ABSTRACT
ALTHOUGH the successful hunter still continues to command respect and esteem among the Valley Bisa, both the social organization and technological skills of hunting have changed during the last sixty to one hundred years. In the past, success and achievement in hunting were a major route to manhood, and a number of specialist hunters and organized guilds flourished. Until the middle of the last century when muzzleloading guns became available through trade with the Portuguese and Arabs, hunting weapons consisted mainly of spears, assorted traps, and bows with arrows, which often made collaboration and group efforts desirable. Today, hunting is largely an individual effort in which a person may choose to distinguish himself, but its social importance and legitimizing rituals have their roots in tradition. In this chapter we look at the forms hunting took in the past, its social organization, techniques, and the reasons for its subsequent change.
