The Bushmen: Culture and Traditions

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Hunting and Gathering
Conclusion
Reference

Introduction

The Bushmen are a group of people highly focused on hunting and gathering as their way of life. The term Bushmen was commonly used when referring to the San community, one of the oldest groups who inhabited South Africa and lived for more than 20000 years. However, there are different groups of the San who lived and rose in Sothern Africa (Barnard 1). San is recognized as one of the ancient inhabitants of South Africa. Concurrently, the San community endures a long history of being hunters and gatherers alongside other local clans in Southern Africa. There are many different San groups categorizing Bushmen in different parts. Even though the Bushmen had many cultural activities, this paper focuses on the hunting and gathering aspect of the Bushmen.

Hunting and Gathering

The Bushmen, especially the San, was well known as hunters and gathers of southern Africa. Even though the community highly focused on trapping, their best hunting method was using the bow and the arrow (Barnard 24). The San, for instance, used an indicator that did not kill the animal instantly but the existed deadly poison in the instrument helps in killing the animals. In cases where the hunted animals were small, Steenbok, many hours may pass by before the animal dies. However, for antelopes, it could take between 6 to 12 hours before the animal dies.

Today, most Bushmen make poison using the beetle larvae and plants such as snake venom. However, in the olden days, the Bushmen would use a caterpillar called Ka, which they would use as poison; by boiling it during which it turns red then settled to cool and soiled on the arrow for the hunting endeavors (Barnard 25). The Bushmen fed on anything available, whether vegetable or animal. The types of food they depended on ranged from antelopes, lions, giraffes, snakes, eggs, and wild honey. After the animal is killed, the meat was either roasted on fire or boiled before eating. The Bushmen did not waste any of the available food; every part of the animal was useful for various purposes. For instance, the hides were used as blankets, and the bones were cracked and broken for the marrow.

For the Bushmen to fully prepare their food, water was a necessity. Unfortunately, it was hard to acquire since the community moved from one place to another, hunting and gathering. During the dry season, the Bushmen would collect moisture from the roots through squeezing or scraping (Barnard 29). In cases where they were moving or on a journey, the Bushmen would dig through the sandy areas searching for water. Occasionally, they would carry water with them in the ostrich eggshell for later usage.

The poisons were highly toxic and feared by everyone. The pointers of the arrows were reversed to ensure that none was in contact with it. Also, when smearing the poison, people confirmed that it is contained within the red collar only to prevent fatal accidents. The poison did not contaminate the killed animal (Barnard 27). However, the exact spot stricken by the arrow was cut off and thrown away as the rest was safe to eat. The effect of the poison on the animal in most cases was not instant as the hunter would continue tracking the animal for days.

In addition to the poisons, the Bushmen used to dig holes as traps for the animals. In most cases, they drilled holes around the river where most animals came in to drink water. The dug pitfalls were deep and had a sharp stake planted at the center of the pit. After that, the Bushmen covered the pitfalls with leaves and tree branches, resulting in animals getting trapped as they walked over the hole.

Another way in which the Bushmen captured animals was through the use of Aardvark holes. Bucks used the holes as resting places, especially on sunny days. The hunter, therefore, waited behind the spot for a while until the target animal left. The animal would then be hit and pinned on the head with a club. According to the Bushmen, hunting needed teamwork; the person whose arrow killed the targeted animal was given the right to divide the meat among the community members and visitors. They would come on hearing of the same. According to the Bushmen, everybody was welcomed, and they shred meals with everybody (Barnard 110). However, plant foods collected by the women were not shared but only eaten by her immediate family. While most men took part in hunting and gathering, the women could collect berries, melons, and other edible vegetables for the family. The children, on the other hand, stayed home and watched over the homestead.

Conclusion

The Bushmen’s way of life was hunting and gathering. Even though the community highly focused on trapping, their best hunting method was using the bow and the arrow. Also, they used poisons that were highly toxic and the Aardvark holes to kill animals. The women on the other hand could collect berries, melons, and other edible vegetables for the family as the children stayed home and watched over the homestead.

Reference

Barnard, Alan. Bushmen: Kalahari Hunter-Gatherers and Their Descendants. Cambridge University Press, 2019.

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The Bushmen: Culture and Traditions

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