Early Southern Africans Flashcards
Who were the earliest inhabitants of Southern Africa?
San (Bushmen) - descendants of Late Stone Age people
What type of lifestyle did the San people have?
Nomadic, hunter-gatherer.
Living in small family groups
Which group of people moved to Southern Africa approx. 2500 years ago?
Khoikhoi
What way of life did the Khoikhoi have?
Supplemented hunting and gathering with herders (pastoralism).
What was the difference in Khoikhoi lifestyle compared to the San?
Moved less (since farmed)
Lived in larger groups with hereditary “chiefs”
Ownership of cattle and livestock was seen as a marker of status and authority
Animals were domesticated
By the 16th century, where did most of the Khoikhoi live?
South of the Orange River (Gariep River) & West of Fish River (Northern & Western Cape)
What was the big difference between weapons, tools and utensils of the San and the Khoikhoi?
San didn’t use metal, only wood, stone and bone
Why didn’t the San build permanent shelters?
They moved with the movement of the game. Their shelters depended upon the weather.
Did the San have a chief?
Yes (hereditary), but they had limited powers (guardian of group’s resources). Decisions were made as a group.
What different tasks did men and women do in San groups?
Men - hunting
Women - gathering
What was San people’s relationship with nature?
Harmonious and connected spiritually since depend on it for their survival
When, where and how did Khoikhoi people develop from the San?
Approx. 2500 years ago
Northern Botswana
Acquired fat-tailed sheep and long-horned cattle
When did Khoikhoi move south?
Approx. 2000 years ago
Which group of people arrived in the Eastern part of Southern Africa and moved the Khoikhoi west to W. and N. Cape?
Xhosa/Bantu speaking crop farmers arrived from Central Africa (Great Lakes Area)
What did the Khoikhoi believe about land ownership?
Owned communally
How did the Khoikhoi get metal for tools and weapons?
Traded with north
What happened between 1799 and 1803?
Khoikhoi War of Independence
Khoikhoi defeated
What type of lifestyle did the Bantu people (from central Africa) follow?
Mixed-subsistence (i.e. also grew crops etc)
Which famous kingdoms did Bantu people form?
Mapungubwe
Great Zimbabwe
By 1600, which two Bantu-speaking branches were established in South Africa?
- Sotho-Tswana (eastern highland - Highveld)
2. Nguni, i.e. Xhosa (eastern coastal plains)
Why did Bantu people move to the east of the South Africa?
Best land of farming since summer rainfall and less prone to drought
(Western Cape is winter rainfall and prone to drought)
When did the Xhosa settle in the Eastern Cape (between Mtamvuna River to north and Great Kei River to South; and between escarpment and coast)?
In the 14th Century
Why was the Eastern Cape ideal for the Xhosa?
- East of 500mm rainfall line, i.e. received enough summer rain to grow indigenous crops
- People could collect shellfish and fish
How did Xhosa people live?
Respected environment Farmers Cattle were highly valued (given as part of dowry - lobola, and for tribute - to chief) Cattle only killed for ceremonies Cattle moved for grazing
Why were the Xhosa people divided into two main groups by the 1660s, and what were these groups?
Due to search for grazing
Two groups: Thembu and Mpondo
How did Europeans discover that the Cape was habitable?
Portuguese travellors and shipwrecked sailors saw great concentrations of people living in prosperity
