San Tribe

Dubbed the “Bushmen” by European colonial settlers, the Sans Tribe was once looked at as a peculiar species of human—some of the early anthropologists believed they were a missing link in the evolution of man. In fact, the Bushmen were considered such a unique species of man that many of them were shipped up to Britain to be subjects featured in “freak shows.”
Today, the Sans—who also continue to be called the Bushmen—are one of our only living links to ancient Africa, and continue to uphold some of their traditional hunter-gatherer ways of life dating back more than 20,000 years ago. Living throughout various countries in Africa including Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, and the Kalahari Desert, many of the Bushmen today have taken on modern lifestyle practices. Some grow crops, work on farms, receive water supply from manmade wells, and receive meat and food from the government.
But, there are still Bushmen today who only use traditional practices. This group consists of less than 2,000individuals. Below are some of the traditional Bushmen practices that this small segment of Bushmen still use today:
Bushmen Hunting and Gathering Practices: Considered a social activity among the men of the Sans Tribe, hunting excursions require poisonous bows and arrows to kill prey. Used to kill large animals such as antelopes, the Bushmen use a poisonous concoction to stun and kill their prey. Some Bushmen use a mixture of poisonous beetle larvae, others use scorpion and spider essence, while others use a lethal mixture of snake venom and cactus juice. As the arrow penetrates the body, the poisonous mixture works to paralyze the victim and eventually kill it.
Because the animal does not die instantly from the shot, and often runs off after impact, the Bushmen must track the animal several hours after it is fatally wounded. The toxic concoction then works its way through the animal’s body and eventually stops its heart. The area where the arrow penetrated...