Community and Beliefs

The Community and Beliefs

San hunter-gatherers lived mostly in small family groups. Because everything came from nature, nobody could become richer or more powerful than anyone else.

The San were a society without hierarchy. This meant that everyone was treated equally, and that all big decisions were made by the group or band. There were no chiefs or leaders and in this way, no one was given special treatment. They were also allowed to marry more than one wife, but few men did so.

Often the first marriage of a young person was arranged by their parents. The bridegroom would be about 15 years old and the bride about 9 years old. During their courtship the young man would bring gifts to his future parents-in-law to prove his ability as a hunter and to show that he could support his wife-to-be.

On the day of the wedding, the bridegroom had to bring an animal he had killed to the parents of his bride. The bride's mother would decorate her daughter's face with the fat of an animal and mix it with red ochre.

There was no big ceremony for weddings as a marriage was official when the bride and groom entered and shared the same shelter.

Once the bride and groom had been married, the husband had to perform bride service for his parents-in-law, which meant that he needed to join their band. He also had to hunt, prepare skins, and do other things around the home for them for a certain amount of time, usually until his wife had had three children.

The San moved around in bands of three of four families ranging between 15 and 40 people. The band's territory is called the nlore. Often, bands would meet together and in times of drought these networks would join together and share in the available food and water resources.

Activity 7 - Community and Beliefs

Complete the Google Form "Community and Beliefs - Activity 6" by filling in the missing words.