Bushmen-San People Group

The Bushmen people are some of the earliest settlers of South Africa.  They have roamed Southern Africa for the last 35,000 years.  Their home is in the vast expanse of the Kalahari desert. The first sweep of invasions was made as Bantu settlers came in and did a forced take-over. The next displacement came about as Belgium invaders attacked the area.  The slaughter of people was unbelievable, with the population either being slaughtered or herded into camps of forced laborers.  Unfortunately things have not improved for the bushmen with many now being displaced further from their original homes and alienated from their families.

 Amazing hunters, the bushman people are very skilled at reading even the look of the sand to find food.  They hunt with arrows and spears, however, when the dry season reduces the lack of poison from plants they are known to outrun their prey.  Amazing athletes they are also especially skilled at dancing and music. 

They have traditionally lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and with the rapid colonization and resistance of outside groups they have faced massive exodus from their traditional homelands.  Many live on ranches, dessert or any available place where they can gather enough for food.

The Bushmen are known for 2 things, their language and their art products.  Their language system is very intricate and contains numerous clicking sounds written out in different symbols.  The complexities of their language has further set them apart, and has led to more racism from those around them.  

The Bushman people are known for their art products, which have become a symbol for their fight for a better life.  Many pieces have won international acclaim.  Traditional Bushman art is meant to convey a trance experience.  Dancing and storytelling are very important for the Bushman. To convey this experience to others in the form of art is the purpose that an artistic painting or sculpture has.