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The KhoeSan
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| The
Khoekhoe |
The name 'Khoekhoe'
means 'men of men'. Their herds of sheep and cattle gave them a stable,
balanced diet and they lived in larger groups than the San.
Clan groups, descended from a common ancestor, lived with their
chief in kraals where they kept their herds. They made their small homes of
reed mats covered with animal skins. An elephant's ear served as a
door.
Clans were identified with a particular territory, but were
semi-nomadic, moving whenever grazing land became depleted. The territories
were not rigid and overlapped. The chiefs of several clans recognised a
paramount Chief and were loosely associated under him as a 'tribe'.
Thus the Khoekhoe had a much larger, more complex and
hierarchical society than the San.
European records of the sixteenth century show that there were several Khoekhoe
tribes living around the region of modern Cape Town, and there was occasional
warfare between them.
Interestingly, the tribe around Table Bay, the Goringhaikona,
had no herds and lived on seafood that they found along the coast.
For more on the Khoekhoe see
Peoples.
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Heritage Sections
· Culture ·
· Environment
·
History
· Society
Personalities ·
Areas
In this period of Cape History:
Overview
Introduction
The San
The
Khoekhoe
Bibliography &
Contacts
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