The history of Botswana has been characterised by large scale migrations of people to and in the country itself, which have given birth to a complex and variegated society from an anthropological point of view.
Some of the main ethnical groups living in Botswana are the following:
Batswana or Tswana
The Batswana people represent nearly 60% of the country's total population and are divided in several groups, among which the most important are the Bakwena, the Bangwato, the Bangwaketse and the Batawana. Their villages are big and highly populated, some have even 15,000-30,000 inhabitants. Their traditional houses are thatched-roofed huts whose walls are made of cow dung and mud; they are built around a little food shop and the kgotla, the traditional court where tribal assemblies are held. The chief's household is generally located at the centre of the village, surrounded by wards of relatives and members of his family.
The chief is the focus of the whole clan and represents the highest authority in regard to any matter; however, his power is not absolute and his actions are strictly controlled and judged by his personal advisors. Nowadays tribe chiefs still have the duty to preside over the kgotla and to decide on internal or intertribal matters.
The Batswana devote themselves to agriculture and farming. Cattle are fundamental for every family: socially, the number of heads a man owns defines his wealth and his social status; economically, cattle represent a security against financial misfortunes, as they can be either sold or exchanged for other goods. Finally, cattle are still used nowadays as payment to the prospective wife's family as compensation for the loss of one family member on marriage.
The whole community, instead, manages the land and each family can exploit it according to the chief's decision.
Bakalanga The Bakalanga, who are settled near Francistown, are the second major ethnic group in Botswana. Their lifestyle is rather different from the Batswana's, as their society is more oriented towards agriculture rather than farming, as the Bakalanga keep only small livestock herds. In the past cattle were used for religious sacrifices and nowadays they are important only as payment to the prospective wife's family to compensate for the loss of one member because of marriage. They are not a means of gaining wealth or social status. What matters to this people is land ownership: it is from the land that a family draws its power and influence over the other members of the village, which is usually built near hills, valleys and forest clearings.
Bambukushu and Bayei These Angolan refugees have settled in the Ngamiland district in north-western Botswana, especially along the Okavango and Chobe rivers. The two groups differ, however, for the places chosen for their settlements: the Bayei prefer living near shallow waters and planting their permanent fields on floodplains. The Bambukushu, instead, usually settle near deep waters and shift their fields according to the different conditions of wetness and land fertility.
They both live by fishing and agriculture, but they would like to own large livestock herds to avoid financial problems. They also earn their living thanks to their excellence in making wicker baskets.
Bakgalagadi This people is closely connected with the Batswana because of their similar culture and beliefs. It can be divided into five different groups: the Bakgwateng, the Babolaongwe, the Bangologa, the Baphalang and the Bashaga, who differ for their subsistence methods. The Bakgwateng are mainly agriculturalists, but they supplement their diet with game and livestock; besides, they mine and smelt iron in order to avoid survival problems.
The Bangologa and Babolaongwe, instead, are mainly pastoral clans, but they devote themselves to farming, hunting and the gathering of fruit and edible plants as well. Unfortunately, many people among the Bakgalagadi were forced to become servants for the Batswana in the past: as a result, they are still accorded inferior social status, they live on society's fringes and practice subsistence farming. The government tries to solve these problems by means of subsidies and assistance programmes similar to those planned for Bushmen.
Basarwa o Bushmen Basarwa, or Bushmen, deserve special attention as they are the most ancient and traditional population of Botswana, whose history and culture are recorded in rock paintings, orally transmitted folk tales and traditional songs. This ethnic group has been living in southern Africa for some 30,000 years, and today only about 3,000 people of this clan still live in Botswana. The name "Basarwa", generally used by the Batswana, has a negative meaning, "people without cattle"; their proper name should be "San", meaning "person", but today they are commonly referred to as "Bushmen".
The San have light, almost coppery skin colour, almond-shaped eyes, high cheekbones, thin lips and tufted, kinky hair. By tradition they live by hunting and collecting veldt foods; they are nomads and move in groups consisting of related families. During abundance periods, these family groups may gather up to 120 members, while the groups shrink to 10 people maximum during more problematical periods. As a nomadic tribe, they follow waterways, hunt game and gather edible plant; they do not own cattle, cultivated land or possessions. As these people move frequently, they have no established home and build temporary huts by planting branches in a semicircle, interweaving them at the top and covering them with tuffs of grass. Things are changing today: the San live in settlements, many of which are located in the "Central Kalahari Game Reserve".
In these villages, like the San Bushman Village near Edo's Camp, tourists can learn Bushman habits by being personally involved in many different activities (when available), such as, for example:
helping the women and children with the gathering of edible and medicinal plants
preparing and sampling the herbs and fruit gathered during the walk with the San
walks with San guides to identify trees, bushes, birds, animals and spoor
traditional dances celebrating a good hunt, an abundant harvest and the pleasure of being together.
Unfortunately, the Botswana Government wishes the San were well integrated into the mainstream of society, in villages situated outside the Reserve, so that they can be provided with modern facilities, like schools, hospitals, and so on. This policy has caused a sort of forced relocation of the Bushmen into bleak settlements and the lost of their traditional hunting and subsistence methods.
