Like other San groups, the Dobe band of the Ju/’hoansi spent the winter–spring
dry season at a permanent water source – in their case, the Dobe waterhole
(whence the name). During and after the rains, the social group broke up into
smaller subgroups that moved out into the hinterland and built short-term camps
near seasonal water sources. At each camp, the people exploited nearby food
sources until they consumed most of the desirable food. They would then move on
to another temporary camp. After some days or a few weeks, they would return to
Dobe for a short time before setting out on another trip. The data analyzed here
consist of the locations of those rainy season camps that were occupied by one
small kin group from January 27 to July 11, 1968 (Yellen 1977). This kin group
was composed of two married men and their families. They made a total of 37
moves and occupied 28 different camps in the course of their five trips from the
Dobe waterhole (Yellen 1977, p. 59). In this article, we examine the statistical pat-
terning of these moves.