The Bushmen of Africa

The Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert are the oldest inhabitants of Southern Africa; their existence in this region dates back to over twenty, possibly thirty thousand years. They are the last remnants of an African Stone Age culture and also the closest known ancestors to the original Homo-Sapien model from which the Negro emerged. They can be described as having a smaller stature and lighter brown, sometimes yellowish skin. They are commonly malnourished and thin sometimes with round bloated stomachs. Flat noses, big lips, droopy eyes and wrinkled skin are trademarks of the Bushmen.

This group is also known as the 'San', Khwe Khoe, Basara and Khoisan. Though they have no collective name for themselves, they do distinguish certain subgroups with various names such as !Kung and Ju/'hoansi in their 'click consonant' languages; the various punctuation designates different 'click' sounds. The San can be broken down into six major sub-groups consisting of the !Xu, the Naró, the Kxow or Mbarakwengo, the Hei-||om the |Auni and |Nû||en. In the past, these groups had no contact with one another, though in recent years, the promotion of San welfare is advancing across the borders causing some alliance between groups.

The population of fewer than one hundred thousand Bushmen has been persevering and subsisting off of the harsh African desert climate with little change in their practices for the past several thousand years. Facing many adversities through their existence, their simple way of life and uneducated peoples have been challenged frequently by various countries and groups.

The political structure of the San is fairly simple; leadership positions are acquired by those who have lived with the tribe for a significant amount of time, have reached an adequate age, and who have appealing personal qualities, though the population as a whole lacks a formal leadership institution. Individual decision-making has always been a major part of the San culture and there are no designated chiefs or hierarchies present in the society.