Khoisans

In News 

• King Khoisan, the leader of one of South Africa’s oldest inhabitant communities, was arrested for growing cannabis near South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s office in Pretoria.
•  The Khoisans have been protesting near the president’s office for the past three years for recognition of the community and their language( Khoekhoe)among other things. 

Who are the Khoisan?

• The Khoisans are known to be the first people to inhabit South Africa is made up of two different communities who practised similar cultures and spoke the same languages – the Khoikhoi, who were nomadic farmers, and San, who were hunter-gatherers
• The Khoisans are known to be the first people to come in contact with the Dutch settlers in South Africa in the 17th century.
  • As the Dutch began to take over land in the country, Khoisans were enslaved or killed and hence their popularity diminished over the years.
  •  The community was derogated by the European settlers with names like Bushmen and Hottentots. 
• The scientists, after studying the genetic variation among the DNA of more than 3,000 Africans for over a decade, found that the San were the most genetically diverse group which means that the San were the oldest population of humans in South Africa and on Earth.

Source:IE