Week 4. Discussion Board: After viewing "The Hunters"

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Week 4
In most traditional hunter-gatherer societies, reciprocity was a common practice. The economy thrived on the fact that goods and labor could be exchanged freely with the belief that the same favor would be returned eventually. John Marshall’s film “The Hunter” is a good example of how this system worked and how it was necessary for the survival of the Kung people in the San society.
In the San society, reciprocity is clearly seen in the way people distributed and shared things. For example, only four Bushmen are seen going out to hunt at the start of the film. After several days, they finally come back home with enough meat that is shared amongst all the families regardless of whether they participated in that hunt or not. This practice is carried out with the belief that the next men to hunt will also share equally, what they find. Similarly, other families could return the favor b...