The San Bushmen

Our trip began in Cape Town, South Africa where we first heard of the San people—sometimes called “Bushmen”. The San are among the most ancient continuous cultures on earth – inhabiting the desert regions of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.  Genetic studies have shown that the San trace back over 150,000 years, making them one of our closest living links to the earliest humans. We saw several San rock paintings, some dating back 30,000 years.

 Cool Facts About the San

• San use “clicks” in their language – notoriously hard for outsiders to master.
• Their skilled trackers can read the faintest signs—dust disturbances, bent grass – to follow an animal for days. 
• The average adult San man stands around 5’3” and woman 4’11”.
• San carry genetic adaptations to harsh desert living, including unusual cholesterol metabolism that helps them survive on lean wild foods.

The San remind me of Africa’s unique role as the cradle of early humanity. We all carry African DNA (and some Neanderthal as well).  The ability of genetics to shine light on our distant past is pretty cool.

Thank you God for the San.

Toodling and Noodling, Stan