Case Study 1: Traditional processing

NEW WORDS

o natural materials- from nature / earth / environment o traditional – a long, established way of doing something o pastoral – kept animals like cattle, sheep or goats o expedition – a journey taken with a specific purpose

The first people used natural materials to harden wood and bone for making tools and hunting weapons. They also had ways of reinforcing (strengthening) the mud used for making traditional huts. They knew which materials made the best clothes and blankets, and which grass made the softest beds. They also knew exactly which reeds would make the best mats to cover their walls, and how to build the best houses for their climate and their lifestyle. Some of these traditional ways of processing materials are still used today.

The Khoikhoi people were one of the first nations to live in Southern Africa. The Khoikhoi were pastoral people who kept goats, but also hunted buck for their meat and skins. The following story tells us about the young Khoikhoi hunter, Heitsi, who prepares to go on an expedition to hunt a springbok. Look for clues about the way his people used and processed materials.

Heitsi prepares for the hunt

Heitsi is a young boy and he is already a good hunter even though he was born 11 summers ago. His father and his uncles have taught him how to use the bow and arrow and the 'kierie' (or throwing stick) that are the traditional hunting weapons of the Khoikhoi.

Heitsi is hoping to kill a springbok, because he wants to cut a head dress for himself from the skin of the springbok. He will give the rest of the springbok skin to his mother to turn into a blanket ( karos) or a piece of clothing for his new baby sister. In earlier times, women used bone, but his mother could scrape the skin with a sharp stone or metal blade to remove the hair and rub it with animal fat for a long time to make it soft.

Heitsi slings the quiver in which he keeps his arrows over his shoulder. The quiver is made from tree bark. He wants a quiver made of animal skin like the one his father carries. The arrows inside the quiver are only made from wooden shafts and the sharp tips made of metal. His younger cousins have arrows with tips made of hardwood. Long ago all the arrow tips were made of wood or bone, but after contact with other people over the years, the Khoi-khoi have been introduced to metal.

He keeps some tinder in his quiver. Tinder is the name for the soft, dry plant materials his people use when starting a fire.

Another item he keeps in the quiver is a hollow reed that can be used like a straw to suck up water that has collected on the leaves of plants. He knows that he has to handle the arrow tips very carefully because they are very sharp. He keeps them sharp by rubbing them on a special stone. Another reason why Heitsi handles the arrows very carefully is because their tips have been covered with a layer of poison. His cousins sometimes use the sap from poisonous plants to treat their arrow tips, but he prefers to use snake poison because it is more potent.

His bow is made from the flexible wood of a wild olive tree. The bow string is made from the gut of a small wild cat that he hunted last summer. His uncle's bow has a string made of twisted palm leaves and from another flexible wood, and it makes a beautiful sound when Uncle holds the end of the bow in his mouth and taps against the string with a stick. Tonight, when they return from the hunt, the men will dance around the fire while the women sing and clap their hands. There will be stories told about the hunt, and Heitsi will honour the soul of the springbok that he has killed.

DID YOU KNOW? Fire-hardening is the process of removing moisture from wood (or bone) by slowly and lightly roasting it over a fire. This process makes a point (like that of a spear / arrow tip) or an edge (like that of a knife) stronger, harder and more durable.

The last weapon he picks up is his kierie. It has a long handle and a knob at the top end. His uncle made it from strong wood and to make the kierie even stronger, his uncle placed it close to the fire for a long time. The heat from the fire dried out the wood and made it tough and strong.

At last Heitsi is ready for the hunt...

QUESTIONS

1. In the story many different traditional materials were used by the Khoikhoi people. In the table below, you must fill in what material was used for each purpose in the middle column. In the column on the right, it mentions in the story what other material could be used for the same purpose.

Purpose What material was used? What other material could be used?

Making a quiver for arrows

Making the arrow wood No alternative method mentioned shaft

Making the arrow tip

Making poison for the arrow tip

Making a bow

Making a string for the bow

Making a blade for scraping the hair

2. What processing method was used to turn animal skin into soft leather? sc______g (par 2) 3. What processing method was used to make wood harder so that it could be used to make a kierie? d_ _ _ _ g out (par 8) 4. What processing method was used to make the arrow tip sharper? r_ _ _ _ _g (par 5) 5. What processing method was used to make wood/ bone harder by removing the moisture over a fire so that it could be used to make arrow tips? f_ _ _ h______g (par 7)

(Adapted from Natural Sciences and Technology Grade 5-A CAPS. Siyavula and Sasol Inzalo Foundation)