An Argument about a Marriage

Object Details

Collection Collaborator: McElwee, Ross; Blitz, Daniel; Bishop, John Melville; Baker, Peter; Ritchie, Claire; Young, Robert; Terry, John; Galvin, Frank; Bestall, Clifford; Gardner, Robert; Asch, Timothy, 1932-1994
Collection Creator: Marshall, John, 1932-2005
Collection Collaborator: Marshall, Lorna

See more items in: John Marshall Ju/'hoan Bushman film and video collection; John Marshall Ju/'hoan Bushman film and video collection / Series 2: Published Films and Videos

Sponsor: Finding aid has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.

Collection Citation: The John Marshall Ju/'hoan Bushman Film and Video Collection, 1950-2000, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Collection Rights: Contact the repository for terms of use. Information on reproduction and fees available from repository.

Scope and Contents: This short film, shot in 1957-58, documents an argument that occurred when several families returned to Nyae Nyae after working as unpaid laborers on a white farm. An Argument about a Marriage raises questions about the impact of European farms on the economic and social life of the Ju/'hoansi; about the complexities of marriage rules and bride-service in this kinship system; and about the nature of conflict and its mediation among Ju/'hoansi. There is film and audio relating to an alternate beginning for this title. An early, unpublished version of this film also exists; see 2005.11.45 in Series 3.

Collection Restrictions: The John Marshall Ju/'hoan Bushman Film and Video Collection is open for research. Please contact the Archives for availabilty of access copies of audio visual recordings. Original audiovisual material in the Human Studies Film Archives may not be played. Materials relating to Series 6 Production Files are restricted and not available for research until 2048, 2063, 2072. Kinship diagrams in Series 13 are restricted due to privacy concerns. Various copyrights and restrictions on commercial use apply to the reproduction or publication of film, video, audio, photographs, and maps.