Chapter 1: Documents Provide Evidence

         The documents, at the end of chapter one, allow us to further investigate the Paleolithic Era from a first hand or primary source. It would be absolutely amazing if we were able to interview a source from the actual Paleolithic Era; however, time machines have yet to be invented and we are left with the next best thing.  A real live fifty-year-old women, named Nisa, is believed to be the next best thing. Nisa describes her life living “in the bush,” and I am shocked to hear that people in the twentieth century still live as if they were Paleolithic peoples.  I believe many of Nisa’s descriptions supply the evidence to confirm that the Paleolithic societies were more egalitarian than later societies in wealth, status, power, and gender.

In my opinion, wealth, status, power, and gender are somewhat intertwined.  Usually wealth provides those of high status and mighty power throughout the community.  And it is not unheard of that a male, with an elite status, may be depicted as the face of the community. With that said, I feel as if none of these aspects are visible within the Paleolithic societies. I will do my best  to separate these various aspects (wealth, status, power, and gender) in proving that egalitarianism exists within these communities.

Although men and women have distinct roles within the Paleolithic societies, they are presented as equals.  Women had prominent roles within the community which were absolutely vital for existence. Nisa describe her life growing up, her marriages, her religion, and her lovers.  In reading about these various life characteristics, I never once got the impression that women were below man or vice versa.  In fact Nisa mentions that women and men have equal opportunities to heal. “Both men and women learn to cure with it, but not everyone wants to” (Strayer 49).  Leading us to believe that specified roles throughout the bush were not gender based, but rather based on one’s interest in the matter. 

The only time “power” is mentioned throughout the documents, is when Nisa refers to  N/um which is the power to heal.  I suppose those who gain the power to heal and cure could be looked at as having a different status. This status is not based on wealth or gender, simply a respected status for those who have taken the time to learn the practices and endure the pain to cure.

I feel as though wealth did not exists as money within the community, but as food or gifts or lovers.  Nisa fails to mention anything about rich or poor people within the bush.  Although she does convey: “I am a person who owns nothing. That’s what people say I am; a poor person... No donkey, either.  I still carry things myself, in my kaross when I travel...” (Strayer 49). Nisa realizes that others outside the bush may think little of the “wealth” her people possess, but Nisa doesn’t know anything else. Simple things, like meat, made the people within the bush the happiest. What I found the most interesting is the people’s ability to share. Most, not all, but most people in the bush shared what little wealth they did have with each other;  making it evident that egalitarian presence existed quite strongly throughout the community.  People were not forced to share, but simply wanted to share.  Leading me to believe that the essence of wealth was unheard of, and the power and status wealth is thought to produce had yet to corrupt these societies within the Paleolithic Era.