a brief note on the ancient Herders and Foragers of South Africa.
a social history of the KhoiKhoi community (2000BP - 1880)
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================================================================= ### a social history of the KhoiKhoi community (2000BP - 1880) ( Jan 07, 2024 16 At the start of the common era, much of southwestern Africa was populated by an ancient group of foragers and herders collectively known as the Khoe-San; a diverse community that is often divided into the hunter-gatherers (San) and herder (Khoekhoe) populations. The Khoe-San have a complex and enigmatic history that spans thousands of years and isn’t well recorded, but recent advances in archeological, linguistic, and genetic research have begun to clarify their history. Popular historiography of southern Africa is often biased in favor of the more complex societies established by sedentary farmers, as is often the case for most of the world. In this region, such states are often associated with the sedentary Bantu-speaking agro-pastoralists in south-eastern Africa, such as ( and (
. While the history of the later periods largely focuses on these kingdoms’ interactions with the colonial states founded by the Dutch and British settlers, which were also predominantly farming societies. Scholars who perpetuate this bias unknowingly legitimize the myth of the 'empty land' which served as the main rationale for colonial expansion. In this historically inaccurate but politically convenient myth, the nomadic Khoe-san communities supposedly did not utilize the land they lived on, and it was thus left vacant for European expansion and settlement. _**Narudas ruins in Namibia, built by the Nama-speaking Khoe-San.**_ Parallel to this myth was the claim that the kingdoms dominated by the Bantu-speaking sedentarists (whom the Europeans considered to be utilizing their land) were supposedly recent arrivals in the 18th and 19th centuries. The colonialists thus legitimized their expansion by claiming to be protecting the rights of the ‘indigenous’ Khoe-San communities —the very same groups whom they were displacing. At the heart of this myth is the notion that only large, sedentary communities organized as kingdoms possessed the capacity to utilize the land they lived on, and that the nomadic Khoe-San populations were too small to utilize their land, nor form complex societies that could defend their claims. But like all colonial myths, this falsity isn't grounded in the historical realities of the Khoe-San. When European ships landed on the South African coast in November 1497, their leader, Vasco Da Gama, found the Khoe-San living along the shores of the Atlantic. He quickly learned that the Khoe-San didn't take kindly to strangers who took their resources without permission when an initially peaceful encounter turned violent and he was chased back to his ship by the Khoe-San. In 1510, his successor, Francisco de Almeida was killed in battle with the Khoe warriors, along with 50 of his crew, after they had invaded a coastal community of the Khoe-San and kidnapped some of their children. _**Death of Francisco d’Almeida, engraving by Pieter van der Aa, ca 1700.**_ In the background is a Khoe-San settlement. In the succeeding centuries, Khoe-San communities fought a seemingly never-ending series of wars against waves of colonial invasions by the Dutch and later by the British. Some of the Khoe-San succeeded in establishing much larger and more complex societies across southern Africa, including (
, and several constitutional monarchies in South Africa that would last until the 1870s. My latest Patreon article focuses on the history of the Khoe community of South Africa, from its earliest appearance in the archeological record around 2,000 years ago to the collapse of the last independent Khoe kingdom in 1880. **Please subscribe and read more about it here:** ( * * * _**18th-century drawing of a village in the Khoe Kingdom of Gonaqua,**_ by François le Vaillant * * *
### A Brief Note on the Ancient Herders and Foragers of South Africa: A Social History of the KhoiKhoi Community (2000 BP - 1880)

1. **Introduction to the Khoe-San Community:**
   - At the start of the Common Era, southwestern Africa was inhabited by a group known as the Khoe-San, which includes both hunter-gatherers (San) and herders (Khoekhoe).
   - The Khoe-San share a complex and extensive history that spans thousands of years, although this history is not well-documented.

2. **Bias in Historical Narratives:**
   - The historiography of southern Africa tends to favor complex sedentary societies, often associated with Bantu-speaking agro-pastoralists of southeastern Africa.
   - Colonial narratives have led to the perpetuation of the myth of the 'empty land,' suggesting that the nomadic Khoe-San did not effectively utilize the land they inhabited.

3. **Colonial Misunderstandings:**
   - This myth legitimized colonial expansion as it portrayed the Khoe-San as incapable of defending their land against European settlers, thus rendering their displacement politically convenient.
   - European settlers claimed to protect the rights of the Khoe-San while simultaneously displacing them.

4. **Initial Contact with Europeans:**
   - When Vasco Da Gama arrived in South Africa in 1497, he discovered the Khoe-San living along the Atlantic coast.
   - An initial peaceful encounter turned violent, showcasing the Khoe-San’s resistance to foreign encroachment on their resources.

5. **Conflict with Colonizers:**
   - Francisco de Almeida faced resistance in 1510 when his attempt to invade a Khoe-San community led to his death and significant loss of life among his crew.
   - This incident illustrates the Khoe-San’s organized resistance against colonial forces.

6. **Ongoing Resistance and Social Structure:**
   - Throughout the succeeding centuries, Khoe-San communities engaged in numerous wars against Dutch and later British invasions.
   - Some Khoe-San groups successfully established larger and more complex societies, including notable kingdoms and constitutional monarchies until the 1870s.

7. **Historical Significance:**
   - The narrative surrounding the Khoe-San challenges the simplistic view of nomadic communities lacking complex societal structures.
   - The resilience and agency of the Khoe-San highlight their significant role in the historical landscape of southern Africa.

8. **Research and Understanding:**
   - Recent archaeological, linguistic, and genetic studies are beginning to clarify the long-neglected history of the Khoe-San.
   - The study of the Khoe community from its archaeological emergence around 2,000 years ago to the collapse of the last independent Khoe kingdom in 1880 is essential to understanding the broader historical context of South Africa.

9. **Conclusion:**
   - The history of the Khoe-San demonstrates the complexities of indigenous land use and societal organization.
   - Acknowledging their historical contributions is crucial for a comprehensive narrative of South African history.