The origins of the Bushmen, also called the San, go so far back that they are lost in the mists of time. There have been a great many theories put forward about the beginnings of these mysterious little men whose remarkable way of life has gone on virtually unchanged for since the Stone Age. These small, light-skinned people called Bushmen by Europeans know themselves as the 'Khwai' or 'men'.

They were dispersed over an area stretching from Walvis Bay to the Zambezi valley and then southward past Lake Ngami and Botswana to the southeastern coast near Port Elizabeth. Having at different times in the past run foul of Hottentots, Bantu, Dutch and British in the Cape, they are now mostly concentrated in the Kalahari, and number between 30 000 and 55 000 people.

Bushmen live in clans and loosely connected family groups consisting of 120 or more, but never in anything like a tribal entity. Each clan has a right of use over some land and they are careful not to trespass on their neighbour's property.

The hallmark of their social attitudes is their utter belief in co-operation - within the family, between clans, and within nature itself. Their customs are geared to exclude anything that causes personal antagonism. There is, therefore, no ownership of property. Even the spoils of a hunt are divided according to customary allocation.

The Bushmen believe that if he misuses his environment, he will be punished by the Supreme Being. So he never takes from the soil or from the herds of game more than he needs to stay alive. In his long history there is no evidence that he has ever needlessly exploited nature and some experts have actually described the San as the world's greatest conservationists.

The San showed their appreciation of their environment by the beautiful paintings they left behind them in rock shelters all over southern Africa. These ancient galleries exhibit no amateur daubs. Only experts were allowed to exercise their talent and from what we know of the Bushmen of the south, many of these artists were widely renowned. They passed from hunting group to hunting group, supported by them out of respect for their talent.

The artists were also the invokers of the spirits and tellers of tales, but their true genius lay in recording and bringing to life upon the enduring rock the ceremonies, rites and myths which their people whispered around the fires at night.

The techniques they employed are largely unknown. The few painters actually encountered by Europeans used about ten differently coloured paints which they kept in small gourds hanging from their waists. The ingredients varied with the locality but in general, charcoal provided the black, white came from kaolin or bird droppings, and red came from iron-oxide or weathered haematite. The mixing medium was a speciality of each artist. Some chose to use animal fat, others resins, milk or rock salts. The brushes were soft bones, teased-out twigs, feathers or other natural fibres.

Another side of the Bushmen's artistic nature is their love of music and dance. Dancing has deep religious significance for the Bushmen. Sometimes a dancer will fall into a trance, and he then believes himself to be in a supernatural state capable of seeing vast distances and of performing cures.

The San are regarded as great hunters. There are many tales of their prodigious stamina, outstanding eyesight and uncanny tracking abilities. Their arrows are tipped with powerful poisons, strong enough to kill the largest animal. A big buck may travel for 15 km before collapsing from the effects of the paralysing poison in its bloodstream. The San hunter will follow close behind, using all his wiles as tracker to claim his prey.

The San's bow is small and light and his arrows fragile - he relies on the poison to kill his prey rather than on any wound which is inflicted.

Many attempts have been made to preserve the San's unique lifestyle and ways. Tourists can see the way they lived at the Etosha Game Reserve.