Angola's Tribes: The Historic Khoisan People

The Khoisan are known as the first inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa, are commonly given the pejorative name of bushmen (men of the bush) and southern Angola is part of their habitat.  Khoisan is the name given to a family of ethnic groups, the Khoikhoi and the San, as they share similar physical and language characteristics. They use click consonants when they speak, and their history is thought to go back thousands of years. They are currently at risk of extinction, as only a few populations still survive in southwest Africa.

Recent estimates reveal that of the estimated 100,000 Khoisan in Africa,  some 5000 live in southern Angola; the largest majority of the populations live in Botswana (50,000), Namibia (35,000), South Africa  (5000), and the remaining populations scattered across Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The Khoisan were traditionally hunter-gatherers, but have been forced to switch to herdsmen and farming as a result of government-mandated moderization programs as well as the increased risks of a hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the face of technological development.

The name Khoisan comes from Khuá-San, which in general terms means ‘Men’ both in Khoikhoi and in San. But in the Khoikhoi language, the word has another connotation and actually means ‘Men of Men’.

Khoisan have short frames with long legs when compared with other African peoples, they have copper brown skin and eye folds similar to Asian peoples. But in contrast with Asian women, Khoisan women tend to have rounder, broader hips, more characteristic in African women.

Khoisan languages, known for their use of clicking sounds, are not spoken very widely across Africa, and are to all intents and purposes limited to the Kalahari region spanning Angola, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. The most spoken Khoisan group languages are Kwadi and Sandawe.

Present day Khoisan are frequently claimed to be direct descendants of the first hunter-gatherers to inhabit the full expanse of western Africa but they later disappeared with the arrival of the Bantu, around 2000 years ago. Their disappearance could down to the occupation of their hunting grounds by Bantu farmers.

Sara A. Tishkoff, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, undertook a genetic study of a large group of present-day humans in 2008, and concluded that one of the oldest African bases of humanity lies in the Khoisan region, in the coastal zone nearest to the Angola and Namibia border.   According to the study, the Khoisan people have “the highest degree of mitochondrial DNA diversity of all human populations, which indicates that they are among the most ancient of African human populations.”

This theory is backed up by archaeological palaeolithic remains and the many pre-historic archaeological sites found there. In fact, right in the middle of the Namib Desert, near the Angolan region of Virei, there is a large area with cave paintings in Tchitundo-Hulo or Tchitundulo; some caves even have evidence of dwellings from the Stone Age. They are said to be one of the most beautiful collections of cave paintings of Angolan pre-history.” (Adapted from TAAG Austral Magazine)

History and Culture Written in Sand

In looking at pictures of Angola’s traditional sand drawings, the uninitiated would never believe they were viewing an artform dating back more than 300 years. Stylish and clean cut, these mono-linear designs would surely grace the walls of any modern-day gallery or art-lover’s plush apartment, but in reality they are telling stories of history and culture past.

Sona sand drawings (LuSona) are native to the Chokwe people, of which an estimated 500,000 live in Angola’s eastern provinces of Lunda Norte and Lunda Sul. Striking in their elegance, the illustrations disclose a much deeper form of communication, encompassing traditional rituals, problem-solving techniques and ancient legends of Angola. Even today, they remain a key adjunct to Angola’s age-old tradition of storytelling and a vital tool in educating local communities of the region.

The drawings themselves, according Mrs Skogen, an anthropologist and designer, are not dissimilar to Celtic knot designs, the geometric algorithms used by the ancient Egyptians, the mono-linear images drawn in Mesopotamia and by the Tamils in India. But she maintains that the Sona created by the Chokwe people, regarded as the main developers of the sand drawing tradition, are some of the finest around.

“I believe the Chokwe people are the best in the world at this technique,” Mrs Skogen says. “Their drawings are very sophisticated. They produce beautiful designs, but they also reveal fascinating stories; treasures of Angolan culture that reveal a 'distant heritage'".

Here is an story example based on the drawing seen on the left titled, The Boy and the Lion    A boy and a lion, who had grown up together and had always been good friends, went hunting one day. The boy killed a deer, after which he fell unconscious. Immediately, the lion made a fire and prepared a remedy to revive him. When the two friends returned to the village with their trophy, there was a celebration which cemented their friendship.

Some time later, the two went hunting again and this time the lion killed an antelope buffalo. The lion then fell to the ground, pretending to have fainted. The boy thought the lion was dead and wishing to be considered the bravest hunter in the land, he prepared to make an amulet with the dead lion’s eyes, nose and ears. As he got ready to cut the lion, it jumped up, and seeing the treachery of his friend, slew him. Ever since, those two great hunters – lion and man – have never been seen together.

With Angola's new freedom and openness, it seems the Sona sand drawings are set for a new lease of life. Thanks in part to a book coauthored by anthropologist Skogen , which reproduces some 60 drawings from around 350 which are known to exist, the tradition of sand drawings has sparked great excitement among the country’s artists and culture-lovers, many of whom were previously unaware of this fascinating part of their history.

“These sand drawings are the people’s culture. They speak about the reality of life in Angola. They are not created or imagined. No one is dreaming this up,” Skogen says. “The Sona is the real life of the Chokwe people.”  (Sonangol Universo Magazine)
lion’s eyes, nose and ears. As he got ready to cut the lion, it jumped up, and seeing the treachery of his friend, slew him. Ever since, those two great hunters – lion and man – have never been seen together.

Angola's Language Diversity

Though Portuguese is the official language of Angola, as with other African countries, there are many other indigenous languages spoken in the country.  The Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), the linguistic division of Wycliffe Bible Translators, has identified some 36 indigenous languages throughout the nation of Angola.  See the map below for a listing of some of the most prominent language groupings:

Concerning our ministry work in these languages, the whole Bible is now available in 12 languages in Angola. The New Testament is available in 3 languages and parts of the Bible are currently being translated in 18 language.  The task is yet to be completed as nine languages spoken/people groups do not yet have a Bible in their own language.

Angola's Tribes: The Beautiful Himba People

The Himba are tribe of about 20,000 to 50,000 nomadic pastoralists who inhabit the southwest Angola and the northern parts of neighboring Namibia to the south.  The Himba have clung to their traditions and the beautiful Himba women are noted for their intricate hairstyles and traditional jewellery.

The Himba adult women color their skin twice a day with a mixture of ground red ochre, sap, butter, and fat, and rub this all over their skin and hair.  This protects their skin from the sun and also gives the appearance of a rich red color. 

Single Himba boys and men wear their hair in braids sweeping backwards from the crown of the head, while married men tie their hair in a turban-like fashion with wood shavings mixed into it.

The Himba men and women wear few clothes apart from a loin cloth or goat skinned mini-skirt due to tradition and the intense heat in their region.

The Himba are a cattle-based pastoralist culture, although they also have sheep and goats, measuring wealth in cattle, and paying for their wives with them.

The standard Himba home.

A Himba woman will wear a bride headdress when she gets married; the day she leaves her parents' homestead and goes to live with her husbands family.  The Himba trace descent both through a child's mother and father, creating a network of relations that bind together scattered groups of herders scattered throughout the area.  The wedding headdress stays within the matrilineage, passed down from mother to daughter.

The Himba are monotheistic people who worship various gods and practice ancestor worship.   Each family has its own ancestral fire, which is kept by the family's designated firekeeper. 

This people group as one of the remaining unreached people groups in Angola with less that 2% Christian population.  With its medical-based outreach within the Himba-populated regions of southwest Angola, the CEML Hospital has an opportunity to present Christ and build church communities within the tribe.

(Photos and information adapted from Trinity Blu site)