 The Koisan of South Africa, oldest tribe in the world with a fascinating click language. From the depths of time, the Koisan people have roamed the vast landscapes of Southern Africa. Leaving their mark on the land and in history with echoes of their fascinating click language. They were the first people to call this land their home. Long before settlers arrived on its shores. With their exceptional hunting skills and nomadic farming practices, they survived and thrived. For they are the guardians of an ancient legacy, one that stretches back thousands of years and that continues to inspire and captivate all who hear it. They are determined to preserve their culture and traditions to ensure that their voices are heard and that their story is not forgotten. The Koisan are in danger of losing their unique identity and rich cultural heritage as their way of life is threatened with extinction. But the Koisan are not giving up. Traditional music and singing, which were once central to their culture, are no longer as prevalent and the art of making weapons, traditional jewelry, and clothing are being diluted by modern Western cultures. The Koisan's vibrant click languages, in which clicks are used like consonants, are also disappearing fast. And what are the four types of clicks? Okay, is there another phrase that uses a lot of them? Yes, there is. Okay, give us an example. Okay. And some other tribes. No, I don't mean who uses it. I mean some words that, some phrases and sentences that use a lot of the clicks. Such as I am going to the dance, but something longer than that. Something longer than that. Can you think of something? Really? Yeah, come on. Oh, please. Okay. Can I try in the Bushman language? Of course. Okay. Perfect. All right. So that means I'm going to chase this sheep out, make them go up here, and then I'll come back from this side. This has resulted in a rapid decline of their traditional knowledge and expertise. To make matters worse, laws in countries where the Koisan once lived now prevent them from hunting in the ways they once did to survive. Many Koisan have been forced to transition into modern ways of life, such as agriculture and herding, which means that their original skills and insights, particularly those related to hunting and gathering, are being lost forever. As they struggle to maintain their traditional existence, the world is witnessing the end of their once thriving hunter-gatherer lifestyle. The Koisan, one of the oldest and most fascinating tribes on earth, are currently facing a major crisis. Their way of life, which has been preserved for thousands of years, is rapidly disappearing. Their intuition and understanding of the environment around them is unparalleled, and they are able to tune into their surroundings in a way that few other cultures can match. The Koisan are also formidable hunters, with the ability to track animals across vast distances and take them down using nothing more than a small poison-tipped arrow, but their skills don't stop there. Their extensive knowledge of the medicinal properties of plants is nothing short of remarkable, and they have the ability to cure hundreds of ailments using only natural remedies. They have an unparalleled ability to extract nutrients from even the most barren and unpromising plants, and to survive in some of the harshest and most inhospitable environments on earth. The Koisan are renowned for their extraordinary knowledge and expertise when it comes to the natural world that surrounds them. As their languages fade into obscurity, so too does their identity, leaving them as nothing more than a footnote in the annals of history. Despite being among the first inhabitants of the land, the Koisan people are now on the verge of extinction, with their rich cultural heritage being systematically eroded by modernity. The threat of losing their enchanting, click linguistic heritage is real, as the Koisan communities continue to dwindle in numbers. Adding insult to injury, the fascinating click languages spoken by these marginalized groups are not even recognized as one of the 11 official languages in the country, despite being regarded as some of the most complex languages in the world. For they are the guardians of an ancient legacy, one that stretches back thousands of years, and that continues to inspire and captivate all who hear it, but the Koisan are not giving up. They are determined to preserve their culture and traditions, to ensure that their voices are heard and that their story is not forgotten. And even for those who manage to retain their land, the challenges are many, with few resources and little government support to help secure and improve living conditions. Their struggle for land and resources continues, with the Land Restitution Act offering little hope for communities seeking to reclaim lost land. Even the advent of democracy in South Africa has done little to change their situation. Now, many years later, the Koisan are still fighting to be heard, despite being recognized as one of the country's first peoples. They are still among the most neglected and forgotten. They quickly became one of the country's most threatened cultural groups, pushed to the margins of society, their voices drowned out by the sounds of oppression. The Koisan were forced to adapt or perish, struggling to survive in a world that was rapidly changing around them. Over time, however, the region became hotter and drier, with water and food becoming increasingly scarce. When the Koisan first settled in Southern Africa 22,000 years ago, the land was lush, fertile, and teeming with wildlife. But the Koisan faced another threat that was out of their control. Climate change. The arrival of apartheid further pushed them to the brink of extinction, leaving them as one of the most vulnerable cultural groups in the country. The exploitation of natural resources, disruption of grazing patterns, spread of imported diseases, and countless conflicts all took a toll on the Koisan population, causing their numbers to plummet sharply over the years. The settlers didn't stop there, however. They launched direct attacks on the Koisan people, persecuting them in every way possible. The newcomers immediately laid claim to the land the Koisan had inhabited for thousands of years. They put up fences and boundaries, denying the Koisan access to their own ancestral lands. The arrival of the Europeans in the mid-1600s marked the beginning of a dark chapter in the history of the Koisan. Though rare, rock art can still be found in some parts of Southern Africa. Allowing us to connect with our ancient ancestors in a way that is truly, archaeologists have uncovered some of the oldest artwork and tools in the world, providing us with a glimpse into the past that is both fascinating and awe. Inspiring. These two groups have been estimated to have lived in the area for a staggering 2,000 years, leaving behind a trail of artifacts and implements that tell the story of their way of life. The history of Southern Africa is steeped in mystery and wonder, with the Koi Koi and San people taking center stage as the region's original inhabitants. They were true masters of the natural world, living in a delicate balance with their surroundings. These skilled hunter-gatherers were the first known inhabitants of Botswana in South Africa. The San were semi-nomadic, traversing the land seasonally in search of water and game. Meanwhile, the San roamed far and wide, claiming territories that stretched across Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Lesotho. They journeyed from the Kalahari to the Cape, or to the highlands of South Africa, carving a life in harmony with the land. It is said that they originated from Botswana migrating in search of new pastures. The Koi Koi were skilled in the art of nomadic pastoral agriculture, tending to large herds of cattle that roamed the plains. In the vast and beautiful lands of South Africa, two distinct groups flourished. It was only later that they combined the names of the Koi Koi and San to form the label Koisan. The colonizers used offensive labels like bushmen and hotentots to categorize and stereotype this diverse and complex group. However, these resilient people have suffered a barrage of derogatory and hurtful names since the arrival of European settlers. They existed in isolation from one another and employed different methods to survive in their harsh surroundings. The name Koisan is a melting pot of the Koi Koi and San tribes who shared a common bond in their cultures and languages. But this group was anything but uniform. Their story is a dramatic and poignant reminder of how our actions can lead to the decline of an entire people and the cost of forgetting our past.