Nicht nur Opfer der Umstände

Zum Transfer von Kindern zwischen !Xun und Kwangali in Nkurenkuru (Namibia)

Abstract

Hunter-gatherers are often regarded as victims of globalization, most having been forced to abandon their former ways of life. As a result, they often live on the edge of modern societies. However, contrary to general expectations, many aspects of their earlier forms of social and cultural organization are proving persistent, for example, their ethos of sharing. Furthermore, although hunter-gatherers are often depicted as passive in their relations with surrounding sedentary populations, the strategies they use to enable them to resist assimilation and preserve a degree of autonomy are often neglected. This article analyses the role of sharing among !Xun communities, former hunter-gatherers of Nkurenkuru, Namibia, and shows how the ethos of sharing influences their relations with the neighbouring Kwangali population. The transfer of !Xun children to Kwangali households is interpreted as a form of sharing aimed at drawing the Kwangali into the !Xun’s social universe in order to create egalitarian relationships between them.