The Kung Bushman

A detailed Summary of The Kung Bushman

Most contemporary foraging groups, such as the !Kung and other Bushman tribes, are viewed as a "primitive" people. Some have even gone as far to say that they are "the last representatives of the stone age." While it is true that these people have the most similar culture to what we believe primitive persons to have had, the analogies they can provide us with the people of the past are very inaccurate. These comparisons are so unrivaled due to factors such as time and the wrong sense of view many people have on them. Another reason that we cannot compare the !Kung of today to the people of the past is because they are now advancing in society with the use of technology. I believe that the !Kung tribe is not comparable to the early people of their culture and that they are just the same as us minus our technology, which in no way makes them 'primitive' people.

First of all, every culture varies in traditions over time. According to Shostak, it is true that the !Kung people still have traditions that have been passed down for hundreds of generations such as their poison arrows, their trance ritual, their wide knowledge of over five hundred species of plants and animals-knowing which are edible, harmful, cosmetic, and medica

Our methods though, is exactly what the !Kung are getting involved in. According to Howell, most bushman are settled on "settlement stations" with European farmers and cattlemen. They also speak several languages, use store bought clothing, food, electronics, and inoculations. They attend school and experience taxes, jail, even subordination. This "arrival" to what we consider the modern world is completely changing the culture of the !Kung, and at the same time one more reason why they cannot be labeled as primitive. To make matters worse, there are persons who want to save these "primitive" people and set them up in zoo like settings where they can be monitored! In this situation, the bushman would be treated as animals, and the very fact that people are considering this process proves that they are seen as animals already. This again shows ethnocentrism on behalf of those who are in favor of setting them up. And what culture would it show? According to the New York Times article, the !Kung trick tourists: "we change into beaded loin clothes. Skin quivers, bows and spears appear, and we lead people on a two hours track across the field." The bushman are pretending to be people they are not, giving the tourists what they want. This also gives tourists the wrong impression and significantly aids in the ignorance of the !Kung. This would be devastating to their culture. Culture, after all, is associated with the changes a society goes through over time. If these 'prisons' were to be set up, the culture would be forced and therefore in no way a comparison to early

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1069
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Science