The !Kung are a group of San people who are indigenous to Southern Africa bordering the Kalahari Desert. They speak a click language and live in bands of hunter gatherers. The men of the camp are short and they wear leather breechcloths while the women have necklaces,arm bands,hair ornaments and wear aprons made from beads yet both men and women remain naked from the waist up. The !Kung gather at a watering hole named Xai located in the east to trade, dance, and arrange marriages. Unlike most bands and things of that nature like other villages and some tribes the genders seem to work together in union with no one being better than the other. Although there are some factors that make it seem like they aren’t.
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There are a few restrictions when conducting the arrangements like how the girls may not marry a boy with her father’s or her brother’s name and vise versa a boy cannot marry a girl with his mother’s or a girl with his sister’s name. The second restriction is the cycle of kinship names, the cycle of kinship was broken down into categories such as core siblings,spouses of core siblings, siblings of spouses of core siblings, and spouses of siblings of spouses of core siblings.When both restrictions are in effect three quarters of all potential spouses may be excluded by kinship ties. When looking for a suitable groom the parents of the bride looks for someone who is a good hunter and can help provide for his family. The !Kung practice bride service a custom where the husband is required to spend a period of time working for the family of his bride in this case he would be hunting for them. Only after the couple produces seven children than the groom can take his wife and family back to his own people. After 8 to 10 years of bride service the couple can choose to stay with the wife’s family if they want. Girls in the village normally get married between the ages of 15 to 18 and boys finds spouses and got married at 22 to 30.There is a ritual among the …show more content…
The only way they can show their displeasure is by kicking and screaming while being carried away. The women, however at one point can choose to veto the marriage, which explains more how the !Kung have equality because there are many bands outside of them who do not give the women the choices that they have when it comes to marriage. The men and the women could have more than one spouse if they so desired, but for some only one was enough. It 's a rarity to have same sex couples but they are possible. Marriage among the !Kung are made through a promise not a legal bond therefor divorce is a matter of mutual consent. Divorce among the !Kung can lead to a polygamous relationship. Polygamy is allowed among the band of the !Kung yet the wives are the ones who are naturally opposing this type of marriage. Polygamy mostly occurs between older people and people who can’t have kids. Many women are naturally against polygamy and being Co wives, they would often joke about it among themselves until it happened to
There are a few restrictions when conducting the arrangements like how the girls may not marry a boy with her father’s or her brother’s name and vise versa a boy cannot marry a girl with his mother’s or a girl with his sister’s name. The second restriction is the cycle of kinship names, the cycle of kinship was broken down into categories such as core siblings,spouses of core siblings, siblings of spouses of core siblings, and spouses of siblings of spouses of core siblings.When both restrictions are in effect three quarters of all potential spouses may be excluded by kinship ties. When looking for a suitable groom the parents of the bride looks for someone who is a good hunter and can help provide for his family. The !Kung practice bride service a custom where the husband is required to spend a period of time working for the family of his bride in this case he would be hunting for them. Only after the couple produces seven children than the groom can take his wife and family back to his own people. After 8 to 10 years of bride service the couple can choose to stay with the wife’s family if they want. Girls in the village normally get married between the ages of 15 to 18 and boys finds spouses and got married at 22 to 30.There is a ritual among the …show more content…
The only way they can show their displeasure is by kicking and screaming while being carried away. The women, however at one point can choose to veto the marriage, which explains more how the !Kung have equality because there are many bands outside of them who do not give the women the choices that they have when it comes to marriage. The men and the women could have more than one spouse if they so desired, but for some only one was enough. It 's a rarity to have same sex couples but they are possible. Marriage among the !Kung are made through a promise not a legal bond therefor divorce is a matter of mutual consent. Divorce among the !Kung can lead to a polygamous relationship. Polygamy is allowed among the band of the !Kung yet the wives are the ones who are naturally opposing this type of marriage. Polygamy mostly occurs between older people and people who can’t have kids. Many women are naturally against polygamy and being Co wives, they would often joke about it among themselves until it happened to