Page 38 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

36  INTRODUCING SOUTH AFRIC A

Multicultural South Africa Weaving is an important skill,
and many Sotho, Xhosa and
The South African nation is composed of a medley of Tswana wear patterned or
different beliefs and cultures. Early influences, such as sombre ochre blankets as over-
the languages and religions of slaves from India, garments. In the northerly
parts of the Limpopo Province
Madagascar, Indonesia, West and East Africa and Malaysia, live the Venda, with a tradition,
are preserved by their descendants. South Africa’s min eral unusual in South Africa, of
wealth attracted settlers from other parts of Africa, as well building in stone. The Venda is
as Asia, America and Europe – heritages still reflected in one of the few groups that
today’s faces. Most coloured people live in the former traditionally used a drum as a
slave-owning West ern Cape area, while many Indians musical instrument. Wood
sculptures by leading Venda
live around Durban, where their ancestors worked on artists are treasured pieces.
sugar plantations.
The Bantu-Speakers
The Bantu languages are
indigenous to Africa, although
not related to those of the
Khoi. Each group has its own
complex system of cultures
and relationships, although
Westernized culture is
replacing many of the older,
traditional ways. Cattle and The Wartburger Hof Hotel in KwaZulu-
cattle pens (kraals) have an Natal looks like an alpine lodge
important place in Zulu, Xhosa
and Ndebele cultures, and Zulu
handicrafts include works in The European Colonists
earthenware, iron and wood. The first European settlers, in
Very few San still hunt and live in the Basket-making and weaving 1652, were Dutch and German.
traditional way are other skills. The Xhosa, European politics further
most of whom live in the affected the compo sition of
Eastern Cape, are known for the Cape population, when
The Khoi
their beautifully designed and French Huguenots were settled
Khoi rock paintings, often executed beadwork. The here from 1688, and French
found in caves overlooking the Ndebele of the Limpopo and German regiments were
plains below, offer tantalizing Province and Gauteng are periodically brought in to
evidence of the practical skills renowned for their remarkably boost the local defences
and the spiritual nature of the colourful and intricate against Britain. The British,
people who were almost beadwork, and their decorative however, took permanent
certainly South Africa’s original painting applied to buildings is possession of the Cape in 1806
human inhabitants (see particularly eye-catching. and, during the depression
Drakensberg, pp274–5 and
Kagga Kamma, p218.) Many
were hunter-gatherers, living
lightly on the natural bounty
of the land.
Under pressure from more
material cultures, some Khoi
withdrew inland, where their
descendants, the San (once
widely called the Bush men, a
term not used today), are still
found in the Northern Cape.
Other Khoi eventually threw
in their lot with the Dutch
settlers. Many of today’s Cape
Coloured peo ple are
descended from them. Xhosa women in the Eastern Cape

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