When South Africa was discovered in 1652, the Dutch met Khoikhoi who were dressed, as this man is, with a cow-hide draped over one arm. The ivory arm ring was not just ornamental, but was used to ward off kierie blows when fighting. (Artist Unknown, early 1700's, SA Library)

It is probable that the Khoikhoi were people derived from the aboriginal hunters of southern Africa - most probably, on linguistic grounds, those hunters who lived in northern Botswana. It was in this area that they changed their economy and became herders. In so doing, they would have had to make significant changes to their social organisation - initially as low-class members of a hierarchical agricultural society, and later as independent herders in their own right.

Many questions still remain unanswered though - were the herders found at the Cape by early travellers from Europe, immigrants from elsewhere? or were they hunting people who had obtainted domestic animals, and if so, how did this stock get to the Cape? It would seem that sheep were the earliest domestic animals. Richard Elphick, an historian, has suggested that the difference between Khoikhoi and Soaqua was only one of fortune. He believes that the Khoikhoi economy was fragile since they could easily lose their stock through theft, disease or drought. They would then have to fall back on hunting to survive and on raiding cattle from other herding groups in order to recoup their losses. He suggested a cyclical model: when a family had domestic animals they would see themselves as Khoikhoi, but when they lost their stock and had to revert to living off veldkos (food from the bush), they were seen by stock owners as Soaqua, a reduction in class status.

The relationship between the two economies was not always peaceable - the San stole from the Khoikhoi herds. Yet on the other hand, there were amicable relations set up when the San worked as clients for the herders.