N/um Tchai: The Ceremonial Dance of the !Kung Bushmen

  • January 1969
  • 20mins

  • Documentary
  • Directed by

    John Marshall,

    Tchai is the word used by Ju/'hoansi to describe getting together to dance and sing; n/um can be translated as medicine, or supernatural potency. In the 1950's, when this film was shot, Ju/'hoansi gathered for "medicine dances" often, usually at night, and sometimes such dances lasted until dawn.