The Khoisan were the first people in Southern Africa, and their history is both fascinating and a somber reminder on how our direct and indirect actions can bring about the decline of an entire people.
Long before the first settlers arrived on South African shores, there were various groups of people who spread out sparsely across the land.
These people, today called the Khoisan, were skilled hunter-gatherers and nomadic farmers who lived off the land. And yet, in spite of their earliest presence on the land, they’re among the country’s most persecuted people. And even after the fall of Apartheid in South Africa, they are among the most forgotten as well.
The name Khoisan is a blend of Khoikhoi and San, two groups who shared similar cultures and languages. But they were by no
means a homogeneous people. In fact, they generally existed in isolation of each other and used different means in order to survive off the land. The Khoi Khoi were skilled in the practice of nomadic pastoral agriculture.
They maintained large herds of cattle throughout the country, and evidence suggests that they migrated to South Africa from Botswana. Some moved down from the Kalahari to the Cape, while others ventured southeast towards South Africa’s high-lying lands.
The San, on the other hand, had territories covering regions as far afield as Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Lesotho.
They are skilled hunter-gatherers whom most consider
being the first people living on the land known today as Botswana and South Africa. San people were semi-nomadic, seasonally moving to new regions when water or animals became sparse.
The Khoi Khoi were skilled in the practice of nomadic pastoral agriculture. They maintained large herds of cattle throughout the country, and evidence suggests that they migrated to South Africa
from Botswana.
Some moved down from the Kalahari to the Cape, while others ventured southeast towards South Africa’s high-lying lands.
The San, on the other hand, had territories covering regions as far afield as Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Lesotho.
They are skilled hunter-gatherers whom most c
onsider being the first people living on the land known today as Botswana and South Africa. San people were semi-nomadic, seasonally moving to new regions when water or animals became sparse.
Many consider the Khoisan to have some of the most incredible knowledge and insights into wild animals and the environment that they inhabit.
Their ability to extract nutrients from seemingly inconspicuous plants and survive in generally arid or inhospitable environments is incredible. Many ha
ve comprehensive knowledge about the medicinal values of plants, and they use natural items to cure hundreds of ailments without modern medicine.
On the hunting side, they had an incredible ability to tune into their surroundings; to track animals across the land and take down wild game with a small poison-tipped arrow.
In spite of the widely accepted belief that they were among the country’s first people, the Khoisan are still among t
he most neglected and forgotten. Though many thought the advent of democracy in South Africa would result in better recognition of the Khoisan, many leaders from the group claim this has not been the case.
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