Terms - San

San

The word ‘San’ likely comes from the Khoekhoegowab term Saan, meaning ‘people who gather wild food’. It also has the implication of people without any cattle. This is the term usually applied to the indigenous peoples of southern Africa who live or used to live from hunting and gathering and are descendants of the aboriginal population of the subcontinent. The European settlers called these people: Bosjesman, Soaqua, Bushmen, and other names. The Black Bantu-speaking peoples referred to them as Basarwa, Abathwa, Baroa, etc depending on the language of the Black people. The San peoples speak many different languages from three major language families (see Ju, Khoe,
!Ui-Taa).

	TERMS & DEFINITIONS
San The word ‘San’ likely comes from the Khoekhoegowab term Saan, meaning ‘people who gather wild food’. It also has the implication of people without any cattle. This is the term usually applied to the indigenous peoples of southern Africa who live or used to live from hunting and gathering and are descendants of the aboriginal population of the subcontinent. The European settlers called these people: Bosjesman, Soaqua, Bushmen, and other names. The Black Bantu-speaking peoples referred to them as Basarwa, Abathwa, Baroa, etc depending on the language of the Black people. The San peoples speak many different languages from three major language families (see Ju, Khoe, !Ui-Taa).