Who lived in the Cape in the 1600s?

Before the arrival of the Dutch at the Cape in 1652, the San and the Khoi lived in the Cape. They were semi-nomadic.

The San and the Khoi hunted, gathered and farmed.

San people

“San” means “those without livestock”.

They did not use metals and their weapons and utensils were made of wood, stone and bones. They used ostrich eggshells for holding and storing liquids.

They did not domesticate animals and did not cultivate crops.

The San were always on the move in search of game and plant foods. The seasons and the movement of the wild animals controlled their existence. For this reason they did not build permanent structures.

They lived in open camps or rock shelters as temporary homes.

Families were the main social unit. These families joined together to form hunter gatherer bands of 20-50 people. Men and women were of equal status in these groups.

The man would fish and hunt. The women would gather plant foodstuffs.

The were egalitarian (equal) society. The chief’s role was to acts as a guardian for the group’s resources. Decisions were made by the whole group.

They lived in harmony with nature.

Khoi people

The Khoi arrived 2000 years before the Dutch arrived. They adopted a more settled way of life. They practiced agriculture and cattle farming.