The importance of understanding the livelihood strategies of poor people has received a fresh impetus over the last few years with the emphasis by many Western donors on poverty reduction. This article examines the livelihood strategies of San people in three villages on the northern peripheries of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Their economic marginalization is compounded but their ethical background; a stigma that also marginalizes them politically and socially. The analysis presented here not only challenges stereotypes commonly associated