The World of Animals Viewed by the San Hunter-Gatherers in Kalahari

Abstract

This paper aims to clarify a part of the African hunter-gatherer perception of nature, by describing the San's perception, classification, utilization of and attitudes toward animals, based on field studies, and an analysis of the relationship between humans and animals as embodied in song, dance, drawings, and stories. The San recognize at least three categories of animals. The San regard animals primarily as food, 'kx'ooxo.' Aside from becoming game, the animals are of interest to the San if they harm humans. Thus, the harmful animals comprise the second category in the San animal classification, 'paaxo.' Third, if an animal is both inedible and harmless, it is of no interest to the San. The third category is then the useless, 'goõwahaxozi.' However, the San seem to have a distinctly different recognition of nature from ours that is markedly more differentiating and flexible. The San animal categorization may be said to have a multilevel structure: an animal that is deemed 'kx'ooxo' according to the first level categorization, can become 'paaxo, ' even 'goõwahaxo.' In turn, a 'paaxo' can become 'kx'ooxo' or 'goõwahaxo.' Many kinds of animals appear as motifs in the song, dance, rock paintings, and folk tales of the San. The hunter-gatherer familiarity with the animals is well reflected in their art as well as in their everyday life.