the role of tourism in natural resource management in the okavango ...

Once the Batawana 'conquered' the five original tribal groups of the Delta, as well as
other groups that migrated to the region at a later stage, such as the Busabiya and
Oveherero, the Batawana appointed a major tribal overseer for each group to
ensure that each tribe fulfilled its obligations of handing over hunting spoils such as
ivory and skins to the Batawana chief or the appropriate tribal overseer. This again
helped keep the Batawana chiefs and elders informed of the wildlife offtake rates in
the region (Mbaiwa, 1999).
5.4.1.8 The Totemic Law
According the Campbell (1995) all the different tribal groupings in Botswana
recognised totemism, the belief that under certain circumstances some humans can
transpose their spirits into those of wildlife animals or take on an animal form before
and after death. As such, birds and animals considered to be totems were respected
and never killed, which helped in the preservation and conservation of such animals.
For example, Xanekwe and Bugakwe groups regarded lion and warthog as some of
their totems. Wayeyi had several animals as totems, which included elephants,
hippopotamus, crocodile and certain fish. The Batawana totem was the duiker
(phuti). The killing and eating of totems was forbidden. It was generally believed that
anyone who killed or ate his/her totem would lose all their teeth and develop sores
all over their bodies. It was also believed that the community as a whole would suffer
from such an act, and natural calamities such as drought, hailstorms, locust swarms,
disease and other forms of pestilence were the result of killing/eating totems. This
respect and observation of totemism was an important cultural practice as it ensured
the preservation of certain wildlife species (Campbell, 1995).
5.4.1.9 The Tribute Law
Since all land and its natural resources belonged to the Batawana chiefs in the
Okavango Delta region, it automatically meant that all tribal groups in the area,
together with the Batawana themselves, had to prove their loyalty to the chief
through the payment of tribute. As the chief's tribute rights, the people gave him
tusks of any elephant killed, skins and claws of all lion and leopard, feathers from all
ostrich, etc. The chief generally kept the ivory and feathers for himself, but often
gave lion and leopard skins to his relatives and tribal doctors. The chiefs used this
177