Summary of San and Khoikhoi Societies of Southern Africa

## Introduction The San are an indigenous hunter-gatherer people of southern Africa. They left rich evidence of their lives in rock paintings, tools, and sites along coasts, rivers and in deserts. This material explains where and when their rock art was made, how San people lived and organized themselves, and why their traditions are important for understanding human history. ## Where and when: Rock art and sites - San rock paintings are found from Cape Town to Zimbabwe and Namibia. - The oldest known painting in South Africa is about 27,000 years old. - Rock shelters and caves in mountains and deserts preserve paintings and archaeological remains. > **New word:** similar — the same in some ways, but not completely the same > > **New word:** spirit world — the part of reality that is not physical and includes spirits > > **New word:** shamans — members of a community believed to move between the seen and unseen worlds ### What the paintings show - Many paintings are religious or spiritual in meaning, showing humans, animals and spirit figures. - People at the time would have understood the spiritual meaning of images that may relate to healing, trance, or ceremonies. Fun fact: Did you know that the oldest rock painting in South Africa is about 27,000 years old and shows detailed scenes of people and animals? ## How San people lived: economy and environment ### Hunter-gatherer lifeways - San communities lived off local plant and animal resources. - Typical group size: small bands of a few families (about 10–20 people). - Mobility: groups moved seasonally to follow water, plants and animal migrations. ### Food and tools - Men hunted with bows and arrows; arrows often had stone points attached to wooden shafts. - Hunters used plant-based poisons on arrowheads derived from specific berries to bring down large animals over time. - Women gathered shellfish, roots, bulbs and other plant foods using digging sticks; ostrich eggs were used for food and water storage. - San made stone tools by chipping and shaping flakes and points; they did not use iron. > **New word:** Stone Age — a period when people used tools made from stone, bone or wood > > **New word:** shellfish — water animals with shells that people collect and eat > > **New word:** vitamins — substances in food needed for health Table: Food sources and tools | Food source | Tools / methods | Notes | | --- | ---: | --- | | Large game (buck, antelope) | Bow, poisoned arrow with stone point | Hunters sometimes followed wounded animals for up to a day until they died | | Shellfish (coastal) | Gathering, simple containers | Camps near fresh water and the shore; moved inland when plant foods were scarce | | Roots, bulbs, wild fruits | Digging sticks, foraging | Women gathered and stored food; knowledge passed between generations | | Water and storage | Ostrich eggs | Used for drinking and storing water in dry regions | ## Social organisation and sharing - San bands were egalitarian: little wealth accumulation, little social ranking. - Sharing was essential: meat from a large kill was divided and even neighbouring groups were invited to help cut up and carry meat. - Men hunted; women gathered, cared for children and elders, and both taught children important skills. - Camps had a few fireplaces, suggesting only a small number of families lived together. Did you know that San communities developed detailed rules and customs that encouraged sharing to ensure group survival in variable environments? ## Spiritual life and healing - Dancing and trance played key roles in spiritual life: some dancers entered trances and were believed to enter the spirit world. - Shamans or trance-dancers acted as healers and mediators with spirits. - Rock paintings often record scenes related to trance, healing ceremonies, animals and spirit beings. ### Plant medicines - The San had deep botanical knowledge: they could identify poisonous plants and medicinal ones. - Example: Hoodia was us