Richard Borshay Lee

Lore & Background

Richard Borshay Lee conducted early and extensive ethnographic research among the !Kung San. In his 1979 book *The !Kung San: Men, Women, and Work in a Foraging Society*, his main goal was to be fully immersed in the !Kung San culture so that he could fully understand their way of life. He was puzzled as to how these people seemed to be living such an easy and happy life that relied heavily on hard work and the availability of food. Most of his studies of the San took place in the Dobe area, near the Tsodilo Hills. He was adopted into a kinship and given the name /Tontah which meant “White-Man.” He claims that the San were an isolated hunter-gatherer society that changed to farming and foraging at the end of the 1970s. Most of Lee's historical data comes from oral stories told by the !Kung San because they did not have anything written down. According to Lee the San were originally afraid of contact with outsiders. Lee reports that the men did the hunting and hard labor while the women did housework. He later found out that the San weren't just hunter-gatherers, but also herders, foragers, and farmers. In his book he states, “I learned that most of the men had had experience herding cattle at some point in their lives and that many men had owned cattle and goats in the past.” He claims that they have learned all of this on their own. The San wanted wage pay for farming and taking care of cattle, goats, and sheep. This was their new way of life.

Reader's Guide

Lee's work is central to the traditionalist side of the Kalahari Debate. He and other traditionalists, including Irven DeVore, consider the San to have been, historically, isolated and independent hunter/gatherers separate from nearby societies. The traditionalists believe that the San have adapted over time but without help from other societies, placing emphasis on the cultural continuity and integrity of the San peoples. Lee's 1979 book details his findings, including that the San were originally afraid of contact with outsiders and that they changed to farming and foraging at the end of the 1970s. Revisionists like Edwin Wilmsen and James Denbow oppose these views, arguing that the San have not always been isolated but have played important economic roles in surrounding communities and have become a dispossessed and marginalized people. The debate continues with scholars critiquing each other's work. For instance, Lee called out Wilmsen for mistaking the word “oxen” for “onins”, which meant “onions” in an old map of the Kalahari region, leading to Lee's article "Oxen or Onions."

Did You Know?

• Lee was adopted into a !Kung San kinship and given the name /Tontah, meaning “White-Man.”
• In his 1979 book, Lee wrote that most !Kung San men had experience herding cattle and many had owned cattle and goats in the past.
• Lee called out Edwin Wilmsen for mistaking the word “oxen” for “onins” (meaning “onions”) on an old map of the Kalahari region.
• Lee's historical data on the !Kung San comes from oral stories because they did not have anything written down.
• According to Lee, the San were originally afraid of contact with outsiders.