trackers
Ju/’hoansi Master Trackers
A blog post on September 20 provided an account of the tracking skills of several master Ju/’hoansi trackers in South Africa’s famous Kruger National Park. The tracking skills of the Ju/’hoansi for human footprints in Peche Merle Cave were described in a news story in October 2013, then analyzed in a journal article in 2017. […]
Footprints in a Cave [journal article review]
Lorna Marshall (1960) pointed out that since all Ju/’hoansi have unique footprints, every member of a band could instantly recognize who has been doing what—so stealing was nearly impossible. The thief would be immediately known and dealt with. In other words, their famed ability as trackers was not only essential to their hunting successes, it […]
The Facts in the Tracks
One of the best features of the 1980 film comedy “The Gods Must Be Crazy” was the way Xi, the Ju/’hoansi hero, was valued for his ability as a tracker. Tracking skills continue to be important in that society. According to an interesting news story last week, three Ju/’hoan trackers from Namibia have recently been […]
