The ‘San’ identity

Third article

The Stone Age aboriginal people of

Southern Africa called themselves Kungqua, meaning “bow-men” or “bow-people”, obviously with reference to their way of hunting with the simple “bow”. This name applied to all bow-hunting tribes that became known to the Europeans as Bushmen. They refer to themselves as Bushmen or !Kung. At least one of the tribes of the !Kungqua (in Platfontein Kimberley) refer to themselves as !Kung. The Quena called the !Kungqua in a somewhat derogatory manner “San”.

The !Kung is a much older group than the so-called “Khoi”, smaller in stature and have six clicks in their language. The Quena or Otentottu use four of the same clicks while the Nguni tribes got their three clicks from the Otentottu.

This is the third delivery in a series by Sydney Opperman in which he sheds light on the origins and names of the country's indigenous (first) nation.

In his book Cederberg rock paintings follow the San, John Parkington, a professor in archeology, writes as follows: "For a while academics decided to use the word San to refer to putatively stockless hunter-gatherers and Khoi (or Khoikhoi) to refer to herders. We now recognise that San is pejorative

..." (derogatory, slanderous, abusive or insulting).

"The word Quena has been suggested as, probably correctly, a better self-referencing term for the collective community of herding people at the Cape in the seventeeth and early eighteenth century. Ironically, the Kalahari people who have been termed San by academics have now decided they would prefer to be Bushmen. And this word is rapidly being reinstated in both popular and academic literature."

According to Dr Cyril Hromnik, a historian and researcher based in Cape Town, the word san is generally considered to be offensive and was supposedly the derogative term used by the Otentottu to describe the Bushmen or !Kung as naked (kaalgat) because they wore loincloths (stertrieme).

Dr Barbara Meiring in her article From 'space' to 'place' to 'name' to 'heritage' refers to research work done on the use of the term san. The results show that the term san has practically no support amongst the Bushmen, as indicated below:

GROUP - PLACE - RESULT/PREFERRED NAME

1. Hai//om - Tsinsabis and Etosha, Namibia - Bushman

2. Ju//'hoan - Tsumke, Namibia - Bushman

3. !Kung - Platfontein, Kimberley Bushman

4. Hombo - Kipungu, Angola - Bushman

5. Khoe - Bagani Caprivi, Namibia Bushman

6. Omega - Caprivi, Namibia - Bushman

7. !Xu & Khwe - Platfontein, Kimberley Bushman

8. !Xu & Khwe - Quiteve, Angola Uncertain

9. Naro - D'Kar, Botswana - Bushman

10. /Gwi - New Xade, Central Kalahari Bushman

11. //Gana - Kaudwane, Central Kalahari Bushman

12. Xoo - Bere, 19km south of Takatswane - Bushman

13. Gugakwe - Kachekau, Botswana Bushman

14. Bugakwe - Mababe, Botswana Bushman

15. //Anekhwe - Kwai, Botswana Uncertain

16. Ts'exa - Mababe, Botswana - Bushman Tickets only R50 pp, available from Glenwood House School or 36 Akasia Street, George East More info: 083 379 9935