The Dobe Ju/'hoansi - Book Report/Review Example

The substance of this prose will juxtapose the elements of the Ju ‘Hoansi with that of the American culture to draw out a proper comparison as an exercise for ethnography. The primitiveness of their culture does not mean that they are socially backward. The Ju ‘Hoansi are considered to be more open about certain issues than the American society. The following table condenses some of the major difference between the Ju ‘Hoansi and the American society. Comparison United States Dobe Ju/’Hoansi Food Production Industrial Agriculture Hunting/gathering Diet GMO’s, imported foods, organic vegetables and fruits Nuts, vegetables, hunting and food gathering Conflict Resolution Usually peaceful with negotiations or penalties for a perpetrator Often violent and results in years long vendetta Marriages Love marriages or pre-marital courting and strictly monogamous Arranged marriages or marriage by capture; monogamous but has cases of polygamous unions Gender roles Men and women work side by side, however there are cases of gender discrimination reported all over the country.

Men and women contribute equally in the work, but women work for fewer hours as they have a bigger role in managing the gathered food. I. Food Production Food production in the Ju ‘Hoansi is carried out by hunting and foraging; years of practice has made them quite efficient in gathering enough food that can feed an individual for nearly 10 days. Their efficiency is demonstrated by their ability to gather 2000 to 3000 nuts in an hour. They work in teams so that the work load is divided and they also use primitive tools to hunt down animals.

The Ju people are also lauded by Lee for having the knowledge of constructing ingenious bird traps. Cattle rearing and farming are two of the most essential activities carried out by the people that enable them to survive in the area regardless of the climate or weather. (Lee, 2003) The Ju ‘Hoansi are one of the biggest consumers of pig meat and are also involved in Pig herding. They slaughter pigs when they are celebrating a marriage or any festival. They also use pigs as offerings to their ancestor and feed pig livers to the sick.

They are well-versed in animal husbandry and use various techniques to enhance the quality of the animal. On the other hand, American society uses state of the art agricultural techniques to enhance crop yield. They use fertilizers and insecticides to cater to the ever-growing population. Unlike, the Ju culture, the American society has divided work and instead of a collaborative effort, they have compartmentalized the food gathering task and even the livestock is reared separately that is then slaughtered and used for consumption.

They rely on complex mass production techniques to cover for food shortages, whereas the techniques employed by the Ju ‘Hoansi are simple r and can keep the people fed for a short period of time only. II. Diet Since, their food gathering methods are extremely primitive, the Ju ‘Hoansi rely on organic food for nutrition; their diet consists of nuts, meat, vegetable and fruits. They categorize the food based on it nutrition, taste and availability, and then ration them out. There foods are high in proteins and other nutrients that toughen their body up for physical labor (Lee,