Page 10 - Bulletin 1 1997

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Even though the material culture on archaeological sites occupied by hunters and herders
looks similar, a close inspection shows considerable differences in quantities and style.

Hunting sites have few seal bones, but many small antelope. They also made tiny ostrich
eggshell beads and used finely made small stone tools to tip their arrows. Herding sites, by

contrast, have produced the bones of many domestic animals, and at Kasteelberg many seal

bones. Their cultural material included large ostrich eggshell beads (Fig. 1.3), as well as
ivory bracelets, lots of pottery pieces, but almost no finely made stone tools.

Thus we are confident that we can separate out the sites of hunters from herders, at least

those which predate the pressures of colonial society at the Cape which caused many
refugees of both groups to come together for survival when their land was taken away from

them by the trekboers.

References

Boonzaier, E., Malherbe, V. C., Smith, A. B., & Berens, P. 1996. The Cape Herders: a
History of the Khoikhoi of Southern Africa. Cape Town, David Philip.

Elphick, R. 1985. Khoikhoi and the Founding of White South Africa. Johannesburg, Ravan
Press.

Jacobsohn, M. 1990. Himba: Nomads of Namibia. Cape Town, Struik.

Smith, A. B., & Pheiffer, R. H. 1992. Col. Robert Jacob Gordon’s notes on the Khoikhoi
1779-80. Annals of the South African Cultural History Museum 5:1:1-56.

Yates, R., Parkington, J. & Manhire. T. 1990. Pictures from the Past: a History of the
Interpretation of Rock Paintings and Engravings of Southern Africa. Pietermaritzburg,
Centaur Press.