Hunter-gatherer bands (San and Khoe-speaking) of the Kalahari sands west and north of the Toutswe cattle country, round the Makgadikgadi pans and across the sandveld to the Hwange country.
They hunted, gathered, collected salt and ostrich eggshell, and traded skins, game products and perhaps ivory with the Toutswe herders; some may have herded for them. Bosutswe sat at the junction of their country and the farmers'.
Who holds it
- Title
- Band headmen; no chief over the bands
- Since
- Not pinned
- Confidence
- low
Overlord
None that can be named
How things stand that morning
Independent bands.
Customs
Band life with shared hunting grounds and water; no chiefs.
Assemblies
Band discussion; no wider assembly.
Overlord claims
Toutswe herders and farmers may have treated some bands as clients; not pinned.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Archaeology of the Kalahari's forager-herder contacts (Denbow and Wilmsen) for the region generally; nothing specific to 1200.
On the map: Drawn over the sandveld inside the frame; farmers also lived along some rivers within it.
Sources and studies
- Kieffer and Lindsay, Rise of the Toutswe kingdom (EBSCO Research Starters, 2022, summarising Denbow)
- Bosutswe (Wikipedia, citing Denbow et al. 2007, 2008)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.