The San, somewhat derogatorily known as "Bushmen", are the aboriginal inhabitants of Namibia. Some of the friendly people still live a traditional life as hunters and gatherers. While the women collect wild fruits, berries and wild onions rich in starch, the men pursue hunting. They are known for their deep understanding of nature and its ecology. They are able to differentiate between hundreds of plant species and are regarded as excellent trackers.
There are approximately 27 000 San in Namibia. The San have inhabited Southern Africa for at least 30 000 years. Proof of this habitation is the wealth of rock art that can be found in numerous locations throughout the country. The Bushmen's hunter-gatherer lifestyle has constantly come under threat from all the other residents of the regions. The Bushmen followed water, game and edible plants, and were always mobile. They did not farm or keep animals and carried everything they possessed with them as they moved.
It is thought that when the first Bantu tribes arrived, the San coexisted peacefully with them, but as the Bantu numbers swelled, pressure was placed on the placid San. Many San ended up as slaves while others abandoned their traditional hunting areas and moved into the drier areas (Kalahari) of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. The early Boer settlers in the Cape launched an extermination campaign and killed about 200 000 people in around 200 years. To these people the San were sub-human and no better than animals. Of the 55 000 San people who remain, about 60% live in the Kalahari in Botswana, 35% in Namibia with the rest scattered all over Southern Africa.
Twyfelfontein and the Brandberg in Namibia are two areas rich in Bushman art, the oldest of these is thought to date back 28 000 years.
The outlook for the San is not hopeful although some organizations are working to preserve the culture, but the last remaining areas where they could maintain the hunter-gatherer lifestyle are slowly been converted to commercial farmland or mining concessions. Alcoholism is also one of the main threats of the San people. |
|
 |
 |
| The San - oldest ethnic group in Namibia |
|
