Demise of a Culture Paper (Page 4)

1 breakdown of the !Kung society and its traditions. Along with the practice of domestic food production, the film?which was released later than NISA: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman? showed much more conflict, and exhibited emotions such as jealousy that were not present before the arrival of anthropologists. So will the !Kung become just another victim of the lure of the simplicity of modern times as N!ai: The Story of a !Kung Bush Woman suggests, or will they be able to resist and maintain some of their traditional foraging ways that made them so interesting to anthropologists just decades ago. Will exchange, reciprocity, and stinginess take on new meanings, as they have in modern-day economies. Instead of exchanging gifts and food in friendly relationships, will they begin to exchange money and goods strictly out of the interests of business and gain. The general and balanced reciprocity that once dominated as forms of exchange, and ensured equality in this egalitarian society, may be replaced by negative reciprocity while social classes begin to emerge. Will stinginess turn into greed, as !Kung members try to get the most for their time and money. It appears that the values of exchange and reciprocity that once governed the !Kung way of life are on their way out, and the traditional !Kung values are nearing extinction. The convenience of money and modern means of production seem destined to destroy yet another foraging society.