The San, Botswana
The San people, who are known for their strong connection to the land, are thought to be the original inhabitants of Southern Africa. They are among the oldest populations in the world. Genetic evidence places them at the base of the human family tree. These Bushmen are also one of 14 existing ancestral populations clusters that humans descend from.
They have been able to maintain a delicate equilibrium with the environment for millennia. Their existence is threatened today. The San are traditionally hunter-gatherers. Their population was decimated by colonization and land redistribution. In the 1980s, during the diamond boom, they were forced off their ancestral land and forbidden to hunt. While some of the evicted people pursued farming, most still collect medicinal plants and herbs for food, make tobacco out of zebra dung, and set animal traps.
Around 100,000 San Bushmen are scattered across Botswana Namibia South Africa Angola. The tribes prefer to be called by the name of their country, because each tribe has a unique identity, language (all with a clicking noise) and tradition. The tribes’ main homes are Botswana’s Kalahari game reserve and Makgadikgadi pan.