XOMS |OMIS

BORN IN ETOSHA - KEEPING IT ALIVE!

!Khores

- Arrow poison -

Poison was an essential ingredient for the hunt. The Hai||om used the root of !khores (Adenium boehmianum), the Afrikaans name for which is pylgif (“arrow poison”; sometimes the English common name “pink impala lily” is used!). The root of the plant was sliced up and the sap was squeezed out; it was then cooked until it turned black. Before being smeared on the arrow heads, it had to be softened again by reheating. Arrowheads with poison were very valuable, and belonged to specific people. If, for example, a hunter had shot an animal and it had run away and died in another man’s territory, that man would be honour-bound to return the arrowhead to the hunter, together with new !khores.

Animals of the Hai||om

Many utensils and tools necessary for daily life were made out of animal material. Find a complete list of the animlas which were used by the Hai||om.

Animals

Plants of the Hai||om

The Hai||om know hundred of plants for many uses, for example as bush food, medicine and poison for their arrows.

Plants

Places of the Hai||om

Before the Hai||om had access to drilled boreholes, the hunter-gatherers were profoundly reliant on natural water sources, where they often erected their permanent settlements.

Learn more