San Elders Speak

D'Errico Francesco, Lucinda Backwell

Description

This richly illustrated book documents indigenous knowledge and uses of San material culture and artefacts collected a century ago, as described by KhoiSan elders to the authors.

San material culture has been a subject of study for many researchers and archaeologists but rarely has the documented material been seen through the eyes of the people themselves. San Elders Speak: Ancestral Knowledge of the Kalahari San is the first attempt to document indigenous knowledge through the voices of four San elders from the Kalahari. The knowledge they shared over several days at Museum Africa in Johannesburg provides an enriching account that links the past and present in San life in illuminating ways.

The San elders rediscovered objects last seen in their childhood and shared stories inspired by their handling of the objects. They provide the correct traditional names and explain how items were made, from what material, who used them, why and when. The text is accompanied by a rich visual record of the artefacts and how the San elders portray their use.

Aimed at scholars and students of archaeology, human evolution, anthropology, material culture studies, conservation, museology, and African studies, San Elders Speak is a captivating record into all aspects of this ancient and vanishing world of indigenous knowlegde, and represents a unique heritage for the people of descendant San communities.



List of figures

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Maps



Chapter 1   Meeting the San Elders

Chapter 2  San: Past and Present

Chapter 3  The Life And Times of Louis Fourie

Chapter 4  Day 1

Chapter 5  Day 2 Morning

Chapter 6  Day 2 Afternoon

Chapter 7  Day 3 Morning

Chapter 8  Day 3 Afternoon

Chapter 9  Day 4 Morning

Chapter 10  Day 4 Afternoon

Chapter 11  Day 5

Chapter 12  Day 6

Chapter 13  Day 7



Appendix

Bibliography

About the authors

Index

Sujets

• Social Science
• Sociologie, société et politique
• Anthropology
• Social
• Culture

Informations

• Publié par: WITS University Press
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776146659
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

SAN ELDERS SPEAK
SAN ELDERS SPEAK
Ancestral Knowledge of the Kalahari San
LUCINDA BACKWELL AND FRANCESCO D ERRICO
Published in South Africa by:
Wits University Press
1 Jan Smuts Avenue
Johannesburg 2001
www.witspress.co.za
Copyright Lucinda Backwell and Francesco d Errico 2021
Published edition Wits University Press 2021
Images and figures Copyright holders
First published 2021
http://dx.doi.org.10.18772/12021076628
978-1-77614-662-8 (Paperback)
978-1-77614-663-5 (Hardback)
978-1-77614-664-2 (Web PDF)
978-1-77614-665-9 (EPUB)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher, except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act, Act 98 of 1978.
All images remain the property of the copyright holders. The publishers gratefully acknowledge the publishers, institutions and individuals referenced in captions for the use of images. Every effort has been made to locate the original copyright holders of the images reproduced here; please contact Wits University Press in case of any omissions or errors.
The publication of this volume was supported by funding from the Research Council of Norway through its Centres of Excellence funding scheme, SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE), University of Bergen, project number 262618.

Project manager: Inga Norenius
Copyeditor: Karen Press
Proofreader: Inga Norenius
Indexer: Tessa Botha
Design and layout: Hybrid Creative
Typesetter: MPS
Typeset in Inter, 9pt
SAN ELDERS SPEAK
Ancestral Knowledge of the Kalahari San
LUCINDA BACKWELL AND FRANCESCO D ERRICO
This book is dedicated to the memory of Louis Fourie, accomplished physician and anthropologist.

Contents
LIST OF FIGURES
FOREWORD
PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
MAPS

CHAPTER 1 Meeting the San Elders
CHAPTER 2 San: Past and Present
CHAPTER 3 The Life and Times of Louis Fourie
CHAPTER 4 Day 1
CHAPTER 5 Day 2 Morning
CHAPTER 6 Day 2 Afternoon
CHAPTER 7 Day 3 Morning
CHAPTER 8 Day 3 Afternoon
CHAPTER 9 Day 4 Morning
CHAPTER 10 Day 4 Afternoon
CHAPTER 11 Day 5
CHAPTER 12 Day 6
CHAPTER 13 Day 7

APPENDIX
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
INDEX

List of Figures Map 1 Map of the Nyae Nyae Conservancy Map 2 Map of southern Africa showing the distribution of the various San language groups Figure 1.1 Tsamkxao ≠Oma from /Aotcha, Nyae Nyae, Namibia. Figure 1.2 Dawid Cgunta Bo from Dou Pos, Nyae Nyae, Namibia. Figure 1.3 Lena Gwaxan Cgunta from Dou Pos, Nyae Nyae, Namibia. Figure 1.4 Joa Cwi from De/nui, Nyae Nyae, Namibia. Figure 1.5 ≠Oma Tsamkgao, known as Leon, from Tsumkwe, Namibia. Figure 1.6 //ao ≠Oma from Dou Pos, Nyae Nyae, Namibia. Figure 1.7 Three elders (Tsamkxao ≠Oma, Dawid Cgunta Bo and Lena Gwaxan Cgunta), our scribe, Kathleen Dollman, and Brent Stirton, the photographer and Lucinda Backwell. Figure 3.1 Louis Fourie in 1933. Courtesy of Museum Africa. Figure 3.2 Mabel Fourie in 1909. Figure 3.3 Hilgard (Bob) Fourie. Figure 3.4 Andrew Fourie in 1942. Figure 3.5 An excerpt from Fourie’s notebook. Figure 4.1 Our workspace at Museum Africa. Figure 4.2 Iron awl MM40/69/1205 with a wooden handle used to pierce skins. Figure 4.3 Detail of the incisions on awl MM40/69/1205. Figure 4.4 A man using a metal awl to sew leather pieces together using sinew from an ostrich tibia, Kacgae village, Botswana, 2009. Figure 4.5 Sinew from an ostrich tibia, Kacgae village, Botswana, 2009. Figure 4.6 Joa Cwi wearing a perforated bone point MM40/69/1394 used as an eating implement by girls in menarche. Figure 4.7 Pointed wooden sticks, decorated with an abstract pattern and attached to a string of ostrich eggshell beads. Figure 4.8 Grooved stone MM40/69/917 for straightening arrow shafts. Figure 4.9 Grooved stone MM40/69/917 for straightening arrow shafts. Figure 4.10 Grooved stone MM40/69/914 for straightening arrow shafts. Figure 4.11 Tsamkxao ≠Oma handling the grooved stone for straightening arrow shafts MM40/69/914. Figure 4.12 Arrow shaft straightening using embers as demonstrated by //ao ≠Oma, Dou Pos village, Nyae Nyae, Namibia, 2013. Figure 4.13 Arrow shaft straightening using ash as demonstrated by //ao ≠Oma, Dou Pos village, Nyae Nyae, Namibia, 2013. Figure 4.14 Cgunta Bo carrying an axe MM40/69/1499. Figure 4.15 Cgunta Bo demonstrating how the hoe MM40/69/2658 is held when using it to scrape skin. Figure 4.16 Hoe blade MM40/69/2658 shown from a different angle. Figure 4.17 Borer MM/40/69/1204. Figure 4.18 Close-up view of decoration on borer MM40/69/1204. Figure 4.19 Photograph taken by Louis Fourie of a Naron woman drilling ostrich eggshell bead preforms MMSp10-69-18, Box 2. Figure 4.20 Two women drilling ostrich eggshell bead preforms. Photograph taken by Guy Shortridge at Sandfontein in 1926 during his expedition with Fourie. Figure 4.21 Gwaxan Cgunta’s daughter, Di//xao //ao, drilling ostrich eggshells in Dou Pos village, Namibia, 2013. Figure 4.22 Borer used for different purposes MM40/69/3301. Figure 4.23 Root of Ozoroa schinzii used to make the handle of the borer. Figure 4.24 Pebble used to pound kiaat or ochre into a red powder MM40/69/1195. Figure 4.25 Pebble used to pound kiaat (Pterocarpus angolensis) wood to produce red powder MM40/69/2738. Figure 4.26 Hammer used to soften hide used for rope MM40/69/1497. Figure 5.1 Gwaxan Cgunta putting on strings of ostrich eggshell beads. Figure 5.2 Grooved stone MM40/69/1194 used to smooth ostrich eggshell beads. Figure 5.3 Grooved stone used to smooth ostrich eggshell beads, Kacgae village, Bostwana, 2009. Figure 5.4 Grooved stone used to smooth ostrich eggshell beads on a plank of wood, Kacgae village, Botswana, 2009. Figure 5.5 Horn hammer MM40/69/1197 used by a Naron woman. Figure 5.6 Close-up of horn hammer MM40/69/1197 showing striations and battering. Figure 5.7 Photograph taken by Louis Fourie of a woman using a wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) horn to round pieces of ostrich eggshell before smoothing them with a grooved stone 572.00.22. Figure 5.8 A woman in Kacgae village, Botswana, in 2009 using a wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) horn to round pieces of ostrich eggshell before smoothing them with a grooved stone. Figure 5.9 Knife and wooden sheath MM40/69/890 with sinew cord for suspension. Figure 5.10 Cgunta Bo sleeping on a skin blanket with knife MM40/69/890. Figure 5.11 Knife removed from its sheath MM40/69/890. Figure 5.12 Knife purchased in 2013 in Tsumkwe, Namibia. Figure 5.13 Piece of g!aitsao (Peltophorum africanum) wood MM40/69/1409 that is pounded into powder to make perfume. Figure 6.1 Composite hand drill and fire board MM40/69/92. Figure 6.2 Photograph taken by Louis Fourie of a San village, referred to as a werft PH2012-439. Figure 6.3 Fire board MM40/69/1989. Figure 6.4 Tsamkxao ≠Oma demonstrating how to use fire sticks. Figure 6.5 Photograph taken by Louis Fourie of a man using fire sticks PH2012-435. Figure 6.6 Various stages of production of bone arrow points and linkshafts. Figure 6.7 Cgunta Bo demonstrating how bone is broken on a wooden anvil. Figure 6.8 Photograph taken by Louis Fourie a century ago of a man breaking bones for the production of bone arrowheads P10/69/91. Figure 6.9 Closed ostrich feather container MM40/69/2488. Figure 6.10 Open ostrich feather container MM40/69/2488. Figure 6.11 Reed with filter for drinking water from a tree MM40/69/1874. Figure 6.12 Reed for drinking water MM40/69/1960. Figure 6.13 Close-up of beeswax produced by stingless bees mixed with kiaat (Pterocarpus angolensis) powder to plug the hole on the reed MM40/69/1960. Figure 6.14 Water collector with grass bundle attached MM40/69/1421. Figure 6.15 Joa Cwi demonstrating how the water collector MM40/69/1421 is used to fill an ostrich eggshell. Figure 6.16 Compressed tobacco MM40/69/3289. Figure 6.17 Tobacco bag MM40/69/2386. Figure 6.18 Tobacco bag MM40/69/2377. Figure 6.19 Tsamxao ≠Oma demonstrating how a marijuana pipe MM40/69/3357 is smoked. Figure 6.20 Photograph taken by Louis Fourie of a man smoking a pipe PH2012-508. Figure 6.21 Photograph taken by Louis Fourie of a man drilling a stone pipe P10-69-89. Figure 6.22 Photograph taken by Louis Fourie of sticks catalogued as pipe sticks or messenger sticks 59/1156. Figure 6.23 Modern protection sticks from Kacgae village in Botswana, collected in 2009. Figure 6.24 Close-up of decorations on the protection sticks from Kacgae village. Figure 6.25 Cannon bullet cartridge case used in fire lighting MM40/69/2513. Figure 6.26 Throwing sticks MM40/69/1957, MM40/69/2571A-E. Figure 6.27 A young man straightening a throwing stick in hot ash in Dou Pos village, Nyae Nyae, Namibia. Figure 6.28 A young man using sandpaper to smooth a throwing stick in Dou Pos village, Nyae Nyae, Namibia. Figure 6.29 Photograph taken by Louis Fourie of a man hurling a throwing stick P10/69/86. Figure 6.30 Scraping stick MM40/69/131 for tubers containing water. Figure 6.31 Cgunta Bo demonstrating how a scraping stick MM40/69/131 is bent and pushed away from oneself when extracting water from a tuber. Figure 7.1 Tsamkxao ≠Oma and Cgunta Bo discussing a stick MM40/69/2734. Figure 7.2 Digging and scraping stick used for making rope MM40/69/2734. Figure 7.3 Close-up of the bevelled tip of the digging and scraping stick used for making rope MM40/69/2734. Figure 7.4 Cgunta Bo demonstrating how the stick is used to scrape a Sansevieria trifasciata leaf. Figure 7.5 Photograph taken by Louis Fourie of Sansevieria cylindrica in the Kalahari P10/69/102. Figure 7.6 Photograph taken by Louis Fourie of a man using the tip of a digging and scraping stick to process Sansevieria cylindrica PH2012-266. Figure 7.7 Part of a sequence of photographs taken by Louis Fourie of a man making rope from Sansevieria cylindrica P10/69/32. Figure 7.8 Part of a sequence of photographs tak