Specimens of Bushman Folklore (1919)

Stories, folklore and folk tales from the San Bushman

of South Africa's Kalahari Desert

Specimens of Bushman Folk-lore was published by Dr. WHI Bleek only after he’d overcome many great difficulties (and great they were in late 1800s South Africa).  So complete is this volume that Dr. Bleek even provides explanations on how to make the many click sounds that are endemic to the Bushman language.  Good luck wrapping your tongue around them!

This 260 page volume contains 84 stories about the myths and legends of the San Bushman of the Kalahari, including interpretations of the natural world, animal fables, the story of the first man, and customs, superstitions, and more. There are stories about girls and frogs, hyenas that seek revenge, the wind, and the making of arrows. There are also stories about the origin of the stars Sirius and Canopus, the treatment of bones, prayers to the moon, and a man who mistakenly ordered his wife to cut off his ears and more.

Of special interest is the story of one Bushman’s first ride on the train from Mowbray to Cape Town, which describes his treatment at the hands of the local police and the imposition of the white man’s laws upon him and his people. The old adage “Everything changes, everything stays the same,” comes to mind.

Republished to fund Education in South Africa

So curl up with this treasure of ancient Africa, this documentation of a changing world, and engross yourself in a culture that has no place for MP3 players, video games, or television. A percentage of every book sold will help fund the education of an underprivileged people in South Africa.

33% of the Publisher’s profit is donated to the Westville Boys High Scholarship Fund in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa which enables gifted but underprivileged South Africans to obtain a first class High School education.

NOTE: Rock art and archaeological evidence indicates that the San Bushmen once occupied countries as far north as Libya, Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, with some evidence of occupation in Kenya. Over time, environmental conditions and the negroid races pushed the Bushmen further and further south—today, they can now only be found in the countries of Southern Africa. Even now, the Bushmen’s traditional way of life is further threatened by government regulations and policies that seek to restrict their nomadic traditions and lifestyle and “encourage” them to assume a more pastoral lifestyle.