The Ju/'Hoansi- Lee vs. Marshall

Both Lee and Marshall spent a great amount of time with the Ju/’hoansi, learning their unique culture and way of life. In Marshall’s ethnographic film, “The Hunters”, and chapter four of Lee’s ethnography, The Dobe Ju/’hoansi, each anthropologist discusses, in two different forms, the Ju/’hoansi’s subsistence techniques. Lee and Marshall agree in some areas, but not all. Lee and Marshall agree on a few different things, such as the types of relationships the Ju/’hoansi have between themselves and the natural world around them. You would think that the relationships the Ju/’hoansi have with one another would not be such an important aspect when looking just at their subsistence techniques, but it is. Both Lee and Marshall found that the Ju/’hoansi have very close relationships with almost every, if not all, of the people they live with in a camp. They are able to communicate well and work effectively with each other. Without these relationships there would be no way that they would be able to survive in the deserts that they live in.
Lee and Marshall also agree on the relationship the Ju/’hoansi have with the natural world around them. Lee and Marshall both understood that the Ju/’hoansi have a very close relationship with the world around them. The Ju/’hoansi know many different kinds of plants and species of animals around them, and they know what types of plants are good or bad to eat. The Ju/’hoansi can track an animal by its footprints and feces. This is shown in detail in Marshall’s film when the hunters are able to follow the giraffe by the footprints and feces. They were even able to see when the giraffe was getting weaker by the amount of impact she put into each step.
The third thing I found that Marshall and Lee both agree on is the system of reciprocity that the Ju/’hoansi practice. The Ju/’hoansi find it important to make sure that everyone has an equal share of food. The importance of reciprocity to the Ju/’hoansi is shown in the