The modern lifestyle of many Khomani San youth means much of the old culture has been lost, writes Brendan Magaar.
The open spaces once inhabited by the Khomani San have become far smaller, with boundaries, private properties, roads and wire fences now encroaching on the large expanses of historical land. Yet the sense of freedom could still be felt the moment we arrived in Andriesvale in the Northern Cape, home of the Khomani San people.
This group of San were the first people of the Kalahari, hunter-gatherers who lived in the desert. But apartheid laws resulted in them losing the land they once called home, with a fraction of that land only returned to them in 1999 after a lengthy court battle.
In the years after the land claim was settled, little development occurred in the area. Mounting social decay, lack of support from the South African government, and divisions within the desperate community, continued to grow.
“For five years after the land was returned to the bushmen, they were praised and got a lot of attention, but after that they were forgotten about,” says land manager, Charl Page.
“The fear is that the heritage and language of the San will be lost, and we are trying everything we can to preserve this and passing on the cultures and traditions to the young Khomani San children”.
In order for us to learn more about the Khomani San, we were introduced to leader and traditional healer Oom Jan van der Westhuizen. Despite being weak and frail in bed in his run-down shack in Andriesvale, he immediately mustered up the strength and sat up to talk about the San people.
He shared narratives on the four main aspects of his people’s culture - hunting, tracking, traditional medicines and healing, and arts and crafts - and his extensive travel experiences in different parts of Africa and abroad, where he went to impart his knowledge as a traditional healer to others.
“I would speak about what I do as a bushmen and a traditional healer, and how I would use various ingredients from the earth for medicinal purposes, and they would listen and even ask questions,” he said. “I was happy to share what I knew if it meant that our culture would live on long after I’m gone”.
Oom Jan died last Saturday, shortly after this interview was conducted, following a long illness. He was 62.
Johnovon van der Westhuizen, 26, who is taking over from his father, Oom Jan, as a traditional healer, told us: “He knows so much and I am trying to learn as much from him as I can”.
This reliance on his father’s knowledge was evident when we were taken into the desert the following day in search of medicinal ingredients. Coming across a specific plant his father had told him about, Johnovon was unable to remove it from the ground because his father had not told him how to do so - and it’s believed a plant will lose its healing powers if removed incorrectly.
He went on to show us a variety of plants, explaining their uses, as well as items the community collects to make crafts which are sold to tourists.
The modern lifestyle of many Khomani San youth means much of the old culture has been lost, with almost none able to speak the language or practise the nomadic ways of their forefathers.
“We are trying our best to teach the children N uu, the language of our people, but it is very difficult with the lack of resources,” community member Dion Noubitsen said. “We are a very spiritual people, who want our legacy to be passed on to the younger generations. Our heritage is what makes us who we are.”
Part of that heritage is encapsulated in the spiritually healing trance dance, which holds social, religious and ritual significance. Many of these dances are named after animals - lion (!Xooke) and elephant (!Xoo) - with each having a different spiritual purpose.
“If you are not strong, it is easy to go so deep into a trance during this dance that you can lose yourself and do things that are not normal, such as picking up burning pieces of wood and not feeling a thing,” Noubitsen said.
The women in the community play a symbolic role in this ritual.
“The women do not merely just sing and play instruments. They play a very important role in ensuring our safety while we are dancing. They watch their husbands or family members to see we do not go too far into the trance; it is them who would bring us back from it.”
Tracking is another important aspect of the culture of the Khomani San, where they use their knowledge to identify different animal footprints in order to hunt them. We were introduced to the art of tracking by David “Am Am” Kruiper, who helped us identify the various animals who made the tracks. During our walk, Kruiper was able to tell us exactly what type of animal - and how many of them - moved in a certain direction, as well as the sex of the animal.
While there is concern about preserving the ancient ways of the San people, with external assistance from the government the community is developing for the better. Thanks to tourism facilities where visitors can experience the lifestyle, cultures and traditions of the Khomani San, their age-old history and heritage will continue to live on.
“We are strong people; we will rise up like those who came before us,” Noubitsen said, confident the legacy of his people would not be lost to future generations.
Weekend Argus