About
This video, shot between 1980-1984, was an outgrowth of research conducted by John Marshall and Claire Ritchie during those years. Intended to raise awareness about issues facing Ju/'hoansi, Pull Ourselves Up or Die Out explores: problems and issues due to the shift from subsistence to a cash-based economy; the possible establishment of a game reserve in Eastern Bushmanland; development of subsistence agriculture by Ju/'hoan groups; and confrontations with South African Administration officials regarding the rights to install a water pump and the rights of Ju/'hoansi to access water.
This film is part of the John Marshall !Kung Collection which includes a total of thirty titles documenting a Ju/hoansi (!Kung) community in Namibia and produced between 1951 and 2002.
Orthography Note
The group of people depicted in these films are the Ju/'hoansi, speakers of the Ju/'hoan language. Ju/'hoan is part of the !Kung language group; the term !Kung was previously used by the Marshall family and others to refer to Ju/'hoansi. Although the term is outdated, it has been retained here for the sake of consistency with John Marshall's previously published work. The films and their related printed materials also employ antiquated spellings of names and places. For current Ju/'hoan orthography, please see the Ju/'hoan - English Dictionary, compiled by Patrick Dickens and the Ju/'hoan Peoples Literacy Committee.