Chapter Eighteen
The highlight of my African adventure was the last thing I did. I spent five weeks teaching at a kindergarten for the children of the San Tribe. These adorable, clever, mischievous children stole my heart.
Who are the San Tribe?
In retrospect, it’s hard to believe that I had the fortune of experiencing the San culture. For those of you that don’t know the San Tribe, also known as the Ju Hoansi tribe, they are one of the oldest indigenous populations. They are the hunters and gatherers, nomadic people that learned to live in harmony with nature. They speak !kung which is a language that includes four different clicking sounds. The Ju Hoansi culture is rich, filled with knowledge on natural remedies from the bush and the medicine men are able to channel their ancestors.
Sadly, modern society has jeopardized the survival of the San Tribe. They can’t roam the land and hunt anymore because farmers own the land and many animals are endangered. My host in Namibia was an incredible individual, taking it upon himself to help keep the Ju Hoansi culture preserved.
He owns a lodge and a bush camp, and the bush camp is also a sort of living museum. On his thousands of privately owned acres he allows the Ju Hoansi tribe to live in the way they have been raised. They live out in the bush, collect berries, make bows and arrows, and pass down their ancient knowledge to the younger ones.
However, seeing that there may not be a future for this tribe, my host set up a bush kindergarten so the next generation can have more opportunities. The tribe can only live on his land so long as he is alive and owns it. If someday they are all forced to leave the land, the children need to know English so that they can go out into the villages and make a living.
I was very eager to start this workaway. Having recently read Sapiens and Sex at Dawn (great books, I would recommend both of them) I had only recently realized how historically significant the hunter gatherers from the Namibia/Botswana area are. I arrived knowing I was in for a once in a lifetime experience.
After 5 months in Africa, I thought I was past culture shock. However, that first encounter with the Ju Hoansi tribe made me realize I was in a whole different world. Physically, the tribe looks significantly different than any African I had seen previously. Their skin is lighter, the bridge of their nose is almost even with their high cheek bones, they have freckles and golden hair. Their eyes even seemed farther apart.
Just a 40 minute drive away in Grootfontein, the Africans had dark skin. It turns out that the Ju Hoansi tribe actually has divergent DNA from the other people of Africa.
The first time I heard them speak to one another I was in awe. The click sounds during words was so fascinating. It is extremely hard to learn how to do this. Sure you can click and then say a word but to do both at the same time takes a skill I personally do not possess.
The third shock upon meeting them was the nudity. Previously in my Africa journey I came across women in long dresses or with cloth wrapped around their wastes. Very little skin was typically shown. Beautifully, the San Tribe never fell prey to society’s brainwashing that we all needed to cover up to be “proper”. The kids run around butt naked, the women are shirtless, the men just wear a loincloth made from oryx. It’s a beautiful thing to see people so comfortable in their own skin and with nature.
Guest Experience at Fiume Bush Camp
Of course my host needed to make money somehow. The bushcamp where the tribe lives is a place where people curious about this culture can come and stay. You sleep in luxury tents and there is no wifi, AC, or things like that.
While staying there you go on a bush walk with an elder of the tribe. Another member that speaks english will come as a translator and explain what the tribeman says as he points out the different medicines they have in the bush. There is an orange that causes diarrhea, a root that when boiled induces labor, and another root that helps with a toothache. It’s amazing the things this tribe has discovered and if we let society push them to extinction, we are going to lose all of this ancient knowledge.
As a guest you will learn how to make a bow and arrow, the tribe will perform the rain dance and on your last night you will be invited to a bonfire. Around the bonfire the women sing and clap as the medicine man tosses herbs into the fire. He goes into a trance and is able to communicate with the ancestors.
The Medicine Man
The stories I heard about the medicine men were incredible. One of the staff members of the bush camp was bitten by a black mamba, which means he had 30 minutes to an hour to live. He calmly went to the medicine man. Had he ran his heart rate would have increased and the poison would have spread sooner. The medine man placed needles in his knees and the man survived.
They have stories of men turning into elephants and lions. One of the older men of the tribe told us a story (with the help of a translator) of when he was a boy. His family was crossing the land when they noticed they were being stalked by a lion. The boy’s dad talked to the lions and because they believe their ancestors can turn into lions, the lion understood and did not attack them.
Some of this may seem like hocus pocus, but who are we to judge when many Westerners believe in a man walking across water. Every culture has their own stories and exaggerations in order to convey a larger point. There is one thing that I can verify though. The other volunteer had a bad cough and the tribe collected a root for her. She boiled it for twenty minutes and then drank the water. She said it tasted disgusting but her throat instantly calmed down and felt numb.
I had a phenomenal time getting to know these people and their culture. The man allowing this culture to continue on his land is a really good guy and if you want to go to Namibia I think you should support his cause. Also, if you stay there, the money you pay will also go towards supplies for the bush kindergarten. Keep this place in mind when planning your own African adventure! My Africa highlight video has many scenes of the San Tribe so check that out here!
Chronicles of a Wandering Soul 