Full Description
The Khoisan are a cluster of southern African peoples, including the famous Bushmen or San 'hunters', the Khoekhoe 'herders' (in the past called 'Hottentots'), and the Damara, also a herding people. Most Khoisan live in the Kalahari desert and surrounding areas of Botswana and Namibia. In spite of differences in their way of life, the various groups have much in common, and this book explores these similarities and the influence of environment and history on aspects of Khoisan culture. This is the first book on the Khoisan as a whole since the publication in 1930 of The Khoisan Peoples of South Africa, by Isaac Schapera, doyen of southern African studies.
Contents
Preface; A note on orthography; Part I. The Khoisan Peoples: 1. Introduction; 2. Ethnic classification, origins, and history of the Khoisan peoples; Part II. A Survey of Khoisan Ethnography: 3. The !Kung; 4. The !Xo and Eastern Hoa; 5. The southern Bushmen; 6. The G/wi and G//ana of the central Kalahari; 7. The eastern and northern Khoe Bushmen; 8. The Nharo; 9. The Cape Khoekhoe and Korana; 10. The Nama and others; 11. The Damara and Hai//om; Part III. Comparisons and Transformations: 12. Settlement and territoriality among the desert-dwelling Bushmen; 13. Politics and exchange in Khoisan society; 14. Aspects of Khoisan religious ideology; 15. Bushman kinship: correspondences and differences;16. Khoe kinship: underlying structures and transformations; 17. Conclusions; References; Index.
