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!Kung spatial organization: An ecological and historical perspective

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Abstract

The ecological and social bases of spatial organization among hunters and gatherers are examined. After criticizing the patrilocal band model of social organization, the author documents the flexible, nonterritorial groupings of the !Kung Bushmen of Botswana and relates them to rainfall and surface water scarcity and variability. The paper goes on to consider the effects of extra-Bushman contacts on the breakdown of sociospatial organization and finds that the observed flexibility occurred in both the pre- and the postcontact periods. The final section attempts to relate the analysis to general issues. Three areas that need further work if a more valid model of hunter spatial organization is to be developed are the problems of time perspective in research, adaptation to long-term climatic variability, and critical thresholds of population density.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Richard B. Lee

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  1. Richard B. Lee
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Supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.), the National Science Foundation (U.S.), and the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research.

See the Appendix for a brief description of the pronunciation of the Bushman languages.

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Lee, R.B. !Kung spatial organization: An ecological and historical perspective. Hum Ecol 1, 125–147 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531351

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