Comparing Paleolithic Societies of the San of southern

• Comparing Paleolithic Societies of the San of southern Africa and the Chumash of southern California • Both survived into the modern era as gathering and hunting societies

• The San live in the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa • Occupied for 5, 000 years and are part of the Khoisan linguistic family • Gatherers and hunters • Oldest rock art

• Most Khoisan speakers absorbed by the Bantu • Settled into agriculture with domesticated animals. • Geography of the San made it difficult for them to be assimilated (brought into another culture) • There was diffusion from the Bantu, iron arrowheads and drums

• San society characterized by mobility • Why mobile? • Harsh, unpredictable resources • Bands of 10 -30 people • No formal hierarchy of leadership (no priests, chiefs) • Only 28 tools, even distribution of labor between men and women • Free time

• Egalitarian society • Negative comments about the size of a kill was referred to as “insulting the meat” • This combats boastful pride • The owner of the arrow, not the hunter could decide on how to distribute the meat. • Arrows were widely shared and sometimes owned by women. • Trading of gifts did not have to be of equal value. • Connection between two people who were in debt

• Divorce was permitted • Polygamy (more than one wife) was permitted • Resources were challenging -too many people upset balance of the band • Disputes were handled through discourse (talk)

• Belief system • Creator god is Goa Na, gave rise to humans, plants, animals • Capricious (at a whim) and used humans to his delight. • Gauwa was destructive, spreading disease. • Ancestor worship/ fear exercised in a ritual all night dances. • Curing dances established community.

• The Chumash of Southern California • Chumash are representative of later post-Ice Age Paleolithic Era (settled, some agriculture, trade, division of labor, hierarchies, complex economy) • Permanent villages, more complex societies. • Lived near sea • Drew from more resources and densely populated. • Nearly 20, 000 and discovered by the Spanish in the. 16 th Century

• Created a new society in 1150 C. E. • Major contribution to change the tomol, an ocean canoe-carried two tons • Building or owning a tomol contributed to social inequality Why? • Contributed to island trade and possession of trade items. • Deep sea catches were also highly prized. • Created thos who had/ had not

• Market economy • Extensive resources and trade established a market economy (supply/demand) among gatherer and hunting society. • Money was beads • Bearskins were worn only by tomol owners • Attire indicating economic hierarchy • Specialized labor (certain skills for specific jobs)

• Burials included parts of the canoe for a special group of people called the Brotherhood of the Tomol. • Chiefdom was hereditary (sometimes women) • Big Man concept • They led war, trade, tomol ownership, religious rituals, and

• Do now please: Create diagram of the San and Chumash people and list their political, social and economic traits for each. • Now create a 2 to 1 ratio of groups. Two similar groups and one difference or vice versa.

Compare/ Contrast Essay • Compare and contrast the San and Chumash people as defined by their geography. • Must Have: • Thesis statement- must had three qualified groups. Type of political structure (egalitarian or chiefdom), social structure (kinship groups or defined hierarchy) or economic (gather/ hunt or market). • 2 to 1 group ratio. Two similarities, one difference or two differences and one similarity • Each of the three groups should have a minimum of three pieces of evidence that support thesis and provides analysis or WHY something developed as it did. • Give time period