The San of Southern Africa and the Chumash of Southern California
The San of Southern Africa and the Chumash of Southern California
Although the San of the Kalahari Desert and the Chumash of Santa Barbara, California shared the life of food collectors, the two societies differ greatly in settlement, lifestyles and technology. The San and Chumash The San people of southern Africa settled on the northern fringe of the Kalahari Desert. In the 21st century the San started with 50,000 to 80,000 people. Because of the arid dry conditions the San people had to rely on the variety of wild plants found in the area such as nuts, berries, roots, fruits and greens. The Chumash of Southern California settled in permanent villages along the coast of present day Santa Barbara, where they had 20,000 people in the 16th century. The Chumash were rich in resources because of the lush coast along the Pacific Ocean which allowed them draw on the resources of the sea and land as well. The San and Chumash lived in very different environment’s which affected their lifestyles. The San groups called themselves the Ju/’hoasni, meaning “real people”. 5,000 years ago, the ancestors of the San inhabited southern Africa who practiced hunting and gathering. The Khoisan speaking people lived in grass huts and had bands of 10 to 30 people. The San people had a naming system that allowed them to bond with people with the same name but not allowing men to marry a woman of the same name as their mother or sister. The San people left behind a cultural practice of rock art which became the “oldest artistic tradition of humankind.” Speaking a variety of dialects, the Chumash was a created new society, which had
bands of 25 to 50 people. They lived in round permanent houses covered in grass in villages of a settled population. The most important technology created by the San people was the all-purpose wooden digging stick along with many other creations such as iron tools, woven ropes, nets, knives, spears, bows and arrows. These implements helped the
Although the San of the Kalahari Desert and the Chumash of Santa Barbara, California shared the life of food collectors, the two societies differ greatly in settlement, lifestyles and technology. The San and Chumash The San people of southern Africa settled on the northern fringe of the Kalahari Desert. In the 21st century the San started with 50,000 to 80,000 people. Because of the arid dry conditions the San people had to rely on the variety of wild plants found in the area such as nuts, berries, roots, fruits and greens. The Chumash of Southern California settled in permanent villages along the coast of present day Santa Barbara, where they had 20,000 people in the 16th century. The Chumash were rich in resources because of the lush coast along the Pacific Ocean which allowed them draw on the resources of the sea and land as well. The San and Chumash lived in very different environment’s which affected their lifestyles. The San groups called themselves the Ju/’hoasni, meaning “real people”. 5,000 years ago, the ancestors of the San inhabited southern Africa who practiced hunting and gathering. The Khoisan speaking people lived in grass huts and had bands of 10 to 30 people. The San people had a naming system that allowed them to bond with people with the same name but not allowing men to marry a woman of the same name as their mother or sister. The San people left behind a cultural practice of rock art which became the “oldest artistic tradition of humankind.” Speaking a variety of dialects, the Chumash was a created new society, which had
bands of 25 to 50 people. They lived in round permanent houses covered in grass in villages of a settled population. The most important technology created by the San people was the all-purpose wooden digging stick along with many other creations such as iron tools, woven ropes, nets, knives, spears, bows and arrows. These implements helped the