Who are the san?
The terms San, Bushmen, Basarwa, and San Bushmen all refer to tribes of indigenous hunter-gatherers located in and near the Kalahari Desert of Botswana. The San are one of the oldest known cultures in the world.
Cultural elements
Hunting
The San are a Hunter-Gatherer people, so they hunt. The San hunt with poison-tipped bow and arrows made of animal bone or wood. They are able to track animals from The San have been hunting in the Kalahari for thousands of years. Their hunting expertise is only matched by there reverence for nature. Much of their traditions and rites of passage revolve around hunting.
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Language
There are many varied and unique click languages native to southern Africa, such as the !Kung language, the language most commonly used by San in the Kalahari. These languages are extremely complex and fascinate modern linguists.
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Religion
The San have a collective religion based on numerous deities and mythical beasts, as well as believing that certain hunted animals have symbolic and mystical connections with their gods. Most believe that the eland is a powerful creature, and hunting it is a sacred experience. The San invoke traditional rituals before hunting, and also during certain times of a person's life, such as a manhood ceremony. This ceremony typically involves hunting an eland.
The San, about four times a month, have a ritual dance known as a trance dance or healing dance, shown above. They sing and dance around a fire, with women singing and drumming and men dancing. These dances are meant to invoke spirits and open those present to the spirit world. Once connected with the spirits through a trance, the Healers will be filled with a sacred energy called n/um, and be able to pull the sickness out of those present. They stay singing and dancing from sunset to sunrise, never stopping. A very important function of this event is to cure the "star sickness," which is believed to be the cause of jealousy, hate, and fighting within the tribe. This dance heals not only the physical afflictions of the San, but it heals their social fabric, too.
The San, about four times a month, have a ritual dance known as a trance dance or healing dance, shown above. They sing and dance around a fire, with women singing and drumming and men dancing. These dances are meant to invoke spirits and open those present to the spirit world. Once connected with the spirits through a trance, the Healers will be filled with a sacred energy called n/um, and be able to pull the sickness out of those present. They stay singing and dancing from sunset to sunrise, never stopping. A very important function of this event is to cure the "star sickness," which is believed to be the cause of jealousy, hate, and fighting within the tribe. This dance heals not only the physical afflictions of the San, but it heals their social fabric, too.