The earliest inhabitants of southern Africa were small groups of hunter-gatherers. Knowledge of the environment allowed those in the interior to use a wide range of game and plant foods, and those on the coast to utilize fish, shellfish and sea mammals. Men hunted game with wooden bows and poisoned arrows, and caught fish in traps. Women collected a wide range of plant foods, using wooden digging sticks to unearth roots and skin bags to carry the food home.

Small related groups lived in seasonal camps within defined territories. Each family had its own shelter and domestic hearth around a communal space where dances and other activities took place. This camping pattern is still found among the few remaining groups of Kalahari hunter-gatherers.

Early 19th-century /Xam (San) people in the Karoo, who are depicted alongside, carefully selected certain plant species for fire wood, similar to those chosen by rural people living in the more arid parts of the country today. Examples are taaibos (Rhus sp.), t'arra t'kooi (Rushia sp.), and ghwarrie (Euclea sp.).

The archaeological record from places like Elands Bay Cave on the West Coast of South Africa shows that these species have been used as firewood for at least 4000 years, and it can be assumed that this practice goes back many more thousands of years.

Herders

From about 2000 years ago, groups of herders spread over much of southwestern Africa, adapting to a range of different environments and migrating seasonally with their herds. They depended largely on the milk and meat from their cattle, fat-tailed sheep and goats, but they also hunted game and gathered plant foods. They lived in mat-houses which could be dismantled easily and transported using pack-oxen, and later by means of wagons.

Some Nama-speaking herders in the settled communal areas of Namaqualand today continue to use traditional mat-houses. The mats are made by women from sedges (Cyperus spp. and Scirpus spp.) collected from riverbeds. The mats were fastened over a framework of arched wooden poles (Acacia spp. and Ziziphus spp.) with plant-fibre string, in patterns which appear to have symbolised membership of distinctive social groups.

Labels for images

• A Korana village on the south bank of the Orange River. Samuel Daniell, early 19th century.
• A Korana family preparing to move camp. Samuel Daniell, early 19th century.
• A trekboer encampment near Pella at the turn of the century, with cooking shelters close to the mat-houses. Photo: R.C. Mission Archives, Pella, Namaqualand.
• A homestead at Pella in Namaqualand, with the owner, Mr Jan Voss, shown beside one of the buildings. The mat-house, covered with sedge mats and contemporary materials, was used for sleeping and storage. Photos: G. P. Klinghardt, 1983 & 1985.

hearth and home: farmers