We spent three nights at Nhoma Camp. I had my own tent, which was very comfortable and just a tad roomier than the tent Tana and I sleep in on the roof of the Land Rover.
We had own guide, Burtress, who came with us to the Bushmen’s camp and when we went hunting with the Bushmen. He translated what they were saying and explained what was happening.
On our first afternoon at the Bushman Camp some women were making beads from ostrich shell, others were stringing glass beads for decoration, some men were playing Mancarla with marbles and holes in the sand, kids were playing knuckle bones and a horse game where it seemed you’d drawn the short straw if you were the horse. The horse had a bridle made of sting that was constantly yanked on and the rider had a small tree branch whip that was used very generously on the horse. After dinner we went back to the Bushmen’s camp and watched them do the Elephant Dance. The women sang and clapped while three of the men stood in front of them jiggling and chanting until they went into a trance. The rest of the Bushmen were sitting
watching and the dancers moved between them and the singers. When the dancers walked through the other Bushmen they placed their hand on their heads to see if the needed healing. When a dancer found someone who needed healing they touched them and chanted. Supposedly, the dancers are talking to
On our first afternoon at the Bushman Camp some women were making beads from ostrich shell, others were stringing glass beads for decoration, some men were playing Mancarla with marbles and holes in the sand, kids were playing knuckle bones and a horse game where it seemed you’d drawn the short straw if you were the horse. The horse had a bridle made of sting that was constantly yanked on and the rider had a small tree branch whip that was used very generously on the horse. After dinner we went back to the Bushmen’s camp and watched them do the Elephant Dance. The women sang and clapped while three of the men stood in front of them jiggling and chanting until they went into a trance. The rest of the Bushmen were sitting
their ancestors. It was pretty amazing to watch.
Playing a game like paper, scissors, rock, but based on porcupine hunting moves.
We got to go out with the Bushman hunters twice. The first morning we didn’t see any animals but they did find a tree with honey in the trunk. They cut down the tree and collected some honey. From the way they were shoveling honey and pollen into their mouths it seemed that that was just as good as finding an animal. They also showed us how to make a snare to catch a bird, using a plant and some sticks, and which plant had a bulb full of water under it (it tasted like bitter potato juice). So if I get lost in the bush in Namibia I can survive on birds and funky tasting water.
The second day we went to another area to track porcupine. They found a lot of tracks but no porcupine. On the way out and on the way back they shot two separate steenbok with their poison arrows and Glenn and I went back later that night to follow them while they tracked the steenbok. Glenn went with one lot and I went with the other. This time I didn’t have the guide so it was me and two Bushmen who didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Afrikaans or San (of the four clicks they make I can only make the horse giddy-up sound, and not in the middle of words like they do). I tried my hardest not to stand on the tracks, which I couldn’t see anyway – even when they pointed them out to me – and they were good at letting me know when to stay and when to follow with gestures. Neither group had any luck finding our steenbok, but I did get to add to the scratches on my legs from the thorn bushes that are everywhere.
During our second afternoon visiting the camp our Bushmen hunters showed us how they make their arrows from a piece of wire, spring hare tail, sticks and poison. We also watched the women playing a skipping game – this was done, like everything else, with a baby tied to their backs.
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