|
|
||
|
OF THE estimated 300 million indigenous peoples living in approximately 70 countries world-wide, about 100 000 San live in the southern African region — 49 000 in Botswana, 38 000 in Namibia, 4 500 in South Africa, 6 000 in Angola, 1 600 in Zambia and 1 200 in Zimbabwe. THE SAN are the aboriginal people of South Africa. Their distinct hunter-gatherer culture stretches back over 20 000 years, and their genetic origins reach back over one million years. Recent research indicates that the San are the oldest genetic stock of contemporary humanity. ONLY
A small minority of the San groups inhabit remnants of their ancestral
land. The majority eke out an existence as labourers on cattle posts and
farms, as gatherers of bush food and, if legally permitted, as hunters
in remote areas with limited infrastructure and poor-quality land, or
as squatters near towns. |
| THE ECONOMIC base for the majority of San community members lies in generating income from the production and marketing of crafts, from guiding or performing for tourists, from earning small salaries as labourers on commercial or communal farms or, in the cases of Namibia and Botswana, from receiving pensions paid by the governments to the elderly. Most San families earn less than US$12 per month, except for pensioners who receive US$37 per month. | ||