Christmas In The Kalahari

I recently had the pleasure of reading Eating Christmas in the Kalahari by Richard Borshay Lee for my Introduction to Anthropology class. The article relates to Mr. Lee's experiences with the !Kung Bushmen and their practices. The !Kung Bushmen didn't celebrate Christmas until the early nineteenth century. Their knowledge of the holiday third-hand. Mr. Lee had originally gone to observe the tribe and take notes on their hunting and gathering practices.

As December came closer, Mr. Lee began to seek out "the largest, meatiest ox that money could buy." He found the perfect one. It was at least 1,200 pounds and had enough meat on it to give each Bushmen nearby four pounds of meat or more. From the minute of his purchase, however, the !Kung Bushmen began poking fun at his ox. They told him he had purchased a "bag of bones" and that his ox was "old. And thin." They poked fun at him everyday, reminding him how terrible his choice was and how he had wasted his money. As the time for the celebration drew near, Mr. Lee was beginning to get angry. He didn't understand what was wrong with the ox he had bought, for it was plain to see that it would provide meat, fat, and bones to last the tribe for a while.

Finally, when it was time for the people to kill the ox and prepare the meat, Mr. Lee watched in anticipation, for if it truly was a bad choice in oxen, the Bushmen would cut to the bone in no time. When they did though, the fatty layer of the ox was two inches thick. At this point, Mr. Lee gloated to one of the !Kung, /gau. "That ox is loaded with fat. What's this about the ox being too thin to bother eating? Are you out of your mind?" /gau retorted "You call that fat? This wreck is thin, sick, dead!" All of the !Kung Bushmen laughed at the statement. Mr. Lee still did not understand. Several days after the festivities, he began asking what had been wrong with the ox. After speaking