Finding out about hunter-gatherers and herders Who were the hunter-gatherers?

Many societies all over the world survived by hunting and gathering for most of the last 100 000 years. In southern Africa the San people, who arrived thousands of years ago, are an example of hunter-gatherers. They used stone tools to cut up the animals they hunted and did not use iron. The San are an important example of these communities and is still in danger of becoming extinct. Where did they come from? Some of the earliest people to arrive in southern Africa were the San. They came from further north in Africa and are also known as Bushmen. This word is now considered an insult. The San arrived thousands of years before the arrival of European people. It is difficult to find out where exactly they came from and how they got here because there is no recorded history. They have a rich oral history and the stories that have been passed on along with culture and traditions from generation to generation tell us what is known of this group.

How can you find out about hunter-gatherers and herders? We can find out by means of the following: Stories We can learn quite a lot about the way hunter gatherers and herders lived from their stories. Their storytelling has passed on their customs and values. Objects Archaeologists study the objects that were left behind by the hunter-gatherers. These objects tell us about the way they used to live. Rock paintings The San, and the Khoikhoi, who arrived in southern Africa after the hunter-gatherers, created many rock paintings at thousands of different sites all over South Africa. They used natural ingredients to make paints and brushes and painted animals and people inside caves and on rocks. It is hard to say why they created these works of art, but today the paintings tell us more about these ancient ancestors and their lives. Books There are many books in libraries that explain the life of the San. Ethnography In the present we find out about them by observing living societies. This type of study is called ethnography. Ethnography is the study of social interactions, behaviours,

and perceptions that happens within groups, teams, organisations, and communities.