Kalahari desert, South AfricaFLICKR, CHARLES SHARPThe indigenous San people of southern Africa are commonly studied—scientists are interested in their hunter-gatherer lifestyles, click languages, ancient rock art, and more. Now, traditional leaders of three San groups, representing around 8,000 people, have issued an ethical code of conduct for researchers hoping to continue investigating the groups’ culture and biology. Earlier this month (March 2), the !Xun, Khwe and !Khomani group leaders issued guidance that encourages scientists to submit research proposals for review by a panel of community members, threatening a lack of cooperation with scientists who do not comply.
“We’ve been bombarded by researchers over the years,” Hennie Swart, director of the South African San Institute in Kimberley, which helped to develop the code, told Nature. “It’s not a question of not doing the research. It’s a question of doing it right.”
Another point of contention is that, despite the extensive research done on San people, they have not benefited from the attention, Leana Snyders, head of the South African San Council in Upington, which helped create the code, told Science. “When a researcher comes they enrich themselves of our culture and our knowledge. But our communities remain in poverty; their daily life does not change.”
The main impetus for the new code comes from a 2010 study, in which the first genome sequences ...
