Life Histories of the Dobe !Kung: Food, Fatness, and Well-being over the Life-span / Edition 1

by Nancy Howell

Overview

Life Histories of the Dobe !Kung re-examines an important anthropological data set for the Dobe !Kung, the well-known “Bushmen” of the Kalahari Desert, collected by Nancy Howell and colleagues. Using life history analysis, Howell reinterprets this rich material to address the question of how these hunter-gatherers maintain their notably good health from childhood through old age in the Kalahari’s harsh environment. She divides the population into life history stages that correlate with estimated chronological ages and demonstrates how and why they survive, even thrive, on a modest allotment of calories. She describes how surplus food is produced and distributed, and she considers both the motives for the generous sharing she has observed among the Dobe !Kung and some evolutionary implications of that behavior.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520262348
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	05/06/2010
Series:	Origins of Human Behavior and Culture , #4
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Nancy Howell is Professor Emerita of Sociology at the University of Toronto.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

1 Another Look at the !Kung: A Life History Approach 1

Research with the Dobe !Kung 1

Research Results: Demography of the Dobe !Kung 3

Reconsidering the !Kung 5

Poverty and Social Change in the Dobe Area 12

2 Life History Stages 19

Definitions of Life Stages 20

Prenatal Life and Birth 22

Infancy 24

Childhood 28

Adolescence 32

The Stage of Childbearing 37

Post-Reproductive Life 40

Retirement: Frailty and Dependence 41

Life Stages for Individuals and for the Population 43

Conclusion: Ages and Stages of Life, for !Kung Women and Men 488

3 Body Size and Growth 49

Why Are the !Kung So Small? 49

Comparison to International Standards of Height and Weight 53

Body Size in Infancy and Early Childhood 60

Childhood Measures Continued: Body Size for Older Children and Adolescents 64

Body Size during the Reproductive Ages 75

Body Size of Post-Reproductive Adults (45+) 77

Summarizing Body Size: The Body Mass Index Difference Measure 79

4 Calories Required 83

Caloric Requirements for Basal Metabolism 85

Time Budgets of Mean Daily Activities 89

Physical Activity Levels 97

Caloric Requirements for Reproduction 9

Adjustment for Temperature 101

Combining the Components of the Necessary Caloric Costs to the Population 101

Are the !Kung Hard-Working People? 103

5 Caloric Productivity and Caloric Balance 107

Production of Food 107

Caloric Balance 120

6 Caloric Balance and Residential Units: Waterholes, Living Groups, Households 127

Waterholes and N!oris 130

Living Groups, Also Known as Bands, Camps, or Villages 139

Households and Their Effects on Well-Being 143

Makhusian, Darwinian, and Common-sense Models of Population Control in the Kalahari 154

7 Kinship Relations as a Support System for Children 157

Relatives in the Household 158

Effects on Children of Having Grandparents in the Living Group 165

Coresidence of Ancestors in the Weil-Being of Children 168

The Grandmother Role from the Point of View of Older Women 172

Kinship as a Resource for All !Kung 174

8 Motives for Sharing Food and Other Prosocial Behavior 183

Models of the Motives for Sharing 184

What Do We Mean by a “Surplus”? 194

Sharing Driven by Scarcity 196

Evolutionary Speculation: The Prosocial Brain as a Product of Decisions About Food Sharing, Perceptions of Need, and Nurturance 197

References 211

Index 221

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Life Histories of the Dobe !Kung is an enormous achievement, confirming what can be done with unique archival data in the right hands."—American Scientist

"The volume is full of stimulating information."—Journal of Anthropological Research

"Nicely written and very readable. It will be widely read."—American Ethnologist

"A detailed and engaging analysis of nutritional and demographic data on !Kung foragers from the Kalahari desert in Southern Africa."—Gastronomica

"A very rewarding book . . . her findings are likely to prove very stimulating to the field."—Human Nature

Editorial Reviews

A detailed and engaging analysis of nutritional and demographic data on !Kung foragers from the Kalahari desert in Southern Africa.

Gastronomica - Jon Holtzman

Nicely written and very readable. It will be widely read.

American Ethnologist

A very rewarding book . . . her findings are likely to prove very stimulating to the field.

Human Nature - Jonathan C. K. Wells

"Life Histories of the Dobe !Kung is an enormous achievement, confirming what can be done with unique archival data in the right hands."

Melvin Konnern Scientist

The volume is full of stimulating information.

Journal Of Anthropological Research - Jane B. Lancaster

"Life Histories of the Dobe !Kung is an enormous achievement, confirming what can be done with unique archival data in the right hands."

American Scientist - Melvin Konner