N!Ai, the Story of a !Kung Woman

An interesting documentary of the results of a nomadic African people caught in the overlapping and conflicting cultures of various stationary peoples. For more information on the K!ung people, read Richard B. Lee's cultural anthropology case study, "The Dobe Ju/'hoansi" (copyright 1984 & 1993).

I have watched this a couple of times, it may be slightly biased to a minor degree in looking at their past culture through a simplified lens, but then again the time it was filmed there was such a bias against natives from this part of the world that it doesn't matter. The story follows the young lady N!ai from a child while the !Kung still had a more or less undamaged culture. You see her dealing with life and forming her own views. Like Seven Up it follows her and thus her tribe in to the modern times (the behind the film scene from "The Gods Must be Crazy" was so damn funny). It is a deep and touching piece done by some amazing people. If you like Seven Up or films like it, this is a must see. Full of ambivalence, scenes like the visiting missionary were both sickening, sad, and laughable.