Culture Comparison: Hadza and San - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages... According to the research findings historians have observed in their work that modernity has warped the rich cultural activities of many communities because these communities tend to adopt borrowed cultural practices. It is not surprising to say that this age is a mix of cultures because of neo-culture. Historians believe that the original homeland of the Hadza community is around Lake Eyasi. Lake Eyasi is one of the lakes in the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania. Anthropologists’ diaries indicate that this community did not keep livestock, did not plant any crops, or showed any trace of building permanent shelters. The community gathered wild fruits and hunted wild animals in order to raise their food. The Hadza community lives in small camps where relatives and friends come together as group. The community uses the name of a senior male to identify their camps. Traditionally, gender roles in the Hadza community are distinct. Men hunt and collect honey while women gather baobab fruits and berries from the forest. Notably, the community does not hunt in groups, but it is an individual initiative. Hadza community believes in equality of all people where no man is above the other in terms of wealth and authority. The community trade with its neighbors by selling honey to them. Hadza community does not have any religious observation. The community believes that Hadza man should marry after killing five baboons. Women in Hadza community initiate the marriage process. In case of mistreatment, Hadza women return to their community groupings. It is notable that Hadza community does not conduct a marriage ceremony. ...
However, they perform rituals of the black moon (Finkel 117). Hadza practices monogamy, however, their children live and play together in the camps. Hadza community does not like warfare, in many cases; the community solves its differences by sending elderly men of various groups to negotiate peace deals. Hadza community has not been able to embrace modern agricultural practices such as rearing livestock or practice crop agriculture. The San or Bushmen community live in the Kalahari Desert where they claim to be the ancestral land (Lee 1). The community practices gathering of fruits and wild crops and hunting which is their principle economic activity. The community practice pastoral farming where they move from one point to the other in search of green pasture or water (Lee 2). Largely, the environment where this community stays does not favor crop farming this could probably explain their lifestyle. Bushmen live in camps where communities come together and live as friends and relatives. The community does not construct permanent shelters because of their nature of activities. Bushmen conduct marriage ceremonies where the bridegroom pays cattle to parents of the bride (Lee 8). The community observes some celebrations such as Christmas where they slaughter a bull for the celebration. Bushmen do embrace warfare especially when one community has trespassed against the other. Other instance of war among the Bushmen is during a meat sharing ceremony where the fittest takes the larger junk of meat. Bushmen go hunting in groups where men from a certain community go out and look for a suitable game. The women on the other hand go out looking for fruits and performing other house chores such as taking care ...Download file to see next pagesRead More