San Bushman Hunting, Foraging and Fire set

[timboggle]

Genuine Bushman set, consists of bow, quiver, arrows, friction fire set, spear and digging stick, they're can't be many of these amongst the forum membership - aquired personally whilst on ventures in the central Kalahari desert of Botswana, Southern Africa, several years ago.

The set is in pristine condition.

Hunting sets are used by the bushmen by placing poison (not included) on the shaft of the arrow head, the hunter can kill any animal upto the size of a giraffe.

The spear is made from branches of the raison bush and treated with animal brain and marrow.

The bow is made from a flexible shaft of the Grewia bush and treated as above. The bindings are made from sinew. The bow string is made from long strips of sinew from the back muscles of an antelope.

Two kinds of arrow, the reed arrow can have either an iron arrow head and used for game or the bone version used for birds.

The Bag itself is made from Duiker Skin

The Quiver is made from the root bark of the Acacia tree

The digging stick is hardened by heating with fire and used for digging roots, poison beetles, water, etc

The fire set is also from the Acacia

In the piccy below - top to bottom

1 x Iron head reed arrow

2 x Bone head arrows

1 x Bow

1 x Skin bush bag

1 x Quiver/storage case

1 x digging stick

1 x iron head spear

1 x friction fire set

I would like £75 for the set including p&p

paypal, cheques, bacs, cash etc all welcome

if you require more detailed pics or info please just ask

Thankyou for reading

[Son Of Fire]

WOW!!!
I'll take this kit off your hands please.
Do the San not normaly fletch there arrows?
I'll paypal you the £75
I have some more questions though.
Thanks Ged

[timboggle]

Its yours mate, fire away with questions, no problem - may help other members gain an insight into the san, truly amazing people, could prob take all the resulting info to a seperate educational thread somewhere once finished maybe - in fact, i could prob dig out pics of the making of this and put together a thread if anyones interested!! I'm off for a beer later with friends and will be spending most of Monday in post office, lol!! will get back to you asap mate,

[Son Of Fire]

I have sent the money and if you haven't already sent me the sami knife you could put it in the bushman kit to save money on p&p. Thanks again Ged and good luck in post office tomorrow!
Rob

[jojo]

Oh bu r... Pity I didn't see that in time! Well done Son of Fire, to get your hands on this! I am jealous now...

truly amazing people, could prob take all the resulting info to a seperate educational thread somewhere once finished maybe - in fact, i could prob dig out pics of the making of this and put together a thread if anyones interested

Yes please, Timbogle, I'd be very interested to see this. Cheers

[Son Of Fire]

Sorry JoJo, I was surpised that nobody bought it before me! I'll bring it to the next bushmoot, so that anybody whose intrested can have a look.
Ged the sami knife arrived today, I'll put it to use later today. Ok I have some questions...

1. I'm guessing that this is a man's personal kit because of the spear, bow and arrows. Would a women's kit be the same minus the big game hunting tools, but maybe with some snare sets for small game and with something to carry small infants in?

2. The arrows don't seam to be fletched, is it because they havn't been poisoned and so aren't ready for hunting or are they tapered to fly true?

3. They treat wood with animal brains and marrow, did you see how they applied it?

4. I'm surprised that there is nothing to carry water in, do they really get all the water they need from roots?
I'll be back with some more soon.
Thanks Ged

[leon-1]

I can't answer all your questions Son Of Fire, but I can answer some of them.

1. Yes it is a man's kit, the San seem to have some very defined rules, women gather, cook and do a number of things around camp. Men hunt, they are also responsible for making fire. Women tend to carry gathering bags.

2. The San don't tend to use fletched arrows.

3. I can't answer as I never saw it.

4. I don't recall seeing them use water bladders. They take water from anywhere they can get it including roots, tubers, from hollows in trees and anywhere else.

[timboggle]

cheers mate - its on its way tommorow, glad to hear the sami knife has arrived.

Good questions mate, I will put together a thread about the daily life of the San bushmen with piccies etc over the next couple of weeks, but to answer your questions

1. Yes, this is the mans set I've not come across women carrying a hunting set at all or even snares, a family group will usually do everything together, shelter building, foraging, cooking and eating with exception to the hunt - I've only come across the men doing this in small groups, ie, father and sons, brothers etc. The women will however use similiar Duiker or Steen Bok skins for carrying their babies.

2. The arrows are basically just a 'poison delivery system' , the San stalking skills are so good they are litrally just metres away from the animal or bird when they release the arrow - so no need for fletchings.

3. This treatment is purely a water protectant, they boil the brains or marrow into a reduced juice and just soak on the wood, might have piccies of this not sure.

4. Good one this and one of the best survival skills I've ever learnt, getting water in the Kalahari is easier than you think, simply by digging for water melon in the piccy below using the, you've guessed it - digging stick, I've never come across them carrying a water bottle but I have seen them with coca cola

cheers mate