The Hottentots are an ancient people from Africa. Hottentots - the fifth race of people Hottentots apron

05.03.2020

Africa is the most ancient and mysterious continent of our planet, and the most ancient peoples of this continent, according to scientists, are the Bushmen and Hottentots. Currently, their descendants live in the Kalahari Desert and nearby areas of Angola and South-West Africa, where they retreated under the pressure of Bantu peoples and Dutch settlers.

The Hottentots today are extremely small people, there are no more than fifty thousand people. But to this day they have retained their own customs and traditions.

Language of nature

The name of the Hottentot tribe comes from the Dutch word hottentot, which means “stutterer”, and was given for a special clicking type of pronunciation of sounds. To European people, this resembled the speech of monkeys, and therefore they concluded that this people are almost a transitional link between the world of primates and humans. According to this theory, the attitude of Europeans towards these people was similar to the attitude towards domestic or wild animals.

However, modern genetic research found that among this people the type of Y chromosome characteristic of the first people was preserved. This indicates that perhaps all members of the genus Homo sapiens came from this anthropological type. It is the Hottentots and related groups that belong to the main race of humanity.

We find the first information about the Hottentots from the traveler Kolben, who described them shortly after the establishment of the Dutch colonies in their country. The Hottentots at that time were still numerous people, divided into many tribes under the control of chiefs or elders; they led a nomadic shepherd's life, in groups of 300 or 400 people, and lived in mobile huts made of stakes covered with mats. Their clothing consisted of sheep skins sewn together; the weapons were bows with poisoned arrows and darts or assegais.

The legends of this people and some etymological indications give the right to conclude that the distribution of the Hottentots was once incomparably more extensive. Memories of this are still retained in the Hottentot names of rivers and mountains. Once they owned all of South-West Africa.

Not black, not white

The Hottentots are characterized by a combination of characteristics of the black and yellow races with peculiar characteristics. Representatives of this tribe are short - no more than one and a half meters tall. Their skin has a yellow-copper tint.

At the same time, the skin of Hottentots ages very quickly. A short moment of blossoming - and after twenty years their face, neck and body are covered with deep wrinkles, which gives them the appearance of very old people.

Interestingly, body fat among Hottentots varies depending on the time of year. Women of this nationality have anatomical features that Europeans called the “Hottentot apron” (enlarged labia minora).

No one can still explain the origin of this natural anatomy. But the appearance of this “apron” disgusted not only Europeans - even the Hottentots themselves considered it unsightly, and therefore, since ancient times, tribes had the custom of removing it before marriage.

“Venus of the Hottentots” - women of this nation had unusual shapes

It was only with the arrival of missionaries that a ban on this surgical intervention was introduced. But the natives resisted such restrictions, refused to accept Christianity because of them, and even rebelled. The fact is that girls with such body features could no longer find grooms. Then the Pope himself issued a decree according to which the natives were allowed to return to their original custom.

However, such a physiological oddity did not prevent the Hottentots from practicing polygamy, which developed into monogamy only at the beginning of the 20th century. But even to this day, the custom of paying “lobola” remains - a bride price in cattle or money in an amount equivalent to its value.

But the men of this tribe have a tradition of amputating one of their testicles, which defies scientific logic - this is done so that twins are not born in the family, the appearance of which is considered a curse for the tribe.

Nomads and artisans

In ancient times, the Hottentots were nomads. They moved with huge herds of cattle throughout the southern and eastern parts of the continent. But gradually they were forced out of their traditional territories by Negroid tribes. The Hottentots then settled mainly in the southern regions of modern South Africa.

Livestock was the main measure of the wealth of this tribe, which they protected and practically did not use for food. Among the wealthy Hottentots, the number of cows reached several thousand heads. Caring for livestock was the responsibility of men. Women prepared food and churned butter in leather bags. Dairy food has always been the basis of the tribe's diet. If the Hottentots wanted to eat meat, they got it by hunting.

Representatives of this race built houses from the twigs of African trees and animal skins. The construction technology was simple. They first secured supporting poles in special pits, which were then tied horizontally, and covered the walls with either reed mats or animal skins.

The huts were small - 3 or 4 meters in diameter. The only source of light is a low door covered with a mat. The main furniture is a bed on a wooden base with leather straps. Dishes - pots, calabashes, tortoiseshells, ostrich eggs. Each family occupied a separate hut.

Hygiene of the Hottentots from the perspective modern man seems monstrous. Instead of daily bathing, they rubbed their bodies with wet cow dung, which was removed after drying.

Despite the hot climate, the Hottentots mastered the production of clothing and jewelry. They wore capes made of tanned leather or skins, and sandals on their feet. The arms, neck and legs were decorated with all kinds of bracelets and rings made of ivory, copper, iron and nut shells.

The traveler Kolben described their method of metal processing as follows: “They dig a rectangular or round hole in the ground about 2 feet deep and build a strong fire there to heat the earth. When they then throw the ore there, they light the fire there again so that the intense heat melts the ore and becomes fluid. To collect this molten iron, another hole is made next to the first one, 1 or 1.5 feet deeper; and since a trench leads from the first smelting furnace to another pit, liquid iron flows there along it and cools there. The next day they take out the smelted iron, break it into pieces with stones and again, with the help of fire, make from it whatever they want and need.”

Under white oppression

IN mid-17th century century began the expansion of Europeans to southern Africa (to the area of Cape Good Hope): The Dutch East India Company began construction of Fort Kapstad, which later became the largest port and base on the route from Europe to India.

The first people the Dutch encountered in the Cape area were the Hottentots of the Korakwa tribe. The leader of this tribe, Kora, concluded the first treaty with the commandant of Kapstad, Jan van Riebeeck. These were the “years of cordial cooperation,” when mutually beneficial exchanges were established between the tribe and the white newcomers.

Dutch settlers broke the treaty in May 1659 by seizing land (the administration allowed them to agriculture). Such actions led to the first Hottentot-Boer War, during which the leader of the Hottentot tribe, Kora, was killed.

In 1673, the Boers killed 12 Hottentots of the Kochokwa tribe. The second war began. In it, Europeans played on the differences between the Hottentot tribes, using some tribes against others. As a result of these armed clashes, the number of Hottentots decreased sharply.

And the smallpox epidemic, which was brought to the Black Continent by Europeans, almost completely wiped out the indigenous people. During the 17th-19th centuries, the Hottentot tribes inhabiting the southern tip of Africa were almost completely destroyed.

Currently, only a few small tribes remain. They live on reservations and raise cattle. Despite the fact that some have lost all the peculiarities of life and culture and adopted Christianity, a significant part of them retain the cult of their ancestors and worship the moon and sky. They believe in the Demiurge (the heavenly god-creator) and worship the deities of the cloudless sky - Khuma - and the rainy sky - Sum. They have preserved rich folklore, they have many fairy tales and legends, in which memories of past greatness still live.

A term used to refer to cases of excessive development of the labia minora, reaching an extraordinary size and hanging like an apron into the perineal area. It is observed as a racial phenomenon among Hottentots, Bushmen, and sometimes among European women.

Hottentots - ancient tribe V South Africa. Its name comes from the Dutch hottentot, which means “stutterer,” and was given for a special clicking type of pronunciation of sounds. Women of this race are characterized by a number of characteristics that distinguish them from the rest of the world's population - this is steatopygia (excessive fat deposits in the buttocks) and the “Egyptian apron” or “Hottentot apron” (tsgai), hypertrophy of the labia.

The “Hottentot Venus” was first described by Le Vaillant in his travel report of 1780-1785: “The Hottentots have a natural apron that serves to cover the sign of their sex... They can be up to nine inches long, more or less, depending on the the age of the woman or the efforts she puts into this strange decoration..."

Jean-Joseph Virey described this sign as follows. “Bushwomen have a sort of leather apron that hangs from their pubic area, covering their genitals. In reality, this is nothing more than an extension of the labia minora by 15 cm. They protrude from each side beyond the labia majora, which are almost absent, and connect at the top, forming a hood over the clitoris and closing the entrance to the vagina. They can be raised above the pubis, like two ears.” He further concludes that this “...may explain the natural inferiority of the Negro race compared to the white.”

The scientist Topinar, having analyzed the characteristics of the Khoisan race, came to the conclusion that the presence of an “apron” does not at all confirm the closeness of this race to monkeys, since in many monkeys, for example, the female gorilla, these lips are completely invisible. Modern genetic studies have established that among the Bushmen, the type of Y chromosome characteristic of the first people has been preserved. Which indicates that perhaps all representatives of the genus Homo sapiens descended from this anthropological type and to say that the Hottentots are not people is at least unscientific. It is the Hottentots and related groups that belong to the main race of humanity.

Interestingly, body fat among Hottentots varies depending on the time of year. Women often have excessively developed long labia. This feature came to be called the Hottentot apron. This part of the body, even among short Hottentots, reaches 15-18 centimeters in length. The labia sometimes hang down to the knees. Even according to native concepts, this anatomical feature is disgusting, and since ancient times the tribes have had the custom trim the labia before marriage. But the men of this tribe have a tradition of amputating one of their testicles, which defies scientific logic - this is done so that twins are not born in the family, the appearance of which is considered a curse for the tribe.

After missionaries appeared in Abyssinia and began to convert the natives to Christianity, a ban on such surgical interventions was introduced. But the natives began to resist such restrictions, refused to accept Christianity because of them, and even rebelled. The fact is that girls with such body features could no longer find a groom. Then the Pope himself issued a decree according to which the natives were allowed to return to their original custom.

The historical drama of the French director Abdellatif Kechiche "Black Venus" (2010) is dedicated to tragic fate Hottentot girl Saarti Baartman (1779-1815), forcibly taken to Europe in 1810 by her Boer master, where she was paraded naked for the amusement of the idle public. White Europeans were amused by the hypertrophied buttocks of the unfortunate savage; Anthropological scientists were haunted by her enlarged labia.

The tragedy of Saarti Baartman, who ended her days as a street prostitute and did not even receive a Christian burial (her body was given for scientific research, a lifetime cast was taken from it, and the bones were boiled and stored for anthropological measurements), shocked many European viewers. Currently, the remains of the "Hottentot Venus" Saarti Baartman have been returned to their homeland in South Africa.

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: Griqua, Korana and Nama groups (mostly settlers from Namibia).

Name

Story

By the time the Europeans arrived, the Hottentots occupied the southwestern coast of Africa, from the Fish River in the east to the central highlands of Namibia in the north. It is not known exactly how long the Hottentots lived in these places. All we can say with certainty is that the Bantu tribes found them in the same places several centuries earlier. According to lexicostatistics data, the Khoikhoi branch separated from other Central Khoisan languages (the Chu-Khwe branch) at the end of 2 thousand BC. e. However, the place of initial settlement of their common ancestors (the Kalahari desert region or the Cape region) and the routes of further migrations are still unknown. The Khoikhoi branch itself probably disintegrated in the 3rd century AD. e.

Unlike the Bushmen, the Hottentots were nomadic pastoralists.

Traditionally, the Hottentots were divided into two large groups: the Nama and the Cape Hottentots, which in turn were divided into smaller groups, and these into tribes (!haoti).

Folklore

An ironic attitude towards the brute strength of the lion and the elephant and admiration for the intelligence and ingenuity of the hare and the tortoise are manifested in all these tales.

Their main characters are animals, but sometimes the story is about people, but people - the heroes of fairy tales - are still very close to animals: women marry elephants and go to their villages, people and animals live, think, talk and act together.

Nama

Self-name - namaqua. Before the arrival of Europeans, they were divided into two groups:

nama actually(big nama; Great Nama) - before the arrival of Europeans they lived north of the river. Orange (south of modern Namibia, Great Namaqualand). They were divided into the following tribes (listed from north to south, in parentheses are given: variants of the Russian name; name in Afrikaans; self-name):
- swartboi (lkhautsyoan; swartbooi; ||khau-|gõan)
- kopers (khar-khoy, frasmann; kopers, fransmanne, Simon Kopper hottentot; !kharkoen).
- roinasi (gai-lhaua, “red people”; rooinasie; gai-||xauan)
- hrotdoden-nama (lyo-kai; grootdoden; ||ō-gain)
- feldschoendragers (labobe, haboben; veldschoendragers; ||haboben).
- tsaibshi (kharo; tsaibsche, keetmanshopers; kharo-!oan).
- bondelswarts (kamichnun; bondelswarts; !gamiǂnûn).
- topnaars (chaonin; topnaars; ǂaonîn).
eagles(small nama; orlams, little nama; self-name: !gû-!gôun) - before the arrival of Europeans they lived to the south of the river. Orange to the river basin Ulifants (west of modern South Africa, Little Namaqualand). There are five known Orlam-Nama tribes:
- Afrikaner tribe (ts'oa-ts'aran; Afrikaaners; orlam afrikaners; |hôa-|aran), should not be confused with Afrikaners (Boers).
- lamberts (gai-tskhauan; lamberts, amraals; kai|khauan).
- witboys (tskhobesin; witboois (‛white guys’); |khobesin).
- Betanians (kaman; bethaniërs; !aman).
- bersebs (ts'ai-tskhauan; bersabaers; |hai-|khauan).

They soon had a new common rival - Germany. In 1884, the territory north of the river. Orange was declared the German colony of South West Africa. Following this, lands began to be taken away from the Hottentots and other indigenous inhabitants, which was accompanied by many clashes and violence. In 1904-08, the Herero and Hottentots raised several uprisings, which were suppressed with unprecedented cruelty by German troops and went down in history as the Genocide of the Herero and Nama tribes. 80% of the Herero and 50% of the Hottentots (Nama) were destroyed.

After the suppression of the uprisings, the Nama were settled in special reserves (home-lands): Berseba, Bondels, Gibeon, Krantzplatz, Sesfontein, Soromas, Warmbad, Neuhol ), Tses, Hoachanas, Okombahe/Damaraland, Fransfontein. The system of reserves was also supported by the South African administration, which controlled the territory of Namibia from to. Inside them, they still make up the majority of the population, but they also live outside them: in cities and on farms - mixed with Bantu and whites. The division into tribal groups remains, which are now very mixed.

Cape Hottentots

(Cape Khoikoin; kaphottentotten) - does not currently exist as a separate ethnic group. They inhabited coastal lands from the Cape of Good Hope in the southwest to the river basin. Ulifants in the north (where they bordered the Nama) and to the river. Fish (Vis) in the east (modern Western Cape and western Eastern Cape). Their number is estimated at 100 thousand or 200 thousand. At the beginning of the 17th century, they were divided into 2-3 groups, represented by at least 13 tribes.

Einiqua(riviervolk; ãi-||’ae, einiqua). Perhaps they were closer to the Nama than to the Cape Hottentots.
Western Cape Hottentots
- karos-heber (kaross-heber; ǂnam-||’ae)
- kohkva (tsoho; smaal-wange, saldanhamans; |’oo-xoo, cochoqua)
- guriqua
- horinghaiqua, !uri-||’ae)
- horakhauqua (k'ora-l'hau; gorachouqua ('peninsular'); !ora-||xau)
- ubiqua
- hainoqua (chainoqua; Snyer’s volk; !kaon)
- hessequa
- attaqua
- auteniqua (lyo-tani; houteniqua, zakkedragers; ||hoo-tani)
Eastern Cape Hottentots
- inqua
- damaqua, not to be confused with damara
- hunheikva (ts'oang; hoengeiqua; katte; |hõãn)
- harihurikva (hrihri; chariguriqua, grigriqua).

Most of the tribes were exterminated or assimilated by Europeans during the 18th and early 19th centuries, but by the beginning of the 18th century three new groups of mixed origin had formed: the Gonakwa, Q'orakwa and Hrikwa, mainly outside the ancestral Hottentot territory, to the east among the Bantus and among the Bushmen along Orange River.

Gonauqua(ch'ona; gonaqua; ǂgona) - formed at the beginning of the 18th century east of the river. Kei (centre of the Eastern Cape) based on the Eastern Cape Hottentots under Xhosa influence. Some moved to Bethelsdorp (near Port Elizabeth). Disappeared by mid. XIX century.
Koran(!ora, korakva; koraqua; !ora) - formed as a result of contacts with the Dutch and the significant movements and rearrangements of local Hottentot tribes caused by them at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries. We lived along the river. Orange from the border with Namibia to the outskirts of Kimberley (Northern Cape Province; western Free State), among the Bushmen. By the end of the 20th century, over 10 thousand Korans lived in the vicinity of Douglas, Prisca, Campbell and Griquatown (South Africa, north of the middle reaches of the Orange River). They speak Afrikaans.
Griqua(khrikva, khiri; griqua; !xiri) - a mixed group formed in the area of the city of Kokstad (East Griqualand), southeast of Lesotho (south of the modern province of KwaZulu-Natal). At the beginning of the 19th century, some moved to Griekwastad (modern Northern Cape Province) and southeast Namibia (near Karasburg), where small groups remain to this day. They speak Afrikaans.

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Notes

Literature

Elphick. Khoikhoi and the founding of White South Africa. Second edition. Ravan Press. Johannesburg, 1985
Wilson M.H. The hunters and herders. // Wilson M.H. & Thompson L.M. (eds.) The Oxford history of South Africa, vol. 1: to 1870. Oxford, 1969.

Excerpt characterizing the Hottentots

Napoleon turned to him cheerfully and pulled him by the ear.
– You were in a hurry, I’m very glad. Well, what does Paris say? - he said, suddenly changing his previously stern expression to the most affectionate.
– Sire, tout Paris regrette votre absence, [Sire, all of Paris regrets your absence.] – as it should, answered de Bosset. But although Napoleon knew that Bosset had to say this or the like, although he knew in his clear moments that it was not true, he was pleased to hear it from de Bosset. He again deigned to touch him behind the ear.
“Je suis fache, de vous avoir fait faire tant de chemin,” he said.
- Sire! Je ne m"attendais pas a moins qu"a vous trouver aux portes de Moscou, [I expected no less than to find you, sir, at the gates of Moscow.] - said Bosse.
Napoleon smiled and, absentmindedly raising his head, looked around to the right. The adjutant approached with a floating step with a golden snuff-box and offered it to her. Napoleon took it.
“Yes, it happened well for you,” he said, putting the open snuffbox to his nose, “you love to travel, in three days you will see Moscow.” You probably didn't expect to see the Asian capital. You will make a pleasant trip.
Bosse bowed with gratitude for this attentiveness to his (until now unknown to him) inclination to travel.
- A! what is this? - said Napoleon, noticing that all the courtiers were looking at something covered with a veil. Bosse, with courtly dexterity, without showing his back, took a half-turn two steps back and at the same time pulled off the coverlet and said:
- A gift to Your Majesty from the Empress.
It was bright colors a portrait painted by Gerard of a boy born from Napoleon and the daughter of the Austrian emperor, whom for some reason everyone called the King of Rome.
A very handsome curly-haired boy, with a look similar to that of Christ in the Sistine Madonna, was depicted playing in a billbok. The ball represented the globe, and the wand in the other hand represented the scepter.
Although it was not entirely clear what exactly the painter wanted to express by representing the so-called King of Rome piercing the globe with a stick, this allegory, like everyone who saw the picture in Paris, and Napoleon, obviously seemed clear and liked it very much.
“Roi de Rome, [Roman King.],” he said, pointing to the portrait with a graceful gesture of his hand. – Admirable! [Wonderful!] – With the Italian ability to change his facial expression at will, he approached the portrait and pretended to be thoughtfully tender. He felt that what he would say and do now was history. And it seemed to him that the best thing he could do now is that he, with his greatness, as a result of which his son played with the globe in a bilbok, should show, in contrast to this greatness, the simplest fatherly tenderness. His eyes became misty, he moved, looked back at the chair (the chair jumped under him) and sat down on it opposite the portrait. One gesture from him - and everyone tiptoed out, leaving the great man to himself and his feelings.
After sitting for some time and touching, without knowing why, his hand to the roughness of the glare of the portrait, he stood up and again called Bosse and the duty officer. He ordered the portrait to be taken out in front of the tent, so as not to deprive the old guard, who stood near his tent, of the happiness of seeing the Roman king, the son and heir of their beloved sovereign.
As he had expected, while he was having breakfast with Monsieur Bosse, who had received this honor, in front of the tent the enthusiastic cries of the officers and soldiers of the old guard who had come running to the portrait were heard.
– Vive l"Empereur! Vive le Roi de Rome! Vive l"Empereur! [Long live the Emperor! Long live the Roman King!] - enthusiastic voices were heard.
After breakfast, Napoleon, in the presence of Bosse, dictated his orders for the army.
– Courte et energique! [Short and energetic!] - said Napoleon when he read the written proclamation immediately without amendments. The order was:
“Warriors! This is the battle you have longed for. Victory depends on you. It is necessary for us; she will provide us with everything we need: comfortable apartments and a quick return to our homeland. Act as you acted at Austerlitz, Friedland, Vitebsk and Smolensk. May later posterity proudly remember your exploits to this day. Let it be said about each of you: he was in great battle near Moscow!
– De la Moscow! [Near Moscow!] - Napoleon repeated, and, inviting Mr. Bosse, who loved to travel, to join him in his walk, he left the tent to the saddled horses.
“Votre Majeste a trop de bonte, [You are too kind, Your Majesty," Bosse said when asked to accompany the emperor: he was sleepy and did not know how and was afraid to ride a horse.
But Napoleon nodded to the traveler, and Bosse had to go. When Napoleon left the tent, the screams of the guards in front of the portrait of his son intensified even more. Napoleon frowned.
“Take it off,” he said, pointing to the portrait with a graceful, majestic gesture. “It’s too early for him to see the battlefield.”
Bosse, closing his eyes and bowing his head, took a deep breath, with this gesture showing how he knew how to appreciate and understand the words of the emperor.

Napoleon spent the entire day of August 25, as his historians say, on horseback, inspecting the area, discussing the plans presented to him by his marshals, and personally giving orders to his generals.
The original line of Russian troops along Kolocha was broken, and part of this line, namely the Russian left flank, was driven back as a result of the capture of the Shevardinsky redoubt on the 24th. This part of the line was not fortified, no longer protected by the river, and in front of it there was only a more open and level place. It was obvious to every military and non-military person that the French were supposed to attack this part of the line. It seemed that this did not require many considerations, there was no need for such care and troubles of the emperor and his marshals, and there was no need at all for that special highest ability called genius, which they so like to attribute to Napoleon; but the historians who subsequently described this event, and the people then surrounding Napoleon, and he himself, thought differently.
Napoleon drove across the field, thoughtfully peered at the area, shook his head with himself in approval or disbelief, and, without informing the generals around him of the thoughtful move that guided his decisions, conveyed to them only final conclusions in the form of orders. After listening to Davout's proposal, called the Duke of Ecmul, to bypass the Russian left flank, Napoleon said that this did not need to be done, without explaining why it was not necessary. To the proposal of General Compan (who was supposed to attack the flushes) to lead his division through the forest, Napoleon expressed his consent, despite the fact that the so-called Duke of Elchingen, that is, Ney, allowed himself to note that movement through the forest was dangerous and could upset the division .
Having examined the area opposite the Shevardinsky redoubt, Napoleon thought for a while in silence and pointed to the places where two batteries were to be set up by tomorrow to operate against the Russian fortifications, and the places where field artillery was to be lined up next to them.
Having given these and other orders, he returned to his headquarters, and the disposition of the battle was written under his dictation.
This disposition, about which French historians and other historians speak with delight, was as follows:
“At dawn, two new batteries, built in the night, on the plain occupied by the Prince of Eckmuhl, will open fire on the two opposing enemy batteries.
At the same time, the chief of artillery of the 1st Corps, General Pernetti, with 30 guns of the Compan division and all the howitzers of the Dessay and Friant divisions, will move forward, open fire and bombard the enemy battery with grenades, against which they will act!
24 guards artillery guns,
30 guns of the Compan division
and 8 guns of the Friant and Dessay divisions,
Total - 62 guns.
The chief of artillery of the 3rd Corps, General Fouche, will place all the howitzers of the 3rd and 8th Corps, 16 in total, on the flanks of the battery, which is assigned to bombard the left fortification, which will total 40 guns against it.
General Sorbier must be ready, at the first order, to march with all the howitzers of the Guards artillery against one or another fortification.
Continuing the cannonade, Prince Poniatowski will head towards the village, into the forest and bypass the enemy position.
General Compan will move through the forest to take possession of the first fortification.
Upon entering the battle in this way, orders will be given according to the actions of the enemy.
The cannonade on the left flank will begin as soon as the cannonade of the right wing is heard. The riflemen of Moran's division and the Viceroy's division would open heavy fire when they saw the beginning of the attack of the right wing.
The Viceroy will take possession of the village [of Borodin] and cross his three bridges, following at the same height with the divisions of Morand and Gerard, which, under his leadership, will head to the redoubt and enter the line with the rest of the army.
All this must be done in order (le tout se fera avec ordre et methode), keeping the troops in reserve as much as possible.

The Hottentots are the oldest tribe in South Africa. Its name comes from the Dutch hottentot, which means “stutterer,” and was given for a special clicking type of pronunciation of sounds. Since the 19th century, the term "Hottentot" has been considered offensive in Namibia and South Africa, where it was replaced by the Khoi term, derived from the self-name Nama. Together with the Bushmen, the Khoikhoin belong to the Khoisan race - the most unique on the planet. A number of researchers have noted the ability of people of this race to fall into a state of immobility, similar to suspended animation, during the cold season. These people lead a nomadic life that white travelers in the 18th century considered dirty and rude.

The Hottentots are characterized by a combination of characteristics of the black and yellow races with peculiar features, low stature (150-160 cm), yellow-copper skin color. At the same time, the skin of Hottentots ages very quickly, and middle-aged people can become covered with wrinkles on the face, neck, and knees. This gives them a prematurely aged appearance. A special fold of the eyelid, prominent cheekbones and yellowish skin with a copper tint give the Bushmen some resemblance to the Mongoloids. Their limb bones are almost cylindrical in shape. They are characterized by the presence of steatopygia - the position of the thigh at an angle of 90 degrees to the waist. It is believed that this is how they adapted to the conditions of the arid climate.

Jean-Joseph Virey described this sign as follows. “Bushwomen have a sort of leather apron that hangs from their pubic area, covering their genitals. In reality, this is nothing more than an extension of the labia minora by 16 cm. They protrude from each side beyond the labia majora, which are almost absent, and connect at the top, forming a hood over the clitoris and closing the entrance to the vagina. They can be raised above the pubis, like two ears.” He further concludes that this “...may explain the natural inferiority of the Negro race compared to the white.”

It is archaeologically recorded that already 17 thousand years ago the Khoisan anthropological type was noted in the area of \u200b\u200bthe confluence of the White and Blue Nile. In addition, figurines of prehistoric women discovered in caves in southern France and Austria, and some rock paintings, clearly resemble women of the Khoisand race. Some dispute the correctness of this resemblance, since the hips of the found figurines protrude at an angle of 120° to the waist, and not 90°.

It is believed that the Hottentots, as the ancient aboriginal population of the southern tip of the African continent, once settled and roamed with huge herds throughout Southern and large parts of East Africa. But gradually they were forced out of large territories by Negroid tribes. The Hottentots then settled mainly in the southern regions of modern South Africa. They mastered the smelting and processing of copper and iron earlier than all the peoples of southern Africa. And by the time the Europeans appeared, they began to settle down and engage in farming.

The traveler Kolb described their method of processing metal. “They dig a square or circular hole in the ground about 2 feet deep and build a strong fire there to heat the earth. When they then throw the ore there, they light the fire there again so that the intense heat melts the ore and becomes fluid. To collect this molten iron, another hole is made next to the first one, 1 or 1.5 feet deeper; and since a trench leads from the first smelting furnace to another pit, liquid iron flows there through it and cools there. The next day they take out the smelted iron, break it into pieces with stones and again, with the help of fire, make from it whatever they want and need.”

At the same time, the measure of wealth for this tribe was always livestock, which they protected and practically did not use for food. Large patriarchal families owned livestock, some with livestock numbers reaching several thousand heads. Caring for livestock was the responsibility of men. Women prepared food and churned butter in leather bags. Dairy food has always been the basis of the tribe's diet. If they wanted to eat meat, they got it by hunting. Their entire life is still subordinated to the pastoral way of life.

The Khoi-Koin live in camp sites called kraals. These sites are made in the form of a circle and are surrounded by a fence of thorny bushes. Along the inner perimeter are round twig huts covered with animal skins. The hut has a diameter of 3-4 m; The supporting poles fixed in the pits are fastened horizontally and covered with woven reed mats or skins. The only source of light in the home is a low door (no higher than 1 m), covered with a mat. The main furniture is a bed on a wooden base with leather straps intertwined. Dishes - pots, calabashes, tortoiseshells, ostrich eggs. 50 years ago stone knives were used, which have now been replaced by iron ones. Each family occupies a separate hut. The chief and his clan members live in the western part of the kraal. Under the leader of the tribe there is a council of elders.

Previously, Hottentots dressed in capes made of tanned leather or skins and wore sandals on their feet. They have always been big lovers of jewelry, and both men and women love them. Men's jewelry is ivory and copper bracelets, while women prefer iron and copper rings and shell necklaces. Around their ankles they wore strips of leather that cracked as they hit each other. Since the Hottentots live in an extremely arid climate, they wash themselves in a very unique way: they rub their bodies with wet cow dung, which is removed after drying. Animal fat is still used instead of cream.

Previously, the Hottentots practiced polygamy. By the beginning of the 20th century, monogamy had replaced polygamy. But to this day, the custom of paying “lobola” - a bride price in cattle, or in money in an amount equivalent to the value of the cattle - has been preserved. There used to be slavery. Slave prisoners of war usually herded and cared for livestock. In the 19th century, some of the Hottentots were enslaved and mixed with Malay slaves and Europeans. They formed a special numerous ethnic group population of the Cape Province of South Africa. The rest of the Hottentots fled across the Orange River. At the beginning of the 20th century, this part waged a fierce war with the colonialists. In an unequal struggle they were defeated. 100,000 Hottentots were exterminated.

At present, only a few small Hottentot tribes remain. They live on reservations and raise cattle. Modern housing is usually small square houses of 1-2 rooms with an iron roof, sparse furniture and aluminum utensils. Modern clothing for men is standard European; women prefer clothes borrowed from the wives of missionaries of the 18th-19th centuries, using colored and bright fabrics.

The bulk of Hottentots work in cities, as well as on farmers' plantations. Despite the fact that some have lost all the peculiarities of life and culture and adopted Christianity, a significant part of the Khoi-Khoin retain the cult of their ancestors and worship the moon and the sky. They believe in the Demiurge (the heavenly god-creator) and the hero Heisib, and they revere the deities of the cloudless sky, Khum, and the rainy sky, Sum. The grasshopper mantis acts as an evil principle.

The Hottentots consider the mother and child to be unclean. To make them clean, a strange and untidy ritual of purification is performed on them, in which rancid fat is rubbed over mother and child. These people believe in magic and witchcraft, amulets and talismans. There are still sorcerers. According to tradition, they are forbidden to wash themselves, and over time they become covered with a thick layer of dirt.

The moon plays a big role in their mythology, to which dances and prayers are dedicated during the full moon. If a Hottentot wants the wind to subside, he takes one of the thickest skins and hangs it on a pole, in the belief that by blowing the skin off the pole, the wind should lose all its strength and come to naught.

The Khoikhoin have preserved a rich folklore; they have many fairy tales and legends. During festivals, they sing and dedicate their songs to deities and spirits. Their music is very beautiful, since these people are naturally musical. Among the Khoikhoi, ownership of a musical instrument has always been valued more than material wealth. Often the Hottentots sing in four voices, and this singing is accompanied by a trumpet.

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The Hottentots today are an extremely small people, numbering no more than fifty thousand people. But to this day they have retained their own customs and traditions.

Language of nature

However, modern genetic studies have established that among this people the type of Y chromosome characteristic of the first people has been preserved. This indicates that perhaps all members of the genus Homo sapiens descended from this anthropological type. It is the Hottentots and related groups that belong to the main race of humanity.

We find the first information about the Hottentots from the traveler Kolben, who described them shortly after the establishment of the Dutch colonies in their country. The Hottentots at that time were still a numerous people, divided into many tribes under the control of leaders or elders; they led a nomadic shepherd's life, in groups of 300 or 400 people, and lived in mobile huts made of stakes covered with mats. Their clothing consisted of sheep skins sewn together; the weapons were bows with poisoned arrows and darts or assegais.

Not black, not white

“Venus of the Hottentots” - women of this nation had unusual shapes

Nomads and artisans

From the perspective of modern man, the hygiene of the Hottentots seems monstrous. Instead of daily bathing, they rubbed their bodies with wet cow dung, which was removed after drying.

Under white oppression

In the middle of the 17th century, European expansion began in southern Africa (towards the Cape of Good Hope): the Dutch East India Company began construction of Fort Kapstad, which later became the largest port and base on the route from Europe to India.

Dutch settlers broke the treaty in May 1659 and began seizing land (the administration allowed them to engage in agriculture). Such actions led to the first Hottentot-Boer War, during which the leader of the Hottentot tribe, Kora, was killed.

Irina STEPKINA