The San

The San are believed to be the original inhabitants of South Africa and to have lived there for more than 20,000 years. The San were also referred to as the Bushmen (this name comes from the Dutch term, "bossiesman," and is considered derogatory) and Basarwa (in Botswana). They were traditionally hunter-gatherers and they were organized in small mobile groups which consisted of ten to thirty people.

The San are prosperous in their native understanding of both plant and animal life. The San have categorized many plants and their uses, from nutritional to medicinal, mystical to recreational to deadly. They speak various dialects of languages with unique characteristic clicks" which are symbolized in writing by ! or /.  They are physically small in size and brown in color.

History

The San did not build permanent settlements because they were always moving to hunt and forage. Instead they preferred using rocks shelters temporary living sites and probably the weather conditions dictated the choice of sites.

The San were displaced from their areas of settlement in South Africa by the KhoiKhoi and Bantu people around two thousand years ago. The San's hunting and gathering areas were affected by the both the Bantu and the KhoiKhoi people who were looking for land for raising livestock or farming. Since the San were very calm and still people and avoided conflicts with any of the group, they adapted to the new situation by establishing trade with the settlers.

Europeans came to South Africa in the mid-17^th century. The European invasion increased pressure on the San people because their hunting and gathering areas were diminished. At the same time the Bantu and Khoikhoi were expanding into San territory. The European did not stop at invading the San's land; they killed many San because they considered San people to be less than human. Due to their peaceful the San decided to move to the Kalahari Desert. The Kalahari Desert is part of South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia.

The San learned how to survive in the desert; they looked for water stored in plants like tubers or found underground water in sip wells. They used long straws to reach this water, stored it in ostrich egg shells and then kept it underground in order to avoid evaporation. 

Politics

The San presided over themselves by group consensus and certain individuals assumed leadership in areas like hunting or healing rituals in which they excelled. Leadership among the San was left for the oldest people in the group. Land was usually owned communally and rights to the land were inherited by two groups. It was impossible to hunt on land not owned by the group, but permission was obtained from the landowners.

Economy

The San would eat anything available. Examples of their food selection include antelope, zebra, porcupine, wild hare, lion, giraffe, fish, insects, tortoise, flying ants and many others. Every part of the animal was used. For example, the hides were tanned for blankets and the bones cracked for marrow.

The San men were responsible for hunting and fishing while the women did most of the gathering of plant foodstuffs. These included wild fruits and berries, as well as the leaves, stems, bulbs, corns and roots of a variety of plants.

The San Today

Less than thirty percent of the San's total population still follows their traditional lifestyle of hunting and gathering. It is hard to maintain this kind of lifestyle because most of the land is being used for grazing cattle by both the Bantu and Khoikhoi people. This implies that when the San were forced to change their migration path they had to depend on other inhabitants of the region for survival. The San's hunting and tracking skills are being employed to track down guerillas and poachers and even plot mine fields.

The government of South Africa has tried to develop the San by providing schools, running water and other conveniences in addition to giving them permanent locations. This relocation has not been very successful because some of them are still used to the moving from one place to another.

Sources;

Rebirth African Art Gallery

   2000 San Tribe of South Africa: A way of life perfected. Electronic Document,

       http://www.rebirth.co.za/san_tribe/way_of_life.htm accessed on April 5th, 2009

Siyabona Africa

   Kruger National Park: San/Bushmen/Kalahari/ South Africa Safari. Electronic Document

      http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_bushmen.html  accessed on April 5th, 2009

Mousebird Backpackers & Safaris CC

   Bushman overnight land Adventures: Information about the San People. Electronic Document,

        http://www.mousebird.com/sanpeople.html#top accessed on April 5th, 2009

Bradshaw Foundations

   San Bushman and rock art paintings in South Africa. Electronic Document,

       http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/rari/bushman.php accessed on April 7th, 2009

Oppapers

   Research apers and Essays for All: History of The San People on Africa. Electronic Document,

        http://www.oppapers.com/essays/History-San-People-Africa/166685 accessed on April 7th, 2009

About.com: Africa Travel

   Tribes of Africa: The San of Kalahari. Electronic Document,

       http://goafrica.about.com/library/bl.san.htm accessed on April 7th, 2009

!Khawa Hu

   2008 The San Culture and Education Centre. Electronic Document, http://www.khwattu.org/5/about-us

       accessed on April 7th, 2009

Written by Esther Nalubwama, 2009