!Khwa Ttu Route and San culture

October 7
South Africa Day 5

Today I had a trip called the !Khwa Ttu Route which I had signed up for. My friend Pat was signed up for it as well but neither of us knew what it was about. The trip started at 10:30am so I had a little time to kill after breakfast. The last day (tomorrow) I intended on going to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. I speed walked over to the ferry and bought a ticket which includes a tour. I then went back to the ship, grabbed my laptop, and went to the adjacent hotel to steal some internet to post yesterday’s blog. After that it was time for my trip and I grabbed a rain coat because it was supposed to rain (which it did later). There is a lower peak called Lionhead below Table Mtn. and apparently whenever it is covered in clouds, it always rains. There were a little over 20 of us which ended up being a nice number. The bus drove over an hour during which it began to rain hard. When we got to !Kwha Ttu, it stopped raining. The !Kwha Ttu (the exclamation is actually a click) is a cultural conservation center for the Khoisan people (bushmen). The Khoi (I’m pretty sure I spelled it wrong) and San people are actually different people (they wanted to make this clear), the San being more nomadic.
The premises used to be a farm but was bought by the association and converted to a cultural center. The barn was turned into a very nice reception center/restaurant/souvenir shop. We went into a photo gallery and then a backroom with a TV. On a whiteboard the man showed us the different tribes (?) and the different clicks (we all failed miserably). They then showed us a video talking about the photo gallery (there were also displays w/ history, practices, etc. here). What they had done was taught the surviving San people (I’m assuming that was who they were- they were ‘modernized’ however and have become integrated into society) how to use cameras and had them document their lives including practices, arts, and traditions. The resulting photos were made into a gallery which they felt represented them effectively. After this, we broke for a 2 hour period, during which we could do whatever on the premises. After this we would go on a tour and receive a demonstration of the San traditions. My friend Pat and I walked through the gallery for a while. While everyone else went to lunch, we then found a small pathway that led down the hill that the center was on. Along the path were signs telling about the various flora along the path, many of which were used as herbal remedies for diabetes and high blood pressure. We also came across a small cluster of huts around a fireplace (we would see another one later on the tour). We walked back to the reception area and into the restaurant which was really fancy and relatively cheap. Here I got the chance to eat Springbok steak. It was absolutely amazing (lean but extremely flavorful). After this we looked around the gift shop and then around 3pm we got on a covered wagon pulled by a tractor. While we were having lunch it briefly rained so the seats were wet. Luckily they gave us blankets to sit on. It was cloudy yet still patches of sun came through (it gave that really cool effect where you can see the rays of light from the sun). We went along a dirt road and got a spectacular view of the grounds. We were not far from the ocean at all and all the surrounding plants (though desert flora) were green and gave a lush look. In the distance we could see ostriches, zebras, and a large herd of springbok. We went down the road a little longer and then we went on a short walk to a small hut village. Along the way our guide showed us a trap (snare) and how it worked. It was mostly for catching birds or smaller animals and he said when he’d catch something and bring it home to his mother when he was young, his mom would tell him how great a hunter he was. He also talked briefly about hunting and about how he trained his dog to kill steenbok (small, springbok-like) and how his mom would yell at him for it but still take the meat. He then showed us the usefulness of an ostrich egg. There was one half-buried in the shade of a tree. They drill a small hole in the top and fill it with water. They then bury it and come back after a hunt or something and they half cool water. Apparently, you can actually stand on an ostrich egg at some point.
When we got to the hut village we were greeted by a San lady who spoke to us only in a language with the clicks in words. She showed us how she makes beads for necklaces and accessories out of ostrich eggshell. She also told us how they skinned the springbok and used every bit. They also have bow and arrows which they told us they used to wound the animal with poison and let it die overtime while they chase it. The hunters make small bows for their sons to practice. The ‘clothes’ they showed us were very exposing. They consisted of a piece of springbok hide and usually only had a flap for the front and the nothing to cover the rear. They said woman would sometimes accidentally expose themselves while dancing (the lady told us this while doing a crazy dance and laughing). The more they told us about the bushmen’s past lifestyle, the more they sound like native Americans in that they used they’re surroundings very effectively and wasted nothing. We got on the bus after the demonstrations and headed back to the center to leave. On the way back it began to rain (at an angle) heavily and then stopped after we got back. Also on the way back we got a much closer look at the zebras and also the herd of springboks who darted away amazingly fast when we drove by (springboks are probably one of my new favorite animals).
We immediately left upon getting back to the center and made good time back. The drive back was really scenic, especially with the sunlight coming through the clouds onto the surrounding landscape. We got back a little after six and I had dinner and went with my roommate to find internet. For some reason the places many of the places that offered internet had weak networks or were too fancy for us to get into. While searching we went by the theater and decided to see District 9 (my roommate hadn’t seen it and I wanted to see it again after visiting S. Africa) later that night. We eventually found a pizza place and I was able to upload some Ghana photos onto Photobucket (they may not have actually made it on because the upload timed out). We went back to the ship, dropped our laptops off, and saw the movie. The movie seemed more real than the first time I saw it (despite the aliens running around), however I think I enjoyed it more the first time seeing it. We got out around 12:30 at night. Tomorrow morning (or this morning) I’m catching the ferry to Robben Island (assuming the conditions are okay). After that, who knows.