The Bushmen of the Kalahari, Namibia
The term "Bushmen" is best known referring to the nomadic hunter-gatherer people of
the Kalahari Desert
of Africa. They are also called "Basarwa"(in Botswana) and "San" (in Namibia and South Africa). The word "San" means "foragers" in the Khoekhoe-language and, like "Bushmen", also carries negative connotations of backwardness, low status or even banditry. That is why some people argue, that the term "San" is no better than "Bushmen". Among them are people who call themselves "Bushmen" in order to demonstrate that they are proud of their origin and the knowledge they have of living of the bushveld.
To hear the very interesting and unique "click" languages spoken by the Bushmen, is a wonderful experience in itself. Different varieties of these click languages are spoken by the Bushmen. Five types of click sounds are known to exist in the Bushmen languages, although not all of them will be used in any single variety. A certain sucking action of the tongue is responsible for the click sounds, but a different position of the tongue and the way in which air is released result in different sounds. These sounds are written as "/" (dental), "≠" (palatal), "!" (alveolar or retroflex), "//" (lateral) and "(circle with dot)"(bilabial). Different click languages are spoken by different groups of Bushmen. The group living in a small village just north of Uitspan Hunting Ranch, (see below) speak two varieties (West !Xoon and 'N/ohan) of the Taa-language, which is part of the Tuu language family or of the Southern branch of South African Khoisan. "Taa" in their language means 'person' or 'human being'.
Due to the small number of speakers the language is classified as "endangered" language. A very interesting project is currently undertaken to document the Taa-language, history and culture. It is part of the Volkswagen Foundation sponsored globally working programme called "Documentation of Endangered Languages" (DoBes). You can find more information about the research and the Taa-speaking Bushmen on the
DoBes website.
The Korridor is divided into 22 farms made up by two parallel columns next to the border with Botswana. Each farm has several boreholes and one of the Nr.17-boreholes was put under San authority. This little village is called "San Plaas" ("plaas" the Afrikaans word for "farm"). In 1997 a Community Campsite was built here. And this is where any visitors are taken that are interested in the culture, living circumstances and language of the Bushmen of the Kalahari. You can
download a Map of the Kalahari's Roads
if you want to visit Uitspan Ranch or want us to arrange a Bushman Excursion for you. Note the location of Uitspan Ranch on the map. You will need Adobe Reader (the latest version is recommended) installed on your computer in order to open this Kalahari Roads Map. You can get Acrobat Reader here (a new window will open so you can download without leaving this page). If you want to open the file in your browser window, you can just click on the link. However if you want to download the file to view later, then right click on the link and choose "Save Target As" or "Save File As." Then select where you want to save the file on your hard drive. Once you have saved the file, locate where you saved it, and double click to open. In order to print, open the downloaded file, and select the "Print" option from the menu. If you have any problems, let me know via our
Contact Us-page
, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
 We will be glad to arrange an excursion to this settlement for any guests. It will definitely enhance your whole experience and adventure to Namibia and also to the Kalahari. Many of our hunting guests to Uitspan Hunting Ranch plan enough time with us to include a day visiting the San-village.
The tour will be pre-arranged by Awie Steenkamp, a farmer from a nearby farm. He has a special relationship with the Bushmen leadership and also acts as your guide to the village. The settlement is quite remote and visits are therefore few and far in between. Visitors are welcomed very much by all of the inhabitants, since it provides a market for their wares and donations for the performances they give.
Trackers will take you on foot into the veld to show their means and ways of survival. The medicinal and nutritional uses of plants, the interpreting of animal tracks, and more of the unseen little wonders of the Kalahari, will be shown to you by the real experts and geniuses of the region.
A guest and friend from the USA, Jim Jones, who also wrote a book of his whole experience in Africa (see his Brown Hyena Hunt story), wrote about the Bushmen and the visit to the village as follows:
Thus, we may be among the last to see these remarkable people living as they have lived for thousands of years.... We all agreed that the day was special and that we were indeed fortunate for the experience."
For any of our hunting groups that want to combine a
Kalahari Hunting Safari
with a Bushmen-excursion, the additional costs involved (apart from a non-hunting day fee) will be U$150 (per person) for 1 or 2 persons and U$130 (per person) for 3 or 4 persons. These prices includes the whole excursion, full catering and overnighting in a camp with Bushmen huts (you will be accompanied by Awie, the guide). The price excludes any wares you buy from the San people. For anyone else interested in such a tour (who does not combine it with a hunting safari), it will cost U$170 (per person) for 1 or 2 persons and U$145 (per person) for 3 or 4 persons. You may contact us for quotes on groups more than 4 persons. Just send your request from our
Contact-page.
We as "civilized" people of this world, have much to learn from the Bushmen. They still live so close to nature and know all about the wonderful ways and
adaptibilities of the Kalahari animals
and nature here.  They know what "survival" really means!
I created this website with the help of SBI. Click here to read more... For detailed general information about how to get to Namibia, visa and passport requirements, the currency, medical services, etc., visit our Namibia Travel Info-page.
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Since these people lived for a big part of history in relative isolation in parts of Africa, especially in the Kalahari, they still have some specific cultural and linguistic characteristics.
Taa is the only language of all Southern Khoisan languages which is still being spoken by a significant amount of San people. Most of them live in Botswana. The largest group of Taa-speakers in Namibia is to be found in a Kalahari village just north of Uitspan Ranch. 
This small Bushmen village can be found ± 50km north of Uitspan Hunting Ranch. It is located on communal land, which is called the "Korridor"-zone between the former Aminuis Native Reserve and the Botswana border. The Aminuis Native Reserve was established in 1923 for Herero cattle herders and is, since Namibian Independence, also communal land. The Korridor was originally meant to serve as a buffer zone against the spreading of cattle diseases from Botswana into the reserve. 
During the excursion, you will be introduced to the traditional lifestyle of the San, who roamed the huge Kalahari Desert for many years. Traditionally dressed Bushmen will relay some of the legends and myths to you in the form of poetry, songs and dances. 
