Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman

Married at twelve, then separated, divorced and widowed, Nisa is the mother of four children, none of whom survived. She is strong, capable of foraging on her own in one of the worlds most hostile environments, not dependent on any man for her daily sustenance and ready to talk to anyone as her equal. Wise, full of humour at the absurdities of life and courageous in the face of its defeats, she is bawdy, practical and incurably romantic. She is a woman of the !Khung people who live by means of humanitys oldest survival strategy - gathering and hunting. This book is the remarkable story of Nisas life, told in her own words to Marjorie Shostak. It is a story full of echoes from a female past that we can never know directly. But it is also Nisas unique story, her own voice, her own dignity. In anyones culture, she is a remarkable woman.