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THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA - THE SANS

Module by: Wamala Zaid

Summary: This study resource (module) is organized in form of core guiding questions that students will face commonly while studying about the history of the Sans of South Africa. I believe this to be an effective and simplified trend of learning while reading.

Who were the Sans?

1. The Sans are thought to have been the earliest modern inhabitants of Southern Africa.The Xhosa, an example of Bantu community referred to them as the ‘‘Twa’’ .
2. The Basotho, still another Bantu group into S. Africa referred to them as the ‘‘Roa’’ .
3. However, they were widely known as the Bushmen, a name given to them by the Boers who were the first Europeans to come into South Africa officially.
4. Still the Boers referred to the Sans as the ‘‘Bosjesmannes’’, i.e men of the bush.
5. Sans were short and yellow people or brown skinned.
6. Sans had a language full of click sounds.
7. Sans were generally a hospitable and peaceful people.
8. However, just like any other community, the Sans were peaceful and friendly as long as they were left alone and not interrupted with!.
9. Sans were still reffered to as the Hunters due to living a life characterized by a lot of hunting.

Why did the Sans migrate from their cradle land into S. Africa?

The Sans are believed to have migrated from around E.Africa, i.e near Tanzania mainland. The reasons for their migration are many and included;

1. Pressure from hostile and strong neighbours, i.e the Bantu of East Africa must have forced the sans to migrate.
2. They migrated to search for fresh hunting grounds especially because they were hunters.
3. They were in need of water for their domestic purposes, i.e for drinking and other purposes.
4. Internal conflicts among their small families caused the migration of the Sans, where some needed to escape such conflicts by going to other areas.
5. External conflicts and quarrels are also believed to have led to the migration of the Sans where they wanted to be free.
6. Over population due to polygamous families of the Sans.
7. Seasonal flooding around their craddle land caused their migration, because this was associated with several problems like diseases. .
8. Epidermics and diseases i.e the Sans were simply escaping diseases like malaria hence leading to their migration into S. Africa.
9. Peer pressure i.e some,simply moved after seeing their relatives andfriends moving and hence they also followed them.
10. Out break of famine and the search for food might have caused the migration of the Sans into areas where they could get eatables.
11. The search for wild fruits, honey etc caused the migration of the Sans to ensure they could survive.
12. Adventure i.e the need by the Sans to know what was happening else where forced the sans to migrate into South Africa.
13. The need to be more independent politically instigated the Sans to migrate into S. Africa, this was true for the youth who wanted to be free from the older people’s authority.
14. Natural calamities like draught which caused human suffering caused the migration of the Sans.

ETC.

Explanation of the migration and settlement of the Sans into Southern Africa.

 It is not very clear as to when the Sans started migrating. But its believed that the Sans migrated from E. Africa (Tanzania main land).

The San’s early occupation of Southern Africa is partly proved by numerous relics i.e remains of their stone implements, rock paintings and sculptures.

It is thought that the Sans migrated due to social, economic and political factors as discussed above.

By 1800, the Bushmen were settled mainly in Kalahari desert, Namibia, Angola and other areas.

A rock painting such as this one
"the rising Eland" provides evidence of  early
San settlement in S. Africa Read more...

When they reached S.Africa, they settled in areas like Damarland.

The Sans with time spread them selves into areas like Orange Free State, Transkei, Transraal and others.

Still some Sans settled in Tati district of A rock painting such as this one  "the rising Eland" provides evidence of early San settlement in S.Africa Botswana, neighbouring area of Zambia and so on.

They occupy the hinterland of the cape and beyond the orange river.

By the 17th and 18th century they had been absorbed into cultural communities in most of their territory.

Else where in South Africa small San communities survived here and there in isolated and barren pockets in territories long occupied by Bantu speaking people.

San communities survived in the mountains of Lesotho until the second half of the 19th century.

Sans also settled along lakes and rivers due to need for fishing like Kei, Vaal river, Tsomo river, Tugela river, Umzimvubu and others.

They scattered around different areas in Southern Africa like Somerset, cradock division. Griqua land west and many others.
ETC

Description of the social, economic and political life of the Sans.

1.    Saans were generally hospitable people or friendly to live with.
2.    They lived on wild animals that they just hunted from the bush.
3.    They also fed on wild roots, honey and fruits that they simply gathered.
4.    They lived predominantly a normadic life
5.    They slept in caves or temporary shelters due to their low levels of technology.
6.    Their homes were always decorated with beautiful wall paintings because they were gifted with the skill of painting.
7.   The Sans loved art and their painting was based on daily experiences as human beings.

A Group of San Hunters

8.      Each group was bound together by a common language.
9.      Sans believed in life after death and supper natural beings, beliefs that were even among the Bantu of South Africa.
10.    They offered prayers to heavinely bodies including the moon.
11.    The most important of super natural being was "Huwe" who was alternatively known as "Kaggen".
12.    They believed in powers of the playing mantis   e the mantis was believed to a sign of good fortune in society.
13.    Prayers were offered to the "Kaggen" to bless the people in all situations.
14.    Sans spoke a language full of click sounds.
15.    Celebrated after child birth, marriage, death etc and thus they lived a life of celebrations.
16.    The Sans’s languaged had a very limited vocabularly.
17.    Infact the Sans never had plural in their language.
18.    Their counting /numeric knowledge was too limited i.e it only ended on 8!.
19.    The Kaggen was believed to live in the sky with souls of dead men.
20.    Sans were polygamous i.e married more than one wife for security and prestige purposes, but it is believed that they had feu children given their life pattern.
21.    They had too early marriages i.e between 8 - 12 years !!!.
22.    After marriage, the man was to join the family of the girl until the first born was produced. While there, the hoy was taught family matters and how to hunt.
23.    The Sans danced at the sight of the new moon.
24.    Initiation ceremonies were too important in society, these would transform the young ones to maturity.
25.    They used traditional medicines/herbs to treat diseases.
26.    Sans drunk fermented juice and honey during their social life.
27.    Sans got fire by friction and thus as time went by, they stopped eating raw food.
28.    They carried out fishing e.g around river vaal. Tugela, Kei etc.
29.    They were great hunters, had several skills in hunting and they enjoyed it.
30.    Women collected wild bulbs, tubers and fruits digging up the ground with pointed sticks.
31.    They used poisoned arrows for hunting, this ensured that the animals could die even when not seriously hit.
32.   They never kept any animal apart from the dog used for hunting.
33.    They at times carried simple raids on to their neighbours for simple items.
34.    They carried out gathering i.e of wild fruits, honey etc.
35.    Had some simple trade within themselves where they mainly had barter i.e ex change of goods for others.
36.    Lived a predominantly normadic life i.e they never settled permanently in onle place.
37.    No private ownership of land.
38.    They did not cultivate any crops.
39.    At higher political level, the Sans were divided into 3 large groups each comprising of scattered settlements.
40.    The San never had a common central authority and therefore was distributed among the elders.
41.    Government was conducted through headsmen and a council of elders
42.    Council meetings were free and open to all male adults.
43.    The role of the headsmen were to implement decisions of the council of elders.
44.    Lived in small groups of about 50-100 people and thus they never had too much unity.
45.    The youth were responsible for the defence of the area in that though they never had a standing army, in times of danger they could mobilise the youths.
46.    Political organisation was simple, in most cases decisions were simply taken among male adults.
47.    In some cases a leader was recognised as a chief but his authority still depended on agreement of other adults.
48.    Each band occupied a unique but clearly defined territory.
49.    Within the territory, the band would migrate from water hole to water hole in p rrsuit of wild game.
50.    Movement across territorial boundaries into another band required formal •ons -ent and intrusion by force was resisted.
ETC
 

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This work is licensed by Wamala Zaid under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 2.0), and is an Open Educational Resource.

Last edited by Wamala Zaid on September 4, 2009 21:40