GEORGE NEWS - The Stone Age aboriginal people of Southern Africa called themselves Kungqua, meaning "bow-men" or "bow-people", obviously with reference to their way of hunting with the simple "bow". This name applied to all bow-hunting tribes that became known to the Europeans as Bushmen. They refer to themselves as Bushmen or !Kung. At least one of the tribes of the !Kungqua (in Platfontein Kimberley) refer to themselves as !Kung. The Quena called the !Kungqua in a somewhat derogatory manner "San".

The !Kung is a much older group than the so-called "Khoi", smaller in stature and have six clicks in their language. The Quena or Otentottu use four of the same clicks while the Nguni tribes got their three clicks from the Otentottu.

This is the third delivery in a series by Sydney Opperman in which he sheds light on the origins and names of the country's indigenous (first) nation.

In his book Cederberg rock paintings - follow the San, John Parkington, a professor in archeology, writes as follows: "For a while academics decided to use the word San to refer to putatively stockless hunter-gatherers and Khoi (or Khoikhoi) to refer to herders. We now recognise that San is pejorative ..." (derogatory, slanderous, abusive or insulting).

"The word Quena has been suggested as, probably correctly, a better self-referencing term for the collective community of herding people at the Cape in the seventeeth and early eighteenth century. 

"Ironically, the Kalahari people who have been termed San by academics have now decided they would prefer to be Bushmen. And this word is rapidly being reinstated in both popular and academic literature."

According to Dr Cyril Hromnik, a historian and researcher based in Cape Town, the word san is generally considered to be offensive and was supposedly the derogative term used by the Otentottu to describe the Bushmen or !Kung as naked (kaalgat) because they wore loincloths (stertrieme).

Dr Barbara Meiring in her article From 'space' to 'place' to 'name' to 'heritage' refers to research work done on the use of the term san. The results show that the term san has practically no support amongst the Bushmen, as indicated below:

GROUP - PLACE - RESULT/PREFERRED NAME

1. Hai//om - Tsinsabis and Etosha, Namibia - Bushman
2. Ju//'hoan - Tsumke, Namibia - Bushman
3. !Kung - Platfontein, Kimberley - Bushman
4. Hombo - Kipungu, Angola - Bushman
5. Khoe - Bagani Caprivi, Namibia - Bushman
6. Omega - Caprivi, Namibia - Bushman
7. !Xu & Khwe - Platfontein, Kimberley - Bushman
8. !Xu & Khwe - Quiteve, Angola - Uncertain
9. Naro - D'Kar, Botswana - Bushman
10. /Gwi - New Xade, Central Kalahari - Bushman
11. //Gana - Kaudwane, Central Kalahari - Bushman
12. Xoo - Bere, 19km south of Takatswane - Bushman
13. Gugakwe - Kachekau, Botswana - Bushman
14. Bugakwe - Mababe, Botswana - Bushman
15. //Anekhwe - Kwai, Botswana - Uncertain
16. Ts'exa - Mababe, Botswana - Bushman

Unfortunately the researcher could not reach two important groups, namely the ?Khomani at Ashkam in South Africa and the Hadza (at the EyasiLake in Tanzania).

The researcher concluded: "The results show that the term san has practically no support amongst the Bushmen.Those who prefer the term san are mainly isolated, politically driven individuals and quasi-representative organisations."

The late Dawid Kruiper reportedly more than once said that he was not a San but a Bushman. (Reference: What Dawid knew, by Patricia Glyn. Publisher: Picador) Sydney Opperman, sydneyopperman@gmail.com, 14 Lynx Street, Pacaltsdorp, 083 378 4237.