“Bushmen of the Kalahari” is a documentary film about an ancient African people’s fight to preserve its race and culture. A past-oriented culture that places an emphasis on tradition and the wisdom passed down from older generations (Lustig, 2006), the San people, as they are now called, are possibly the oldest existing population of humans.
Rich with wisdom and tradition, the San culture faces extinction. Traditionally, the San were nomadic hunter-gatherers. Their way of life as hunter-gatherers remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years. The San are known for their remarkable ability to track animals and for their knowledge of plants and their uses; these uses might hold the answers to many diseases.
Genetically, the San possess a type of DNA that is exclusive to their population. They also have a unique verbal code. (Lustig, 2006) San language is unique in that it incorporates clicking sounds. This unique language does not belong to any other language families. The social relations orientation of the San was one that strived for equality among clan members and extended family. An egalitarian society, decisions made were of a group consensus. The San settled conflict by discussion, and promoted gender equality, thus demonstrating the San’s ability to effectively use interpersonal communication.
One of the differences that I noticed between the interpersonal communication portrayed in this film and what one might find in a similar setting in American culture is that San customs are geared to exclude anything that causes personal antagonism. A hallmark of interpersonal communication among the San is their adamant belief in co-operation within the family, between clans and within nature itself. There was and still is, therefore, no ownership of property amongst clan members. Everything is shared equally.
The San economy was a gift economy, based on the exchanging of gifts on a regular basis rather than on trading or buying items and services.
Capitalism and the colonization of their ancestral land has brought about near extinction of ancient San culture and customs. The expansion of other cultures into southern Africa brought the expansion of industries, such as agricultural farming, and diamond mining. With these expansions came an increase of “private land owners.” The San had no understanding of commerce, business contracts, or private land ownership and have been forced off their land and denied fair compensation. Among the distinct social episodes that seem to be governed by specific cultural rules in the plight of the San are those of a business context as well as that of an educational context. In an effort to survive and adapt to an ever-expanding modernization of the world, the San people are being forced to abandon their ancestral culture and beliefs. Traditionally they do not have an understanding of the concept of owning the land nor do they have the term private ownership.
In what can be defined as uncertainty avoidance (how a society develops and deals with tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity), the San are seeking higher education in order to facilitate an understanding of modern law. Facing serious problems in proving what land exactly belongs to them, they are acquiring knowledge to fight for their survival and change an uncertain future.
The adaptation process (Lustig, 2006), of the San to the modern world is what Hammer, Gudykunst, and Wiseman would consider effective and multidimensional, in that it deals with and helps ease the psychological stress of the San as they learn effective and appropriate intercultural-communication skills to deal with modern problems. Although the San culture is quite advanced, they are in essence evolving to meet the demands of the modern world of which now they are a part.
Many of the injustices experienced by the San have been carried out in the name of progress some more “modern,” but less- than ethical