Research Paper Part I

Brittany Carney

01/22/10

The San People of the Kalahari Dessert:

Preservation of their Culture, Language, and Way of Life

In the Kalahari Dessert of southern Africa lives the San, the large and diverse grouping of indigenous hunter-gatherers who share cultural, linguistic, and historical kinship. Fascinatingly, the San are considered by many anthropologists and linguists to be the “oldest humans”; descendents of Early Stone Age predecessors, and the remaining ancestors to the myriad of ethnicities and languages that comprise humanity today. They have also throughout the history of European research been referred to as Bushmen, but this recognized as derogatory and is typically avoided. The Kalahari Dessert largely covers Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, where the San have lived for tens of thousands of years.

The San are a nomadic people, taking temporary residence in caves, rocky dwellings, or constructed shelters. Members usually stick to their clans of about 20—mostly family and relatives—with whom they travel, live, and communicate. Basic political framework is based on bonds of kinship. Groups will meet with each occasionally for marriage arrangements and exchanges of gifts or news. Their tribal system does not involve a formal leadership structure, and issues and concerns are discussed equally within the community. Though certain members who are particularly adept at hunting or building shelter may be addressed to take on such responsibilities, and male/female or young/seniority distinctions play important parts into organization, no member considers him or herself to have authoritative influence over another.

The San do not find necessity in claiming land or animals, so do not raise crops or keep livestock. They seek nourishment in a variety of plants and animals ranging from antelope, zebra, insects, and fish, to wild honey and root vegetables. The animals that are hunted and killed are highly valued, not just their meat for food but their hide and bones to be tanned and dried for blankets and tools. Childbirth does not involve elaborate ceremony. After giving birth in privacy, new mothers may seek comfort or care from other women, but will return to her task or responsibility soon after.

Their languages consist of a unique variety of dialects that are characterized by non-pulmonic “click” sounds. Though there are dozens of distinct dialects that differ in pronunciation and grammatical structure, today the International Phonetic Association has implemented a series of symbols within its alphabet to illustrate five different click noises.

The San live peacefully and with minimal conflict, as every member respects each other, their possessions, and the land with which they work. When the first Dutch settlers arrived on the San territory in 1652, they thought that the lack of governmental and economic order as “problematic”. They thought of the San as inferior, feral animals and began to exterminate them in order to claim land. Over a span of 200 years, 200,000 San were killed. The San were also made subject to slavery and traveling circus work.

Today, the global community has begun to view indigenous peoples differently. Attitudes surrounding the environment and autonomy are shifting. Organizations like the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples (UNPFII) were created to address problems involving discrimination, exploitation, and mistreatment of groups like the San. Still, the cultural and linguistic prosperity of the San are in danger of becoming extinct as members are forcibly integrated into “civilized” South African society.