through story telling

GOVERNMENT

No real government Worked out conflicts in a group Came up with solutions in a group as well

RELATIONSHIPS

Internally: Everyone worked together in a group Women gathered and took care of children and

home Men hunted for game

Externally: Lived mostly isolated from all other societies Greatly oppressed by Bantu people

CULTURE

Most of their rituals and lifestyle was based on their spiritual beliefs

Something called a trance dance is a popular social event where people come together to laugh and dance

Had special rituals for hunters so that no one would become arrogant or selfish

Culture was always significant in the !Kung lifestyle because they were isolated from other societies

CONTRIBUTIONS

!Kung Bushmen haven’t made any contributions to the world

When oppressed by the Bantu people, the !Kung changed their lifestyle to match the Bantu but gave nothing in return

RELIGION/BELIEFS

Believe celestial bodies (sun, moon, morning star, and the southern cross) are symbols of divinity

Believe praying mantis is a diving messenger Legends play an important role in the life of

the !Kung. Each story is someone's perception of the supernatural. Each tells its own truth, bringing to light some aspect of the divine.

Trance dance gives healing power They are both animistic and animitistic –

believe in personifications and impersonal forces

MUSIC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a6gShIToSQ

Used music during rituals and while dancing

LITERATURE

Passed down history, myths, legends, and culture through oral stories and dance

ART

Had rock art

CLOTHING

Used skin of their game as clothing when very cold

Wore very minimal clothing when it was hot

CUSTOMS

Marriage: Intermarried within family and tribe because they were isolated

All births were given outside with the Earth because Earth is considered the first mother of all beings

CUISINE

Mostly roots, and nuts Game was scarce but also included in their

meals

EDUCATION

Children are actively socialized with teaching. Ridicule is used for discipline as well as corporal punishment. The !Kung no longer practice male circumcision as initiation to adulthood. Girls still have a brief initiation among the Zhu/oasi group but female circumcision is not practiced. Important events in the family or community are celebrated by the exchange of ritual gifts.

TECHNOLOGY

Used arrows to kill game Sharp stones to rip apart meat And fire to cook meat Did not have a lot of technology

WORKS CITED "!Kung Bushman People of Southern Africa -- A Cultural Profile." !Kung

Bushman People of Southern Africa -- A Cultural Profile. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2012. <http://orvillejenkins.com/profiles/kung.html>.

WebsiteLinkTagsEditDelete "The !Kung of the Kalahari Desert." The !Kung of the Kalahari Desert.

N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2012. <http://www.ucc.uconn.edu/~epsadm03/kung.html>.

WebsiteLinkTagsEditDelete !Kung People. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2012.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C7%83Kung_people>. WebsiteLinkTagsEditDelete Marshall, Lorna. "Marriage among !Kung Bushmen." JSTOR. N.p., n.d.

Web. 12 June 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1157925?uid=3739552>.

WebsiteLinkTagsEditDelete "OneWorld Magazine: Deserts." OneWorld Magazine: Deserts. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 12 June 2012. <http://www.oneworldmagazine.org/focus/deserts/marsstr1.htm>.