The San People of Southern Africa

24 Août 2023 , Rédigé par www.afrocultureblog.com Publié dans #ancestral people, #africa, #ENG, #2023

Source: Sufi Path of Love

The San people, also called Bushmen, are the oldest inhabitants of southern Africa and belong to the oldest cultures on the planet. They are the ancestors of the peoples of East Asia, especially present-day China, see previous article below.

https://afrocultureblog.over-blog.com/2023/05/the-african-origins-of-china-the-genographic-project.html

The term San should be understood as a collective term for several ethnic groups in southern Africa. These groups include, for example, the Kung, Gui, Ju/'hoasi or the Naro tribe.The San lived in the vast expanse of the Kalahari Desert, between present-day Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. Living conditions are difficult. The domestication of animals, as the Khoi do, or agriculture, is not an option in this sandy region, which has made the Kalahari Desert a natural border for people who depend on livestock and crops. Following European colonization, the San tribes were forced into the northern depths of the desert in their fight against the Europeans armed with firearms. During this period, the number of San was greatly reduced and captured San were forced into slavery.

Source: web Kalahari desert

In essence, the San people are nomadic and do not stay long in one place. They travel in small family groups, including up to 25 men, women and children, carrying their shelter with them. They can also resort to caves found for protection.The diet of the San people includes meat, eggs, wild berries, roots, nuts and other plants.

Among gatherers and hunters, roles are shared. San women are responsible for gathering and San men for hunting. Vegetables harvested by women account for about 75% of their consumption. They rely on their in-depth knowledge of edible, medicinal and poisonous plants. This Indigenous knowledge is passed down from generation to generation. The fact that San women provide three times more food than San men is one of the reasons why women are treated as equals. San men are excellent hunters and use a wide variety of methods. Depending on the animal being tracked, the hunt can last from a few hours to several days – a physically demanding challenge. When laying traps, the San people use, among other things, pit traps. They dig a hole, for example, at a waterhole frequently used by hunted species, and cover it with branches. If an animal accidentally falls into the trap, it cannot escape and becomes easy prey. To catch smaller species, such as hares, a death trap, which tightens when an animal enters in, is formed from plant fibers.

Credit: Photograph: Michele Westmorland - a San hunter

The San people have a rich traditional culture – especially in the creation of eggshell jewelry, drawings, music, spirituality and wisdom. Using stones of different colors, the San People made cave paintings and sculptures of past things. The cave paintings show non-human beings, humans and hybrid creatures that are half-human, half-animal. They illustrate, for example, the speed of a hunt with a galloping movement or the common dances around the fire. Later, San rock art illustrated contact with European settlers by depicting sailing ships, European-style clothing, rifles, and cannons.

Another central element of San culture is music and dance. The particularly notable dance is a nocturnal and long-lasting trance, which is considered a vital healing remedy. During this trance experience, supernatural power is awakened, which cures diseases and benefits the group. In addition, medicinal plants known to the San are used to treat diseases.