Re: milk and human sociobiology
Brixton Centre Library (brixton@rmplc.co.uk)
24 Jan 1997 11:19:03 GMT
The situation is complicated by the fact that some of these pastoral
peoples probably cultured their milk. I understand that the Khoi-Khoi
people of South Africa used something like yoghurt. This would mean that
lactose would not be such a problem for them as the lactose is broken
down by the bacteria.
It is said that the ancestors of the Khoi-Khoi got their cattle perhaps
from Nilo-Saharan speaking people. Perhaps they picked up lactose
tolerance genes aswell. Bantu groups such as the Herero and Xhosa got
cattle from the Khoi-Khoi or similar people perhaps, and the Xhosa are
part Khoi-Khoi anyway.
R Stone.
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