ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape

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ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape: A Testimony to Ancient Adaptation Strategies

The ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017, is a significant testament to the resilience and adaptability of human cultures in some of the harshest environments on Earth. Located along the borders of South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia, this expansive sandy terrain spans across the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (KGNP), offering a unique glimpse into the rich history and cultural practices of the ǂKhomani San people.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape is located at the border with Botswana and Namibia in the northern part of the country, coinciding with the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (KGNP). The large expanse of sand contains evidence of human occupation from the Stone Age to the present and is associated with the culture of the formerly nomadic ǂKhomani San people and the strategies that allowed them to adapt to harsh desert conditions. They developed a specific ethnobotanical knowledge, cultural practices and a worldview related to the geographical features of their environment. The ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape bears testimony to the way of life that prevailed in the region and shaped the site over thousands of years.

Encyclopedia Record: ǀXam and ǂKhomani heartland

The ǀXam and ǂKhomani heartland World Heritage Site consists of regions located to the South and North of Upington, respectively, in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. The ǀXam and ǂKhomani people were linguistically related groups of San (Bushman) people, their respective languages being part of the ǃKwi language group. Descendants of both the ǀXam and Nǁnǂe include Afrikaans-speaking ‘Coloured’ people on farms or in towns in the region amongst whom the precolonial languages are either entirely extinct or can be spoken by but a very few people.

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