Analysis Of Eating Christmas In The Kalahari

Richard Borsay Lee immerses himself into the world of the !Kung Bushmen, investigating the “hunting and gathering subsistence economy” (Lee, 2) of these people in his article Eating Christmas in the Kalahari. Lee shows his appreciation for the Bushmen accepting him into their world by partaking in a tradition: obtaining the largest, fattest Ox for the Christmas feast. Lee does just that, however the Bushmen erupt in discontent at the selection made. As the Ox is sliced into, layers of fat are apparent proving this to be a perfect Ox. Lee questions the Bushmen why they would fool him, their response provides the conclusion: to keep the Bushmen humble.

Food distribution is a tense, momentous part of the !Kung culture. With the sharing of

In any culture there are implicit rules: in North America, when a person dressed incredibly well and visibly wealthy walks down the street people will move out of this person's way; in the Kalahari, the !Kung Bushmen speak negatively towards a hunter who has achieved a significant kill. Although they do not seem similar, both rules hold an idea of social standing. Lee set up a barrier between himself and the !Kung by hoarding a two month supply of food while they would “rarely [have] a day’s supply of food on hand” (Lee, 2), creating a social ladder. Consider if Lee would have pushed aside these differences in wealth and had kept less than a week’s supply of food or participated in the gathering of food with the Bushmen. If Lee had left his culture behind and participated in their world more perhaps he may have been welcomed in to see more of their practices without carrying the presence of an outsider. Although Lee’s “liberal handouts of tobacco and medical supplies were appreciated” (Lee,2), they drastically promoted the immense weight of his financial benefits. Producing loss and gain, Lee implemented his handouts of tobacco as a way of procuring data which shone a light on the ever prominent disparity of means. The approach utilised by Lee may have put him in a detriment towards seeing the customs related to food that he had spent an immense three years studying. This approach portrayed Lee as “a miser” (Lee, 2), possibly straining his relationship with the !Kung. Consequently, this method of sharing tobacco also aided Lee in acquiring important information that may have been difficult to uncover with different methods. Storing “a two-month inventory of canned goods” (Lee, 2) may have restrained Lee from experiencing food gathering in a