The Ju/’Hoansi Bushmen
Who they are
The Nyae Nyae Conservancy is the ancestral home of the Ju/’Hoansi (San) Bushmen and one of the last few remaining wildernesses in Namibia. It is estimated that the Ju/’Hoansi have lived in the Nyae Nyae for at least 40000 years. Today the Ju/hoan of Nyae Nyae have a tiny population of 11000 Ju/hoansi that have staked their claim in north-eastern Namibia, establishing control over their own ‘land and resources as the very first internationally recognised conservancy in Namibia, making it the oldest of all 82 registered communal conservancies in Namibia.
Nyae Nyae is the only place left in the world where the San people and their traditions are still untouched. The San are totally dependent on the land like they have been for thousands of years. They still live in crude shelters of twigs and grass and still perform their traditional hunting methods.
History
The San are known as the best hunters and trackers known to man, with a rich hunting history passed from generation to generation. They still perform their old-as-time hunting traditions. With the Eland antelope being their sacred animal. The history of their hunting expeditions over thousands of years is captured on old rock paintings using the blood of the sacred Eland and the Eland hairs as a brush.
The Nyae Nyae Conservancy today is the untouched home of the “First People,” a sacred area untouched by the modern world. Nyae Nyae is the only place the San are still allowed to hunt with their traditional bow and poisoned arrows, while some still use the traditional snares and traps for capturing smaller game.
Their home is also home to the largest elephants in the world who the San people refer to as their “cows.” It’s also home to an abundance of other wildlife like lions, buffalos, rhinos, leopards and wild dogs all living in peace and union.