Page 91 - Discover Botswana 2021

CULTURE
Left Top: Nuts from the Mongongo tree (Schinziophyton rautanenii) are much sort after as a source of plant protein and are part of the San people’s staple diet.
Left Middle: Once harvested, it is quite a task to crack open the hard outer shell to get to the nut. Gently roasted, the nut offer up an incredible nutty taste sensation.
Left Bottom: Everything comes to hand from the world around the Ju/’hoansi San. Rope making for traps comes from various fibers from certain plants and skins from animals are used to make sandals.
and knowledge are still passed down the generations. This is what makes a visit here so entirely authentic. Spending a day or two in their delightful company will provide you with their miraculous ability to survive and live off the land, and they are generally willing to share this with visitors.
The elderly men in the group throw the bones to get a reading on which direction to take on a foraging expedition. The San people slip through the bush with relative ease, while we follow suit rather clumsily, getting tangled and tripping awkwardly as we try to keep up! Along the track, the group stops for small signs of where tubers might be found. Digging sticks quickly produce an enormous tuber sufficient to feed a good number of people. The children eagerly eye out this meal before we continue on. As we go, plants are picked, and our interpreter helps describe their uses, which may be medicinal, nutritional, or for something more practical like rope making.
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