There is so much change happening in the lives of the San people. But one thing remains the same, the desire to gather.
The San maintain their connection to the land in the Nyae Nyae Conservancy through hunting and gathering even today. More than two in three adults still gather and hunt regularly. It may though only account for 15 to 30 percent of their calorie intake per day. Yet one in three consider gathering their single most important source of nutrition.
The government and numerous NGOs have wanted and tried to make the San farmers or at least get them “proper jobs.” They view the San’s dependence on gathering “a concern.” Gathering remains an important food source for the San maybe because most cannot afford to purchase food. But in reality, gathering remains important because so many chose village life over seeking work.
I would have to agree with the San. To walk the bush in the Kalahari is peaceful and almost magical. I am drawn to the land myself even though I have only lived there a short time and look forward to returning. To follow a San person into the bush is kinda what I imagine it would feel like to walk with God in the Garden of Eden. Everything has been provided for them in what most would see as just a desert.
Ha3els in Africa 