of plants and large antelopes, the men giveup bow-and-arrow hunting and
catch smaller game with traplines, making time to help the women with
their gathering. The G/wi also eat such foods as rodents, birds, tortoises,
snakes, ants, and termites, which the !Kung ignore.!?
These studies of modern communities who still practice a hunting-
gathering way of life are illustrative to a degree; but they certainly do not
represent the ways of life of the many early South Africans who lived in
areas with greater natural resources-the
areas that have been trans-
formed, first by the development of African farming cultures, then by the
intrusion of white farmers, and eventually by the application of modern
agricultural and industrial technology. 11
The more we learn about these hunting and gathering peoples, the more
we respect the skills they applied to the available resources. Inskeep sums
this up well:
The combination of food remains, environment and artifacts reveals ...
the
confidence and success with which the ...
hunter and his womenfolk pro-
vided for the group. Plant fibres were spun into fine cordage which could be
used as needed for traplines and bindings, or worked into fine, strong nets for
catching and carrying. Wood was used with simple skill for pegs to keep