A Cultural Profile of !kung Culture

Culture

There are various cultures that define the different societies that can be found around the world. Culture define the specific characteristics of a society, everything that varies from their behavior to the development of the people that inhabit in it. There are some cultures that prioritize certain areas more than others, for example some cultures put more value in growing their economy, others in gathering food, and others value family and social statuses more. A culture that stands out for its beliefs and behaviors is the !Kung culture.

In the !Kung culture, women are a very important factor needed for the growth of the society. Women are celebrated and respected, but at the same time, they go through many hardships in their lives. Marriage is a key element for the !Kungs as it’s associated with social climbing, survival as the new husband is the one that has to gather food for the family, and of new life when a woman gives birth. Any element related to reproduction is celebrated deeply by the people, an example of this is when a girl gets her first period; when a girl gets her first period, the people from the village get the girl in a hut and cover her up, and even though she’s not allowed to move or celebrate, the people gather around the hut and celebrate for days until her period comes to an end. During this time, she’s not allowed to eat or drink in a great or even normal quantity, and is not allowed to expose herself.

Another interesting activity done by this culture is marriage. Marriage in the !Kung culture is different than marriage in the Western culture. !Kungs have arranged marriages, and they men have to prove to the girl’s family that they’re good hunters and that they’re going to be able to provide food and protect them. When they get married, the family benefits from the increase of social connections that comes from the contract too. For a !Kung to get married, both of the families have to agree, and then a marriage hut is prepared. The whole ceremony is very formal and the couple is very indifferent towards each other, while everyone else celebrates. Nonetheless, even though marriage is greatly valued by the people, divorce is not uncommon and is in fact done multiple times. Some women have up to four divorces before they settle down, and they can initiate the divorce, and in case of having children, they can stay with their children after separating from their husbands. In order to convince the villagers that they really want a divorce, a woman might go through great lengths. For example, they might try to escape or even threaten to take their own lives, even if they never follow through. Women however don’t complain about this lifestyle when they grow older, and even claim to fall in love by the end.

In my culture, the values of marriage, and the developments of a woman’s body are not as important to our society as a whole since we believe other activities our situations to be of greater importance. In the Dominican culture, women have rights, but are overthrown by male chauvinists which is most of the men in the country. Although women work and are not entitled to get married by a certain time, in many traditional houses it is expected of them to get married and take care of their family. In these houses women are also taught since they are very little that they are supposed to housekeep when they get married, and some might not even receive a full education as it’s not deem necessary. Nonetheless, a women’s first period or giving birth is not seem as something out of the ordinary.

Hunter gatherers have been around the globe for ages. To all of the different societies that are found around the globe, their existence is very important even if it’s not noticeable at first sight. Hunter gatherers have taught us ways of survival and of how to function as a society that we still use today. Different foods and life styles are also adapted from their culture. This is very significant for our future because just as hunter gatherer have defined our present, they will too influence our future. This influence could be in out ways of accepting women’s rights, of eating, getting our food, or just of how to maintain a peaceful environment. Our past creates our present, but our present defines out future.