the role of tourism in natural resource management in the okavango ...

animals was shared equally amongst San households after every kill, and this
sharing helped to bind the community and household together. The meat would be
shared by all until it was finished, and hunting would resume once more. This
hunting was for consumptive purposes only, and the sharing of all resources was a
cultural way of controlling utilisation, a system that avoided waste and encouraged
the continued availability of such resources into the future (Campbell, 1995; Bock
and Johnson, 2002).
5.4.1.4 Ecological Understanding Amongst 5an Groups
In regards to ecological understanding, the traditional San lifestyles showed a deep
understanding of ecosystem functioning. The San had names for each animal, bird
and plant specie in their territory and knew how each of these species fed and
related to the environment. The San knew where, when and how to find food in their
environments, and the seasonal migrations were done depending on the availability
of wildlife, water and veld products (Thakadu, 1997; Campbell, 1995; Bock and
Johnson, 2002).
Although San hunted throughout the year, hunting intensified only during the winter
months, becoming limited in summer. Big game such as gemsbok, eland and giraffe
were not hunted at all during summer, because, due to the heat, the bulk of the meat
would become spoiled before it could be consumed or dried. Even though this was
done to preserve the meat, it gave these species time to regenerate. Hence, during
summer, small game was preferred to large animal species. In the summer months,
more wild plant foods and veld products were available, which were used to
supplement the main diet of meat, and hence less hunting was required. The
seasonal migrations, hunting seasons and selective hunting indicate a thorough
understanding of the ecological environment by the San. While males did the
hunting, the women collected tortoises, reptiles, ostrich eggs, insects including
certain beetles and caterpillars and wild plant foods. The fact that most hunting took
place in winter and became less pronounced in summer shows that the San had a
defined hunting season, which they strictly adhered to, a cultural norm that ensured
the sustainable utilisation of wildlife resources (Campbell, 1995; Bock and Johnson,
2002).
173