80th century BCE – 21st century
Eastern and central South Africa, from the western Cape to the Drakensberg and the valleys of the Orange, Vaal, Kei, Mzimvubu, and Tukela
San-speaking peoples were Late Stone Age hunter-gatherer communities occupying much of eastern and central South Africa. Their languages were distinct from both Khoi and Bantu, although they shared clicking sounds with Khoi. San communities interacted with expanding Bantu-speaking societies, and many were incorporated into them through settlement, patronage, exchange, and gradual linguistic assimilation.
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The Story
San-speaking communities formed the principal Late Stone Age population of the eastern half of South Africa. They were hunters and gatherers whose languages differed from both Khoi and Bantu, although San and Khoi languages shared a number of clicking sounds. Within the period remembered by European observers, San groups occupied extensive upland, plateau, valley, and coastal environments.
Their distribution extended from the mountains of the western Cape Province to the north-eastern ranges of the Drakensberg. San communities also lived in the valleys of the Orange and Vaal, on the intervening plateau, in the valleys of the Kei, Mzimvubu, and Tukela, and along the ocean coast. This broad distribution placed them in sustained contact with food-producing societies.
The expansion of Bantu-speaking populations resulted in varied forms of incorporation. Some San hunters settled with stock-owning patrons and learned their languages while influencing them in return; others exchanged products periodically and maintained more of their cultural inheritance. The presence of San clicks in southern Sotho, Zulu, Swazi, and southern Tsonga is presented as evidence that substantial numbers of San were absorbed into expanding Bantu populations.
80th century BCE – 21st century
Eastern and central South Africa, from the western Cape to the Drakensberg and the valleys of the Orange, Vaal, Kei, Mzimvubu, and Tukela
San-speaking peoples were Late Stone Age hunter-gatherer communities occupying much of eastern and central South Africa. Their languages were distinct from both Khoi and Bantu, although they shared clicking sounds with Khoi. San communities interacted with expanding Bantu-speaking societies, and many were incorporated into them through settlement, patronage, exchange, and gradual linguistic assimilation.
Continue exploring
The Story
San-speaking communities formed the principal Late Stone Age population of the eastern half of South Africa. They were hunters and gatherers whose languages differed from both Khoi and Bantu, although San and Khoi languages shared a number of clicking sounds. Within the period remembered by European observers, San groups occupied extensive upland, plateau, valley, and coastal environments.
Their distribution extended from the mountains of the western Cape Province to the north-eastern ranges of the Drakensberg. San communities also lived in the valleys of the Orange and Vaal, on the intervening plateau, in the valleys of the Kei, Mzimvubu, and Tukela, and along the ocean coast. This broad distribution placed them in sustained contact with food-producing societies.
The expansion of Bantu-speaking populations resulted in varied forms of incorporation. Some San hunters settled with stock-owning patrons and learned their languages while influencing them in return; others exchanged products periodically and maintained more of their cultural inheritance. The presence of San clicks in southern Sotho, Zulu, Swazi, and southern Tsonga is presented as evidence that substantial numbers of San were absorbed into expanding Bantu populations.
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