Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the effects of the partial commoditisation of natural resources and members of a traditional community in a north-east Namibian conservancy. It explores local efforts to resist minimum wage rates in private partnerships in attempts to secure an equal share of profits.

Paper long abstract:

Following independence in Namibia, several former 'homelands' under the apartheid regime were given 'conservancy' status, and 'traditional communities' were given exclusive de facto rights to manage and utilise the natural resources found within. In the spirit of community-based natural resource management approaches of the time, this handing over of control was to meet two ends: to valorise the preservation of natural resources by local people, and to partially commoditise both natural resources and traditional communities to bring foreign investment and employment. For the Ju|'hoansi of Nyae Nyae Conservancy in north-east Namibia, this approach has seen the establishment of own-use quotas for members, and considerable foreign investment that generate profits shared out among members as annual cash grants. The majority of these profits are secured through hunting concessions and resource harvesting, with the rest accrued through fees gathered from film and research teams and shares generated through enterprise. While the former capitalise on the region's diverse fauna and flora, the latter capitalise on Ju|'hoansi both as keepers of an "ancient culture" and as marginalised minorities in need of development. This paper explores Ju|'hoan attempts to negotiate their terms of employment and increase the value of their labour or the goods they produce for sale, in several investment partnerships. It shows how Ju|'hoansi, rather than establish minimum wages that apply across partnerships, seek to negotiate the terms of each partnership on the basis of how much profit they feel is likely to be generated, and the likely value of an equal share.