Marriage in !Kung society

        Arranged marriages are the most common form of engagement in the !Kung society. Soon after birth the male's mother will approach the females mother and express intrest in wedding her child. If the females mother agrees they will exchange gifts as a way of "sealing the deal".
        The decison for the child's spouse has a lot of requirements. The !Kung are very big on the idea of not marrying anyone you're related to, so much so that it is prohibited to marry someone with the same name as your mother/sister as a male or father/brother as a female. The male has to be a good hunter and fighter, and this is proven by the male living with the females family for years until he proves himself and can bring his wife back home.
        The wedding rituals are very unique, and will usually last weeks if not months. The ultimate premise of the wedding is the male stealing the female from her family to make her his own. It begins with the male kidnapping the female from her families hut and bringing her to the marriage hut. It ends on a positive note of both accepting the changes.
        The couple will usually have children when the female reaches the ages of 18-22. They will usually have 4-8 more children spaced at 3-4 years each. This is more convent for the family because they will only have one child to focus on at a time. When they have there second or third child the first is capable of taking care of there selves.

Sources
Lephoto, Catherine. "Marriage and Reproduction in !Kung Societies." !Kung San Page (Lephoto and Yarnell, Lawrence University, WI). N.p., 6 Dec. 1996. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. <http://korea.gnu.org/people/chsong/cb/homesteading/kung_marriages.html>.